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Open-pollinated indeterminate potato-leaf tomato with small purple pear-shaped fruit
Solanaceae
Organic fruiting vegetable seeds
Organic 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Product code : BIOVO-0164
'Evan's Purple Pear' is an open-pollinated, indeterminate tomato developed by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. Tall potato-leaf vines produce clusters of small pear- to plum-shaped fruit that ripens to dusky purple or purple-brown, often with green shoulders. The tomatoes commonly weigh about 55–85 g and offer a rich, sweet flavour for fresh eating, salads, and sauce. Start seed indoors six to eight weeks before the expected last frost and transplant only into warm soil. Give the plants full sun, even moisture, generous airflow, and sturdy support. Most established cultivar references place the first harvest around 70–80 days after transplanting.
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- Warm-season annual
Discover the plant
Common nameEvan's Purple Pear tomato
FamilySolanaceae
GenusSolanum
Specieslycopersicum
CultivarEvan's Purple Pear
TypeOpen-pollinated indeterminate potato-leaf tomato with small purple pear-shaped fruit
Botanical nameSolanum lycopersicum
Organic 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an open-pollinated, indeterminate cultivar developed by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. Potato-leaf vines produce clusters of small, pear- to plum-shaped fruit that ripens to dusky purple or purple-brown, often with green shoulders. The fruit commonly weighs about 55–85 g and has a rich, sweet flavour suited to fresh eating, salads, and sauce. Exact colour varies with light and maturity. Most references place harvest around 70–80 days after transplanting, and the tall vines need a sturdy cage or stake outdoors.
Start seed indoors six to eight weeks before the expected last frost, sowing about 5 mm deep in clean, lightly moist mix. Keep the medium warm, then provide strong light immediately after emergence. Pot seedlings on after true leaves develop and harden them gradually. Transplant only after frost danger has passed and the soil is warm. Choose deep, fertile, well-drained ground in full sun, allow generous spacing for airflow, and install sturdy support at planting. Protect young plants from cold wind, and preserve access around the vines for tying, watering, and progressive harvest.
Water deeply at soil level and keep moisture reasonably even while fruit forms. Mulch after the soil has warmed, keep lower foliage off the ground, and secure stems with soft ties as they lengthen. Begin checking clusters about 70–80 days after transplanting. Harvest when pear-shaped fruit has developed its characteristic dusky purple colour and yields slightly to gentle pressure. Pick regularly because the indeterminate plant continues producing. Bring sound, developed fruit indoors before frost. Do not eat tomato leaves or stems, and discard tomatoes that are deeply split, mouldy, slimy, or abnormal-smelling.
Sowing guide
It all startswith a seed.
Sowing depth
0.5 cm (1/4 in)
Spacing / density
Space plants approximately 90 to 120 cm (36 to 48 in) apart to accommodate indeterminate growth and air circulation.
Germination temperature
21 to 27 °C (70 to 81 °F)
Germination time
7 to 14 days
Sowing period
March through April indoors then transplant after frost Adjust these dates to your local frost dates and soil conditions; Canadian growing seasons vary by region.
Propagation
Seed
Growing method
Begin 'Evan's Purple Pear' indoors six to eight weeks ahead of the local average last frost. Sow indoors about 5 mm deep in clean, lightly moist seed-starting mix and maintain roughly 21–27°C until emergence, usually within 7–14 days. Move seedlings under strong light immediately and pot them on after true leaves form. Rotate pots so the potato-leaf plants remain balanced, then harden them gradually for about one week. Set hardened plants outdoors only when frost risk is over, the soil is warm, and night temperatures are reliably mild. Choose deep, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun and allow generous airflow. Install a tall cage, trellis, or sturdy stake at planting for the indeterminate vines. Water deeply at soil level, add mulch after the ground warms, and tie new growth with soft material. Check loaded clusters after wind and support stems before they bend under developing fruit. Remove only damaged or diseased foliage. Exact-cultivar references place the first harvest around 70–80 days after transplanting. Pick when the pear- to plum-shaped fruit is dusky purple or purple-brown and yields slightly under gentle pressure; green shoulders may persist. Continue harvesting until cold weather, then bring only sound, developed fruit indoors before frost.
