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How to Grow Paul Robeson Tomatoes? 4 Easy Steps & Care Tips!

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Paul Robeson tomatoes are named after the famous American activist and were first grown in Russia.

Paul Robeson tomatoes are widely cultivated in northern areas and are famous for their exquisite piquant and smoky taste. If you want to learn how to grow Paul Robeson tomatoes, this article is just for you.

These mahogany heirloom tomatoes are well known for their earthly and perfectly composed acidic and sweet taste. The Paul Robeson tomatoes were first cultivated in Siberia and Russia. Later, a seed seller brought them to the USA.

Since then, this variety of tomatoes has become quite popular worldwide and is grown worldwide through seeds. We have put together this guide on how to grow Paul Robeson tomatoes and all the care tips you need to know to grow them fresh and ripe.

Paul Robeson tomato growing—how to grow Paul Rebeson tomatoes
How to grow Paul Robeson tomatoes? – Image via Reddit.

How to Grow Paul Robeson Tomatoes From Seeds?

The Paul Robeson tomato is a beefsteak variety with a large, wide-shaped, deep red-colored fruit. It is a hardy plant and can grow easily in various zones ranging from hardiness level 3 to 11.

Growing your fresh tomatoes and relishing their decadent taste is a heavenly experience. Growing Russian heirloom tomatoes is an effortless task if you know just the right ways to do it.

Follow this simple guide to learn how to grow Paul Robeson tomatoes from seeds:

Items You Will Need

Here’s the list of the items for your convenience:

Now, let’s head toward the steps.

Step 1: Collect the Material

First, you must collect all the necessary material to grow your Paul Robeson tomatoes.

  • The most fundamental item to have is the seeds of tomatoes.
  • It is crucial to obtain healthy and good-quality seeds to ensure they grow healthy.
  • You can buy them from online stores or your local nurseries.

The rest of the items are pretty common, and it takes a few easy steps to learn how to grow Paul Robeson tomatoes.

Step 2: Sowing the Seeds

The best time to sow your Paul Robeson seeds is four to six weeks earlier than the last frost.

It is best to start your seeds indoors in a small tray before replanting them in different pots.

  • Take a seed starting tray and add your potting mix to it.
  • Sow your seeds in the potting mix about ¼ inches deep.
  • After sowing, lightly water the seeds but do not drench the soil.

Tomatoes prefer slightly acidic soil with good water retention.

  • Avoid overwatering as it will most likely kill the seedlings.
  • You can add organic matter to the soil to amend it and make it more suitable for growing tomatoes.
  • After sowing the seeds, cover the tray with a glass dome or cling wrap.

It will ensure that the seeds get enough moisture and humidity to grow.

  • Place this seed growing tray in a sunny spot indoors but avoid placing it in direct sunlight.
  • Please give them your tomatoes a warm environment and don’t let the temperature drop below 25°C.
  • If you live in a colder climate, you may use heating mats designed to provide enough warmth for the seeding trays.
  • To provide sufficient light every day, you can use fluorescent growing lights.
  • Keep the environment warm and give enough light to ensure the seeds thrive.
  • Remove the plastic wrap or glass dome every other day to let the fresh air in and avoid mold or fungus growth.

Head to the next step.

Step 3: Taking Care of the Seedlings

After a week or two, seedlings will emerge from the tomato seeds.

  • Once the seedlings have emerged, remove the cling wrap, and place the seedlings under the fluorescent light fixed one to two inches above.
  • Keep the fluorescent light just one inch above the seedlings during their growth.

After some real leaves have grown, it is time to fertilize.

  • To ensure healthy growth, fertilize the seedlings weekly using a 20-20-20 fertilizer.
  • Dilute the fertilizer before using it.

Once the seedlings have grown enough, you can transplant them to separate larger pots to allow plenty of room for the roots to grow.

Step 4: Exposing the Seedlings to the Outdoors

If you intend to keep your Paul Robeson tomato plants outdoor, you need to expose the seedlings to the outdoor environment gradually.

  • Exposing them suddenly to a different environment may give them a shock and stunt their growth.
  • To ensure your Paul Robeson tomato plants grow happy and healthy, allow them to adapt to the outdoor environment.
  • You can place the plants for an hour or two outdoors.
  • Only expose them to filtered or indirect sunlight and shield them from the wind.
  • Gradually increase their time, and your plants will be good to go!

Once they have adapted and are well established, you can plant them in your garden or place the pots outdoors without worrying.

Harvesting Paul Robeson Tomatoes

The Paul Robeson tomatoes have a pretty long growing season.

  • They keep growing from the start of spring to the end of summer. So, you can harvest them any time during mid-spring.
  • Knowing when to pick the tomatoes is very important to enjoy the best taste.
  • If it’s unripe or too ripe, you will ruin the taste.
  • Pick your tomatoes when their color turns to get the perfect decadent earthy taste with heavenly sweetness and slight tones of tanginess.
  • When the dark mahogany color starts appearing at the base of the tomato, wait for one or two days, and then pick your fresh and ripe tomatoes.

Once you know how to grow Paul Robeson tomatoes, you will extensively harvest fresh and ripe tomatoes.

Different varieties of tomatoes on a tray—how to grow Paul Rebeson tomatoes
How to grow Paul Robeson tomatoes? Now that you know how to do that, you can harvest a lot of them—Image via Stephen Melkisethian.

Care Tips for Growing Paul Robeson Tomatoes

Here are some additional tips for taking care of your Paul Robeson tomatoes and having a healthy, bountiful harvest.

  • The growing season of the Paul Robeson tomatoes can extend as long as up to late summer.
  • The plants of Paul Robeson tomatoes have a vining nature. Though they cannot grow very tall, they can spread very vast and need to be trained using stakes and trellis.
  • Paul Robeson tomatoes are openly pollinated, meaning they do not require to be isolated or planted far away from other Paul Robeson plants.
  • Paul Robeson tomatoes require a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight a day. The more sunlight, the better for the plant.
  • Choose a potting mix that is fertile and has good drainage.
  • While watering the plants, remember not to drench them. Tomatoes do like a lot of water, but Paul Robeson is hardy and can survive in water-restricted areas. Dampen the soil thoroughly but avoid letting the water stand.
  • Use a fertilizer regularly during the growing season to get a healthy plant with delicious fruits. Add calcium to the nutrients mix as tomatoes need it to produce the best quality fruit.

Related Article: What Causes Mealy Tomatoes? (6 Things To Avoid!)

That would be all! Now, let’s head towards the conclusion.


Conclusion

The taste of Paul Robeson tomatoes has a rich smoky undertone with sweetness and a note of tanginess. This heavenly taste gets even better when you grow your tomatoes at home.

Our article has covered everything on how to grow Paul Robeson tomatoes and the essential tips to get a healthy plant.

Share how your tomatoes turned out in the comments below!

Regards,
Happy planting!