LATIN NAME: SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM

COMMON NAME: Banana Leggs Tomato

The banana leggs tomato is one of the most distinctive of the heirloom tomatoes, and its long, curved, banana-shaped, golden-yellow fruits have made it a favourite of the collectors and the kitchen gardens of the world. It grows as an indeterminate, vining, tender annual of the nightshade family, reaching up to two metres or more, with upright, branching stems bearing large, oval, lobed, softly hairy, grey-green leaves and, in the warmth of the summer, clusters of the small, yellow, star-shaped flowers, followed by the long, curved, meaty, golden-yellow fruits which hang in trusses among the leaves. It is a bred form of the cultivated tomato, developed as an open-pollinated heirloom with a distinctive shape and a mild, sweet flavour, while it is grown for its unusual, banana-shaped fruits and its low acidity, and it is known as the banana leggs tomato.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The banana leggs tomato has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the horticulture and the heirloom conservation, since the banana leggs tomato is one of the distinctive open-pollinated heirlooms, and the researchers and the breeders have examined its breeding, its cultivation and its value in the preservation of the old tomato varieties, while the study of the heirloom tomatoes has drawn attention in the international horticultural press. The plant has also been studied in the food science and the nutrition, since the golden-yellow fruits of the tomato are rich in the nutrients and the antioxidants, and the researchers have examined the fruit, its constituents and its value in the kitchen, while the study of the tomatoes and their nutrition has been of continuing interest across the world. The species has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the nightshade family and a product of the long domestication of the tomato, and its relationships and its breeding history have been examined, while the long, curved fruits of the banana leggs tomato have been of interest to the botanists and the growers. For a tomato of such distinction, the banana leggs tomato has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Banana Leggs Tomato from seed, ecologically, the banana leggs tomato is a generous plant of the warm kitchen garden. Its clusters of the small, yellow flowers feed the bees and the insects of the summer, and its vining, leafy growth gives a fine cover and a shelter to the small creatures, while its long, golden fruits have made it a treasure of the heirloom garden. Its economic value is real: the banana leggs tomato is prized as a distinctive heirloom variety for the specialist market and the kitchen garden, and its value has drawn attention in the international horticultural and food press, while its mild, sweet, low-acid fruits have made it a favourite of the collectors and the cooks. To raise the banana leggs tomato, sow the seeds in pots of warm, moist compost in a bright, warm corner, keep them gently watered, and grow the little plants on in the warmth.

sow the seeds in pots of warm, moist compost in a bright, warm corner, keep the young tomatoes gently watered, and grow the little plants on in the warmth.

  This heirloom variety with lacy foliage produces 10cm/4cm long yellow fruit that resembles a banana. Thick meaty flesh make it an excellent choice for paste, sauces, chilies, or eating raw with your favourite herb dip! 80 days.