Soil and care
The right care,at the right time.
Soil pH
Approximately 6.0 to 6.8
Care level
Moderate
Watering
Maintain steady moisture for 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato while its elongated, meaty fruit fills, without keeping the soil continuously wet. 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato's small pear- to plum-shaped fruit, dusky purple to purple-brown, often with green shoulders is carried on indeterminate vigorous and climbing growth, so extend watering beyond the stem as the supported canopy enlarges. The harvest guide for 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato is approximately 70 to 80 days after transplanting; maintain moisture while younger clusters continue filling. Water 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato slowly at the base, soak its root zone, then wait until the upper soil begins to dry before irrigating again.
Soil type
For 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato, choose a deep loam that drains freely while retaining enough moisture for continuous paste-fruit development. Prepare 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato's bed for indeterminate vigorous and climbing growth bearing small pear- to plum-shaped fruit, dusky purple to purple-brown, often with green shoulders, not only for the small spring transplant. Allow approximately 70 to 80 days after transplanting for 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato to develop, providing soil volume that stays aerated after repeated watering. Before setting 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato, mix mature compost through the area while preserving a crumbly structure rather than a dense amended pocket.
Fertilization
For 'Evan's Purple Pear', fruit development competes with foliage under excessive nitrogen. Use mature compost as a gentle fertility foundation. 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato benefits from balanced fertility before its first trusses. Pause feeding when growth already looks balanced. For Evan's Purple Pear tomato, its root zone needs consistent moisture while fruit enlarges. Inspect light, water, and roots before feeding again. Once 'Evan's Purple Pear' flowers, favour steady growth over leafy surges. Let a soil test guide any corrective amendment. Fertilizer cannot correct water-related disorders on 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato.
Moisture
Consistent soil moisture without saturation; good air circulation around the foliage.
Seasonal care
Seasonal care for 'Evan's Purple' tomato. Start 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato when its bed and the local frost pattern are ready; the supplied window is indoor sowing six to eight weeks before last frost; transplant after frost. Sow 0.5 cm deep at 21 to 27 °C (70 to 81 °F); the working germination range is 7 to 14 days, with moisture held steady rather than saturated. Keep young seedlings close to strong light, rotate trays for balanced growth, and pot them on before roots become crowded. After several days of hardening, set 'Evan's Purple Pear' plants outdoors only when frost danger has passed and nights have become reliably mild. Install a sturdy support at planting and guide new growth before stems become heavy or tangled. Prepare a sunny, well-drained bed; mix mature compost through the root zone and keep the lower leaves clear of soil splash. Check soil beneath the mulch rather than relying on wilt, then irrigate at the base early enough for foliage to remain dry overnight. Where space is limited, give 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato a container large enough for its mature root system and keep every drainage opening clear. As yellow flowers open, preserve airflow around 'Evan's Purple Pear', check ties and supports, and watch the undersides of leaves for early pest or disease signs. Use the supplied harvest guidance—approximately 70 to 80 days after transplanting—as a starting point; judge each fruit by developed colour, full size, and a slight yield under gentle pressure. Harvest 'Evan's Purple Pear' regularly without pulling the vine, and bring sound, well-developed fruit indoors before the first hard frost.
Container growing
A garden,within reach.
Growing 'Evan's Purple' tomato in containers. Choose a large, stable, deep container with several unobstructed drainage holes; this indeterminate cultivar can reach 1.8 to 2.1 m. Fill it with fresh, airy vegetable potting mix amended modestly with mature compost. Install a sturdy cage or stake before planting so later work does not pierce the root ball. Set one hardened plant at the same depth it occupied in its nursery pot, water thoroughly, and place the container in full sun with some shelter from severe wind. Tie lengthening stems loosely with soft material and preserve airflow around the potato-leaf foliage. Water slowly when the upper mix begins to dry, continuing until excess drains, then empty the saucer. During heat or wind, check the root zone daily because a tall fruiting plant can use water quickly. Feed at a modest labelled rate after watering; excess nitrogen encourages leaves at the expense of flowering and ripening. Support fruit-laden clusters and keep lower foliage away from wet mix. Begin judging harvest about 70 to 80 days after transplanting, using the dusky purple to purple-brown colour, firmness, and typical pear-to-plum shape together. Pick with clean shears rather than twisting loaded stems. Before frost, bring sound developed fruit indoors to finish and discard diseased plant material instead of composting it.
