An ancestral Spanish variety from the municipality of Abanillas, Val of Saint Vicente in Cantabria. Spain was the first country in Europe to inport and develop tomatoes from the wild types they found in South America. The first tomatoes arrived in Spain around the time of the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521, and they didn’t wait long to develop those wild types into exciting culinary varieties. Abanillas provides a rare situation where an extensive history of an heirloom is known; it has been cultivated by the Gonzalez Roiz family for a century or more, transmitted down through at least three generations of gardeners, and has been grown in the same garden in Abanillas for that entire time. The liklihood is that the variety has been with that family for much longer, and we are looking at a really really old tomato, here. Now in public circulation, this tomato has developed a cult following in Spain, winning multiple Tomato Tasting awards. Seeds are almost impossible to find, outside of Spain, and I was lucky enough to be gifted some. They absolutely live up to they hype, and produced brilliantly in my polytunnel. If you love an old heirloom with a story, get yourself some of these!
Indeterminate, regular leaf, stocky, strong plants
Indeterminate plants are vigorous plants with a vining tendency.They set their fruits at intervals along their stems, and will readily grow side shoots and suckers (shoots from ground level).They need good, strong support, and it is advisable to remove the majority of the side shoots and suckers unless you have plenty of space and fertile soil to allow them to grow to their full potential.See the guide on pruning indeterminates in the resources section of the website for tips.
Sow Jan-April indoors
Height Band G
10-15 open-pollinated seeds
An ancestral Spanish variety from the municipality of Abanillas, Val of Saint Vicente in Cantabria. Spain was the first country in Europe to inport and develop tomatoes from the wild types they found in South America. The first tomatoes arrived in Spain around the time of the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521, and they didn’t wait long to develop those wild types into exciting culinary varieties. Abanillas provides a rare situation where an extensive history of an heirloom is known; it has been cultivated by the Gonzalez Roiz family for a century or more, transmitted down through at least three generations of gardeners, and has been grown in the same garden in Abanillas for that entire time. The liklihood is that the variety has been with that family for much longer, and we are looking at a really really old tomato, here. Now in public circulation, this tomato has developed a cult following in Spain, winning multiple Tomato Tasting awards. Seeds are almost impossible to find, outside of Spain, and I was lucky enough to be gifted some. They absolutely live up to they hype, and produced brilliantly in my polytunnel. If you love an old heirloom with a story, get yourself some of these!
Indeterminate, regular leaf, stocky, strong plants
Indeterminate plants are vigorous plants with a vining tendency.They set their fruits at intervals along their stems, and will readily grow side shoots and suckers (shoots from ground level).They need good, strong support, and it is advisable to remove the majority of the side shoots and suckers unless you have plenty of space and fertile soil to allow them to grow to their full potential.See the guide on pruning indeterminates in the resources section of the website for tips.
Sow Jan-April indoors
Height Band G
10-15 open-pollinated seeds
