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The’Pineapple' tomatois anheirloombeefsteak variety believed to have been cultivated in Kentucky.
It works great in salsa, salads, sandwiches, and soups.
It’s also predominantly a yellow fruit, although it features orangish and reddish tones inside and out.
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The color is uniform both on the skin and inside.
It’s as delicious to look at as it is to eat and worth the wait to harvest.
Transplant seedlings into the garden when soil temperatures reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Select a Planting Site
Choose a garden location that receives day-long or six-hour full sun exposure.
Avoid planting in low areas where rainwater accumulates, as tomatoes don’t tolerate wet feet.
Staking is essential to support vines with heavy fruits weighing up to two pounds.
The Spruce
Space the plants 2 1/2 feet apart in rows three feet apart.
Choose thetallest and sturdiest cagesavailable if you use cages for support.
Early suckeringreduces the overproduction of vines, allowing the plant to divert more energy into producing fruit.
Johannes Maximilian/ Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Ten hours of daily sunlight is ideal.
Soil
Tomatoes need plenty of nutrients.
Ideally, the soil should be rich, fertile, well-draining loam.
Addcompostor other organicsoil amendmentsbefore planting to give tomatoes an early boost.
Neutral to slightly acidic pH levels of 6.2 to 6.8 grow the best fruits.
Avoid overhead watering, the leading cause of fungal disease in foliage.
Water early in the day to keep plants hydrated and support active photosynthesis and growth.
A slight reduction inwatering frequencywhen fruit begins to ripen often improves flavor.
Two to four weeks after transplanting, apply ahigh phosphorous fertilizer(5-15-5) orbone mealto encourage flower production.
Isolation prevents pollinators from fertilizing your plants with pollen from a different tomato variety.
It should have no more green flesh.
When pressed, the tomatoes should feel solid and slightly heavy with a light give to the skin.
Marring the fruit can reduce its shelf life.
Alternatively, carefully and gently remove the stem by twisting it off or cutting it down.
If the fruit cracks or tears while doing so, use the tomato immediately.
Pruning
Several pruning methods work wellfor ‘Pineapple’ tomatoes.
Removesuckersfor the first few weeks of growth to reduce the number of vines.
This moves the plant into fruit production a little earlier.
Suckering slightly reduces fruit production throughout the season but improves fruit quality and flavor.
The most destructive pests includeaphids, blister beetles, armyworms, and hornworms.
Aphids are a nuisance that damages foliage and can rapidly become an infestation.
Try knocking off aphids with a strong water spray from a garden hose.
One or more treatments withinsecticidal soapcan help control these pests.
Hornworms and blister beetles can destroy a crop almost overnight.
Hand-pick mature hornworms or treat plants early withBacillus thuringiensis(BT) as a preventive.
BT also eliminates armyworms, which ruin crops by drilling holes into the fruits.
Use a pesticide specifically formulated for blister beetles.
Repeat applications might be necessary.
The best defense againstcommon tomato diseasesis to follow good gardening practices.
‘Pineapple’ tomato plants are particularly vulnerable to fungal diseases, especiallypowdery mildew.
This late-season variety is heat- and drought-tolerant and well-suited to southern gardens.
‘Pineapple’ tomatoes are a late-season, indeterminate variety.
The fruits take several months to mature and ripen, but the plants produce until frost.
Pruning Tomato Plants.University of New Hampshire