Bloom and dimensions
Its place,in your garden.
Mature height
1.8 to 2.1 m (6 to 7 ft)
Flower color
Yellow
Foliage color
Green
Foliage type
Compound, divided foliage with an aroma when bruised; grown as an annual in your region
Growth rate
Fast
Growth habit
Indeterminate vigorous and climbing
Bloom period
'Evan's Purple Pear' carries small yellow self-fertile flowers in clusters along its flowering stems. Breezes or bumblebee vibration normally release their pollen. Let beneficial insects visit without spraying open blooms. For 'Evan's Purple Pear', after successful set, each retained blossom begins developing the small pear- to plum-shaped fruit, dusky purple to purple-brown, often with green shoulders. Keep moisture even, avoid a nitrogen surge, and support the canopy before fruit adds weight. In the 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato planting, heat, cold, or drought may cause temporary blossom drop; correct the environment before pruning or feeding heavily. Record the first bloom and first set dates for local planning.
Fruiting
Potato-leaf indeterminate vines form clusters of small pear- to plum-shaped fruit, commonly about 55–85 g each. The skin ripens to dusky purple or purple-brown and may retain green shoulders. Most references place maturity around 70–80 days after transplanting. Support loaded clusters, maintain reasonably even soil moisture, and harvest when the fruit has developed its characteristic colour and yields slightly to gentle pressure.
Days to maturity
Approximately 70 to 80 days after transplanting
Harvest
Begin checking fruit about 70–80 days after transplanting. Harvest when the small pear- to plum-shaped tomatoes have developed their characteristic dusky purple or purple-brown colour and yield slightly to gentle pressure. Green shoulders may remain at maturity. Support the cluster while clipping individual fruit and return every few days as later tomatoes colour. Before the first forecast frost, bring indoors only firm, developed fruit. Keep foliage and green stems out of food preparation, and reject tomatoes with leaking cracks, visible mould, slimy tissue, or an unusual odour.
Garden associations
In goodcompany.
Companion plants
Place chives, parsley, or basil beside 'Evan's Purple Pear' only where their watering and light needs remain compatible. Keep the supported tomato canopy north of shorter companions so it does not remove their midday light. When arranging neighbours for 'Evan's Purple Pear', match irrigation to each root zone instead of watering the entire combination by habit. Remove any neighbour that begins competing for light, moisture, airflow, or harvest access. Rotate 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato away from tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes rather than treating companionship as disease control. When arranging neighbours for 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato, preserve a clear route to the small pear- to plum-shaped fruit, dusky purple to purple-brown, often with green shoulders, and remove neighbours that begin shading fruit or trapping damp air. Reassess the arrangement around 'Evan's Purple Pear' as both crops approach mature size.
Plants to avoid
Avoid waterlogged soil, overhead watering, crowding, and repeated rotations with tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or potatoes.
Recipe idea
From the gardento your plate.
Edible parts
Ripe fruit
Roasted 'Evan's Purple Pear' tomato pasta sauce. Heat the oven to 210°C. Halve 500 g of fully ripe tomatoes lengthwise and arrange them cut side up in a rimmed roasting dish. Add one small onion cut into wedges, two peeled garlic cloves, 15 ml olive oil, a pinch of salt, black pepper, and 2 ml dried oregano. Roast for 25–30 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and their edges begin to caramelize. Let the mixture cool for five minutes, then blend briefly for a smooth sauce or crush it with a fork for more texture. Warm the sauce in a saucepan and stir in 15 ml chopped basil. Toss with 300 g cooked pasta, adding a little pasta water if needed, and finish with grated hard cheese or toasted breadcrumbs. The pear- to plum-shaped fruit and dense flesh make a practical roasted sauce while the purple-brown skin deepens its colour. Use sound, ripe tomatoes only. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within two hours and use within three days, or freeze. This is not a shelf-stable canning recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Your questions,answered.
