The celebrity tomato is a popular hybrid determinate (bush) variety of tomato which suits both the outdoor garden and growing in pots. The fruits are firm, red and weigh about 7 to 8 ounces (about 300 gms). They are also a smooth-skinned variety.
It is an all-purpose variety suitable for salads and preserving for sauces, jams etc. It does well under any growing conditions and is an early maturer, taking 70 days from transplanting. In addition, it has been bred to be disease resistant to most tomato diseases.
Diseases it is resistant to include Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, Nematodes and Tobacco Mosaic Virus. It is an easy plant to grow with minimum maintenance other than regular watering and fertilizing.
The ideal time to plant is when the last threat of frost has disappeared and when the soil temperature is about 60̊ Fahrenheit (around 15̊ Celsius). If a late frost is forecast cover your plants with a plastic cover or some other suitable material to protect the tender leaves from frost burn.
If you intend to grow from seed, plant your seed 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost is expected. If you’re planting seeds outside, plant them about 6 inches (15cm) apart at a depth of about 1/8”. Rows should be about 3 feet (90cms – 1 metre) apart. When the plants are 2 – 3” tall thin out to about 2 feet apart (60cms).
