Brown Flesh Tomato Info: How To Grow Brown Flesh Tomatoes

Every year new and exciting varieties of fruits and vegetables appear for adventurous gardeners to grow. Brown Flesh tomato (Solanum lycopersicum ‘Brown-Flesh’) conjures up a rather unpleasant image of a rotten tomato but is actually a cute and easy-to-grow fruit with beautiful, mottled flesh. In spite of the name, growing Brown Flesh tomatoes will provide you with some really interesting fruits to use in salads, to stuff, roast, or just eat out of hand. Read more to find out how to grow Brown Flesh tomatoes and enjoy these beauties in your garden.

What is Brown Flesh Tomato?

Tomatoes are coming in more and more skin and flesh colors than ever before. Using heirloom stock or even combining recently bred varieties results in unheard of hues and tones. This is the case with Brown Flesh tomato. What is a Brown Flesh tomato? The name is misleading, as the flesh isn't truly brown but is a delicious, red-brown toned fruit. This variety is an indeterminate vining plant. Fruits ripen mid-season. The fruit is considered to be medium in size and has firm skin and thick interior walls. This makes it an excellent stuffing tomato. The skin is reddish but has a brick tone mixed with a hint of brown that lends it its name and is often striped green. When you slice open the fruit, it is juicy but compact, with flesh that is blended in tones of red, burgundy, brown, and mahogany. The fruit is deeply flavored and would also make an excellent canning tomato.

Brown Flesh Tomato Info

Brown Flesh was released by Tom Wagner of Tater Mater Seed in the 1980s. The palm sized fruits are 3 ounces (85 g.) on average and plants produce prolifically. An interior start is best for growing Brown Flesh tomato plants, except in zone 11, where they can be directly seeded outdoors. These are generally annuals in most regions and require an early start in order to get ripe fruits. The first harvest usually comes within 75 days of germination. Optimal soil temperatures for germination are 75 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 32 C.). Sow seeds 6 to 8 weeks before the date of the last frost in flats ¼ inch (0.5 cm.) deep. Indeterminate tomato vines will need cages or staking to keep the fruit up and ventilated and off the ground.

Brown Flesh Tomato Care

Begin training the stems as soon as the first buds appear. For bushier plants, you can pinch off young growth just at a branch node. Move young plants outdoors as soon as they have two sets of true leaves. Harden seedlings off before installing in well-draining soil in full sun. Space plants 24 to 36 inches (61 to 91.5 cm.) apart. Keep the area weeded of competitive plants. Tomatoes need plenty of water once they flower to support the fruit; however, too much water can cause splitting. Water deeply when top few inches (7.5 cm.) of soil is dry to the touch. Watch for insect issues and use horticultural oil to combat. This is a really pleasant and easy to grow medium-sized plant with sweet, dense fruits.