When should Evan's Purple be sown and transplanted in your region?
Start 'Evan's Purple Pear' indoors six to eight weeks before the expected last frost. Sow about 5 mm deep in clean, lightly moist seed-starting mix, keep it warm, and provide strong light immediately after emergence. Pot the potato-leaf seedlings on once true leaves form, then harden them gradually for about one week. Transplant only after frost danger has passed, the soil has warmed, and nights are mild. Choose a full-sun position with deep, fertile, freely draining soil and generous airflow. Install a tall cage or stake at planting because the indeterminate vines continue lengthening and carrying clusters. Space plants according to the room required by the support rather than crowding them. Water the root zone after planting and shelter young stems from damaging wind until established.
Is Evan's Purple Pear tomato determinate or indeterminate?
'Evan's Purple Pear' is indeterminate. Its potato-leaf vines continue extending, flowering, and setting clusters until cold weather rather than ripening one concentrated crop. Install a tall cage, trellis, or strong stake at transplanting and add soft ties as stems lengthen. Keep the support open enough for airflow, soil-level watering, and harvest. Fruit commonly weighs about 55–85 g, so loaded clusters still benefit from support. Check ties after wind and loosen any material that begins to constrict a stem. Before the first forecast frost, gather sound, developed tomatoes that can finish colouring indoors, and remove any diseased foliage with clean tools.
When should Evan's Purple Pear tomatoes be harvested?
Begin checking clusters about 70–80 days after transplanting. Ripe fruit is pear- to plum-shaped, has developed a dusky purple or purple-brown colour, and yields slightly to gentle pressure while remaining sound. Green shoulders may persist, so use texture and the colour of the rest of the fruit together. Support the cluster with one hand and twist or clip individual tomatoes without pulling hard on the stem. Pick progressively as later clusters colour. Before frost, bring indoors only firm, developed fruit. Keep foliage and green stems out of the harvest basket used for food, and reject tomatoes with leaking splits, visible mould, slimy tissue, or an unusual odour. Wash hands and tools after removing any diseased fruit.
Can Evan's Purple be grown in a container?
Yes. Choose a large, deep, stable container with several clear drainage holes and fill it with airy vegetable potting mix. Install a tall cage or sturdy stake at planting because 'Evan's Purple Pear' is an indeterminate potato-leaf tomato, not a compact patio type. Place the pot in full sun and, if possible, shelter it from severe wind. Water thoroughly when the upper layer begins to dry, checking daily during hot weather, but never leave water standing in a saucer. Feed moderately according to label directions, add soft ties as stems lengthen, and support loaded clusters. Harvest the small pear- to plum-shaped fruit progressively. Check ties, drainage, and stability after storms; an undersized pot dries quickly and may topple under a mature supported vine.
How should Evan's Purple be supported through the season?
Install a tall cage, trellis, or sturdy stake at transplanting because 'Evan's Purple Pear' is an indeterminate potato-leaf tomato. Guide one or more main stems upward with soft, loose ties, adding support as new clusters form. Position each tie below a branch junction rather than around a flower truss, and leave room for the stem to thicken. The small 55–85 g fruit is lighter than a beefsteak, but productive clusters can still pull unsupported stems sideways. After wind or heavy rain, straighten the structure, inspect bent shoots, and loosen constricting ties. Keep the centre accessible for soil-level watering and progressive harvest. In a container, anchor the support to the pot itself and confirm that the whole assembly cannot tip when foliage is wet.
Wildlife and pets
Life,around your plants.
Supporting wildlife
Evan's Purple Pear produces self-fertile tomato flowers that may also be worked by pollen-collecting bees. The pear-shaped fruit does not call for a different pollination strategy. Provide a clear route around the growing plant so flowering trusses can be inspected without shaking tangled companion stems or disturbing neighbouring insect habitat.
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