White Queen Tomato

White Queen Tomato was one of the top five most delicious tasting tomatoes from the 25 we trialed last year. It is said to be the tastiest of the "white" tomatoes, is super vigorous, and very productive. Actually a creamy, off-white color, when truly ripe, many of the fruits have a gorgeous pink blush on their blossom end. These are great for making a tasty cream colored tomato sauce. Dr. Carolyn Male, tomato enthusiast, offered seeds for this variety in the Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook in 1995, and had gotten them from fellow enthusiast Craig Lehoullier. He had received them from the USDA's tomato collection. There is a simple note on the accession page for this tomato (PI 645048) in the USDA's GRIN database: "Earl May Seed Co. 1941 Catalog". This seed company was started by its namesake in Shenandoah, Iowa in 1919. Where they got the tomato, we are not sure! But we know it's fantastic.

We also know that tomatoes have a history much deeper than Iowa: they are so named from the Nahuatl (Aztec language) word "xitomatl" or "tomatl"; they have been cultivated as food on the land that is now called Mexico since at least around 500 BC; and they originate in western South America.

Days to maturity: 85

Seeds per pack: 25

Germination rate: 97% on 02/07/2024

Planting / harvesting notes

Start seeds 6-8 weeks before the last frost and transplant into garden well after the danger of frost. We recommend you prune the suckers that form in the crotches of the branches by the main stem. Water tomatoes at the soil level, keeping the leaves dry. Stake tomatoes so that their leaves and branches are kept off the ground, for good airflow between plants, and for easier harvest.

Seed keeping notes

Tomatoes are generally self-pollinating, though we isolate different varieties by 35-50 feet, in hopes that flying insects will not cross pollinate them unexpectedly. Tomato seeds are ripe when the fruits are ready to eat! Cut the fruit at the equator and squeeze or scrape out seeds from each of the cavities. In a cup or bucket, add a little water (1/2" is probably plenty) to your seeds and pulp to keep them from drying out, and allow them to ferment away from direct sunlight. Ideally, you will stir the concoction every day for 3-5 days. In the end, add more water to fill the vessel, stir one final time, and allow to settle. Pour off the floating material and then strain the seeds through a strainer. Sometimes, you will need to add more water and pour off the floating material several times until the water is clear and you can see the seeds sunken at the bottom. Squeeze dry the strained seeds in a towel, and then lay out to dry on a labeled screen or paper product in a ventilated place away from direct sunlight for a week or two.

Collections