When it comes to growing a plant that will truly produce a one-of-a-kind tomato in your garden, it’s hard to top the unique color, flavor and interest that Green Zebra tomatoes can bring to your growing space!
Not only does the Green Zebra ripen as a green tomato with gorgeous striping, it features a tangy yet slightly sweet flavor profile that soars above other traditional green tomato varieties. But let’s face it, as great as its flavor is, it is its amazing beauty that steals the show!
As the 2 to 3 ounce Green Zebra tomatoes ripen, the outer skin develops yellowish-green vertical stripes that almost appear to be neon in nature. But it only gets better. Once sliced, you are then greeted with a bright green flesh that is ideal for livening up fresh dishes that no other tomato can rival.
The History Of Green Zebra Tomatoes – Is It An Heirloom, Or Not?
The history of the Green Zebra is almost as interesting as the tomato plant. In the 1950s, Tom Wagner from Everett, Washington was attempting to improve one of his favorite green tomatoes, the Evergreen. Unfortunately, the tomatoes had a tendency to crack. But he was determined to find a fix.
It took a lot of trials and retrials, but finally, in 1983, Wagner introduced the fix as the Green Zebra tomato. While it isn’t the first green tomato to be cultivated, it has now grown to become one of the most popular green tomato varieties of all.
There is, however, a bit of controversy about whether the Green Zebra tomato is considered to be an official heirloom or not. Some define heirlooms as fruit that has been handed down for at least 50 years or more. Of course, Green Zebra is right on that line.
Whether you want to consider Green Zebra a more modern heirloom or hybrid/heirloom cross, it’s still an excellent option for planting. It has the disease-resistance of a hybrid but the appeal of an heirloom. And, since the plant is open-pollinated, you can save the seeds the same way you would official heirlooms like Mortgage Lifters. See: Growing Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes
Growing Green Zebra Tomatoes
Growing Seeds And Transplants
Due to their uniqueness, Green Zebra transplants can often be hard to locate in local nurseries and greenhouses. But the good news is you can easily start them indoors from seed to grow your own transplants.
Green Zebra tomatoes have a maturity date of around 78 days. When growing from seed, aim to start them 8 to 10 weeks before your last frost date. This will help your plants have a great head start on the growing season. Affiliate Seed Link: Green Zebra Great Heirloom Tomato Seeds
Be sure to use seed containers that have good drainage holes with fertile, loose seed starting soil. Once the seeds have germinated, set the containers under lights and keep them just a few inches above the plants. This allows the transplants to grow strong and sturdy as opposed to long and leggy.
About two weeks before you will be planting outdoors, start to move the containers outside for a few hours each day. As the weather allows, gradually increase the time until you can leave them out overnight. This process is called “hardening off” and is necessary to prepare young seedlings for transplanting outdoors.
Planting Green Zebra Tomatoes
You can grow Green Zebra plants in traditional gardens, in raised beds, and even in large containers. With containers, ensure the vessel is deep enough to support the plant’s roots and fill it with a high-quality potting soil mix.
Once the soil temperature reaches around 60 to 65º Fahrenheit, it’s safe to plant your Green Zebra tomato seedlings outside. These tomatoes thrive on sunlight. With that in mind, select a location that will receive at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight each day.
In addition to lots of sunlight, Green Zebras need plenty of nutrients as well. To help provide that, mix in plenty of compost prior to planting. This helps add nutrients as well as organic matter to the planting area.
When planting tomato transplants, plant them as deep as possible. It’s best to bury several inches of the stem in addition to the root ball. The tomato seedling will push out new roots all along the buried stem. The additional roots help to anchor the plants to the soil. In addition, deep roots also help to absorb even more nutrients and moisture from the soil.
When planting, Green Zebra tomatoes can benefit from additional soil amendments such as spent coffee grounds, pulverized egg shells and worm castings in the planting hole. All of these ingredients will help to aid the growth of the tomato plants as well as help to prevent blossom end rot and more.
Staking, Mulching & Watering – Growing Green Zebra Tomatoes
Since Green Zebra tomatoes can grow to nearly six feet tall, you will need to support the plant with a trellis, stake or cage. Put them in place at the time of planting to ensure you won’t damage established roots later on.
Once your plants are in the ground, add a thick layer of straw, shredded leaves or grass clippings to act as an all-natural mulch. First and foremost, the mulch will help to prevent competing weeds from growing near the plants. But, even more, it helps to retain moisture and regulate the soil temperature as well.
Water newly planted tomatoes every couple of days, especially during warmer weather. After the plants establish and start to push out new growth, ensure that the plants get between 1 to 1.5 inches of rainwater or hand watering weekly.
Instead of watering a little bit every day, water a few times each week deeply. This will help to encourage the plant’s roots to grow down deep into the soil.
Fertilizing & Pruning – Growing Green Zebra Tomatoes
Tomato plants are heavy feeders, so it’s important to use an all-purpose liquid fertilizer to help feed the plants every few weeks. Use a half dose of the recommended amount on commercial fertilizers to give a steady but regulated feeding. Affiliate Link: Burpee Organic Tomato & Vegetable Granular Plant Food
Too many nutrients at once can actually make the plant produce more foliage than fruit. You can also use natural fertilizers like compost tea or worm casting tea. Both are excellent sources of nutrients that can easily absorb into tomato plants. Even better, you do not have to dilute them to use!
As the Green Zebra tomato plant grows, prune up the bottom 12 to 18 inches of the plant. This will help to improve airflow as well as keep the lower foliage from touching the soil. That can be a huge key to keep plants safe from spores in the soil that cause blight.
How To Know When Green Zebra Tomatoes Are Ready For Harvesting
Since Green Zebra tomatoes are naturally green, it can be a bit difficult in the beginning to tell when they are ripe and ready for harvesting.
Use the texture of the fruit as a guide. Pick the fruit when there is a slight give when gently pressed. Ripe fruit will also start to show their yellowish stripes more. Harvesting Green Zebra tomatoes early can result in tangier fruit while fully-ripened fruit tends to be a bit sweeter. Leaving them on the vine too long though can result in mealy fruit.
Here’s to growing one of the tastiest green tomatoes around this year with Green Zebra tomatoes!
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