Old German Heirloom Tomato Vegetable Seeds Packet

• Seed trays or small pots: For the 6-8 week indoor start.
• Seed-starting mix: Reduces damping-off risk.
• Grow light: For strong, compact seedling growth.
• Sturdy stakes or cages, set up early: This variety is a vigorous, tall indeterminate grower with large fruit -- undersized support is a common and preventable mistake.

• Pruners or garden scissors: For a clean cut rather than pulling.
• Basket, lined if possible: This variety's large fruit bruises easily -- a soft lining helps protect it in transit from garden to kitchen.
• Mesh drying rack (optional): For processing a larger harvest.

Tip: Pick at full yellow-red color with slight give under gentle pressure, and handle carefully -- large heirloom fruit with thin skin bruises far more easily than a firmer hybrid tomato.

Light:

• Requires full sun (at least 6-8 hours daily).

Soil:

• Prefers rich, well-drained loam with high organic matter, pH 6.0-6.8.

Watering:

• Requires consistent watering, about 1-2 inches per week.
• Avoid fluctuating between too dry and too wet — this variety's large fruit size makes it especially prone to cracking and blossom end rot from inconsistent moisture.

Temperature & Climate:

• Thrives in warm temperatures, ideally 70-85°F.
• Sensitive to frost — transplant only after all frost danger has passed.

Fertilization:

• Apply a balanced fertilizer at planting time.
• Side-dress with phosphorus and potassium once fruiting begins.
• Avoid excess nitrogen, which produces excessive foliage at the expense of fruit.

Staking & Support:

• Tie to sturdy stakes or cages as the plant grows — this is a vigorous, tall indeterminate variety that needs support in place early, not added later.

Mulching:

• Apply organic mulch to retain even soil moisture, which reduces blossom end rot and fruit cracking, and to suppress weeds.

Pruning:

• Remove suckers (side shoots growing from leaf joints) to focus the plant's energy on main stems and fruit production.
• Remove lower leaves touching the soil to reduce disease splash-up.

Watering:

• Keep soil evenly moist — avoid letting it swing between very dry and very wet, which is the main driver of cracking and blossom end rot in this large-fruited variety.

Harvesting:

• Pick at full yellow-red color with slight give under gentle pressure.
• Handle gently — this variety's thin skin bruises more easily than firmer hybrid tomatoes.

Storing:

• Store at room temperature, never below 50°F, away from direct sun — refrigeration dulls flavor and texture.
• Use within about a week fresh, or process into sauce or canned goods for longer storage.

• Inconsistent watering — this variety's large fruit size makes it especially prone to cracking -- keep moisture even, particularly as fruit nears ripeness
• Underestimating support needs — a vigorous, tall indeterminate plant -- stake or cage early and sturdily

1. Culinary Applications:

• Sliced for sandwiches and burgers, given its large size and mild flavor
• Featured in caprese-style salads where its bi-color appearance stands out
• Fresh salsas and uncooked preparations that showcase its flavor
• Roasting to concentrate sweetness in sauces
• Simple preparations (just salt, olive oil) that let the heirloom flavor lead

2. Nutritional Benefits:

• Good source of lycopene, an antioxidant compound tied to tomato's red pigment
• Vitamin C and potassium in typical tomato ranges
• Low in calories relative to its size and versatility
• No bred-in disease resistance, consistent with heirloom tomatoes generally, which is a tradeoff for its distinctive flavor and history

3. Garden and Ornamental Uses:

• Striking bi-color yellow-and-red skin makes it a genuine visual standout in a mixed tomato bed
• Rooted in Amish and Mennonite seed-saving tradition, giving it real heritage appeal for garden storytelling
• Open-pollinated, meaning seed can be saved true-to-type year to year, unlike hybrids
• A good teaching example for heirloom preservation and family seed-saving practices

4. Practical Benefits:

• Large fruit size means fewer tomatoes needed per meal, reducing prep time
• Distinctive coloring gives it strong visual appeal at farmers markets
• Genuine gift potential for gardeners who value heirloom and heritage varieties
• Worth flagging: needs sturdy staking and consistent watering given its size and thinner skin

• Fruit: The only edible part, same as any tomato.

Raw tomato, per 100g (standard reference; this variety is bi-color yellow/red, so retains normal lycopene levels unlike green-fleshed types)

Calories: 18 kcal

• Carbohydrates: 3.9 g
• Protein: 0.9 g
• Total fat: 0.2 g
• Dietary fiber: 1.2 g
• Vitamin C: 13.7 mg (15% RDA)
• Folates: 15 µg (4% RDA)
• Potassium: 237 mg
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Lycopene: present, since this variety's red coloring (unlike Green Zebra) indicates normal lycopene development

Good companions

• Basil — verified pest-defense/yield benefit
• Carrots, alliums — general tomato companions

Poor companions / avoid

• Brassicas, fennel, potatoes, mature dill — shared disease pressure and/or competition

• Hornworms — strip foliage quickly; handpick or use Bt
• Aphids, whiteflies — cluster on new growth
• Flea beetles — shot-holes in young leaves

• Early blight, late blight, septoria leaf spot — standard tomato fungal pressures, more likely on heirlooms given no bred-in resistance
• Blossom end rot — from inconsistent watering, worsened by this variety's large fruit size

Old German needs rich soil, plenty of sun, and deep, regular watering, along with sturdy staking or caging to support the big, vigorous vines this variety is known for. Mulching also helps keep the fruit itself clean by preventing direct contact with soil. A sturdy cage installed early avoids disrupting roots once the plant is established.

Its large, bicolor fruit needs real time to develop that dense, meaty texture and deep flavor, which is the tradeoff for choosing size and richness over a faster-maturing variety. That patience is really the whole tradeoff for the size and flavor this variety delivers. That size and flavor combination is really the entire reason gardeners grow it at all.

Look for fruit that feels heavy for its size and has gone slightly soft to the touch, rather than relying on color alone, since the marbled yellow and red pattern can be misleading. Gently pressing near the stem end tends to give the clearest read on actual ripeness. Color alone can be misleading given the fruit's naturally marbled, uneven pattern.

Its large size makes the skin more vulnerable to sudden growth spurts after inconsistent watering, so keeping moisture steady throughout the season helps prevent this specific problem. A consistent watering schedule does more to prevent this than any single fix applied after the fact. Mulching further helps by keeping soil moisture more consistent between waterings.

It carries a sweet, low-acid, old-fashioned tomato flavor with a dense, almost peach-like texture, quite different from the brighter acidity of a standard grocery store tomato. That flavor is really the entire reason this variety has held onto its heirloom reputation for so long. That flavor difference is really the whole reason heirloom varieties keep their following.

Vacuum-sealed Shido Seeds packets stay viable for up to 10 years when stored properly, compared to roughly one year for a standard paper seed packet. Storing unused packets somewhere cool and dry helps preserve that extended shelf life even further. That reliability matters given how much patience this variety already demands.

Yes, its dense, meaty flesh and relatively low seed content make it well suited to canning, alongside fresh slicing and simply enjoying on its own. Its lower moisture content compared to smaller tomatoes also helps it hold up well in a jar. Its old-fashioned flavor also holds up remarkably well once preserved.

Yes — every Shido Seeds packet, Old German included, is germination-tested at independent third-party labs before it ever reaches a shelf. That scrutiny matters given how much of a full season this tomato already requires. That testing happens regardless of how long a variety actually takes to mature. No exceptions for slow growers.