What is a Red October Tomato?
Red October is a variety of tomato plant that produces large, about half-pound, fruits that store well and have a long shelf life. If you love tomatoes, you can design your garden to produce different varieties that ripen early, mid-season, and late. For those late tomatoes, you want fruit that will store well and keep well into late fall or early winter, depending on where you live. Growing Red October tomatoes is a good option for your late-season, keeper tomatoes. They ripen in the fall but will keep up to four weeks longer than other varieties, even without being refrigerated. They will even keep a while on the vine; just harvest before the first serious frost.
How to Grow a Red October Tomato Plant
As with other types of tomatoes, choose a sunny spot for your Red October plants. Space them about 24 to 36 inches (61-91 cm.) apart to allow for growth and air flow. They should be transplanted outdoors sometime in May for most climates. Make sure the soil is rich or amended with organic material and that it drains well. Once transplanted to the garden, Red October tomato care is similar to care for other varieties of tomato: control weeds, use mulch for weed control and water retention, and make sure the plants get 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm.) of rain per week or additional water if needed. Avoid overhead watering to prevent disease. Your Red October plants will give you a heavy harvest all at once late in the season. You can hold off harvesting some of your tomatoes as long as they are not vulnerable to pests or frost. Make sure you get them all in before the frost, though, even those that are not yet ripe. You’ll be able to enjoy fresh tomatoes for several more weeks, maybe even at Thanksgiving, thanks to the storage life of Red October.
