Arkansas Traveler Care – How To Grow Arkansas Traveler Tomatoes

Tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes and, importantly, growing requirements. While some gardeners need a fast-growing tomato to squeeze in during their short summers, others always have their eye out for varieties that will stand up to the heat and last as long as possible into the most scorchingly deadly summer months.

For those of us in the second camp, one tomato that might fit the bill is the Arkansas Traveler, a good drought and heat resistant variety with a pleasant color and a mild flavor. Keep reading to learn more about how to grow Arkansas Traveler tomatoes in the home garden.

About Arkansas Traveler Tomato Plants

What is an Arkansas Traveler tomato? As the name suggests, this tomato hails from the state of Arkansas, where it was bred at the University of Arkansas by Joe McFerran of the Horticulture Department. He released the tomato to the public in 1971 under the name “Traveler.” It wasn’t until later that it gained the name of its home state.

The tomato “Arkansas Traveler” produces high quality, small to medium fruits that, like so many varieties from this state, have a pleasant pink cast to them. The fruits have a very mild flavor, making them a good choice for slicing in salads and for convincing kids who claim they don’t like the taste of fresh tomatoes.

Arkansas Traveler Care

Arkansas Traveler tomato plants are bred with heat in mind, and they stand up very well to the hot summers of the American South. Where other varieties wither, these plants keep on producing even in times of drought and high temperatures.

The fruits are very resistant to cracking and splitting. The vines are indeterminate and tend to reach about 5 feet (1.5 m.) in length, which means they need to be staked. They have good disease resistance, and usually reach maturity within 70 to 80 days.