Maglia Rosa is excellent for containers and small spaces
 

[URL="http://i0.wp.com/www.yougrowgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/tomato_magliarosa.jpg?resize=250%2C377"]Maglia Rosa[/URL] was the first variety we (Artisan Seeds) released nationally, and it has attracted a strong following.

[URL="http://punkrockgardens.com/2010/01/its-tomato-season/"]Here[/URL] it was "best of all" in a taste test.

Penn State's Ag Extension has it [URL="http://news.psu.edu/story/152390/2012/01/20/time-choose-your-tomato-varieties-2012"]on their short-list[/URL] for cherry/grape tomatoes, based on their taste tests.

And interestingly, [URL="http://thetyee.ca/News/2013/02/16/Broken-Tomato/"]it is a favorite in the lab[/URL] at the University of Florida that is examining molecules associated with flavor.

Maglia Rosa is an extremely productive bush, under most circumstances, and a few years ago it was our farmers' market star.

Since then, we have been moving away from growing bush varieties. This is mainly because they are disease and insect pest magnets in our fields due to their dense foliage. Hence we have stopped growing Maglia Rosa, and now grow its sister variety, [URL="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9236-pink-tiger.aspx"]Pink Tiger[/URL], which is a vine.

However, Maglia Rosa is an excellent variety to grow in a container and in other small garden spaces. It produces abundantly, and early. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that peak flavor precedes peak color in this variety.

It is available [URL="http://store.growartisan.com/product/maglia-rosa-cherry-tomato"]directly from us[/URL], and also from a few other vendors.

I really enjoyed the articles, and am excited to know about this variety. Thank you!

It is a nice variety, Fred. I have a neighbor who insists that I start a few plants for her every year since you made them available.

Maglia Rosa [URL="http://hos.ufl.edu/kleeweb/varietytrials.html"]trounces the competition[/URL] again.....

Congratulations for a fine product. It has gone on my must grow list.

Doug,

Have you grown it before? I am getting such good feedback about it this winter, that I am reconsidering my opinion of the variety.

While it may not be the best variety for putting into a large field of tomatoes, it can be a great choice if you only plant small scale (less than 1.8 acre) and if you want a productive tomato that is early and tastes excellent.

No I haven't Fred. I want to make some of my income from selling plants and produce. I'm in the search for varieties that that will give me in an unique niche to market in.

I'm looking forward to try it this season for the first time! As I love Blush since I've grown it for the first time (it has become a standard in my garden) I'm very curious about its sister. clara

I'm considering trying it but not sure if it's hybrid or not (basically can I save seeds or have to buy them again?). Thanks

Maglia Rosa is true-breeding. You can save seeds.

I'm also lucky enough to have gotten seeds this year and I can't wait to grow it! I also fell in love with Blush, so I can only imagine how good this one will taste. Mine will be grown in a pot. I hope to be able to get some pics here after a successful season :)

Just a reminder, Maglia Rosa flavor peaks prior to peak color. At least this is how most people seem to feel. Don't wait too long to pick it!

I grow mainly in Earthboxes so I'd like to try them next year. I see they're already sold out so they must be hot sellers. Do you expect to have seeds available again for 2015?

Irv

Irv,

We will have seed again for 2015.

Seeds of Change has MR available now.

What size containers are best?
Thanks

I am growing it this year. Plan to use 5 gal pots...

Thanks. Sounds good

Fred, How big do the plants get?

With no staking, they form low bushes. About 2-3 feet high. If they are in cages (in containers) they can vine up a bit. But we have never been able to get them to grow up much more than 3 feet when we try to trellis them.

They are very branchy, and very productive. The dense foliage can be a problem under some conditions.

Thanks for the info!

Excited that you added these to the Kickstarter project. I was planning on getting them anyway so win-win.

This tomato is back on the front-burner for us. We are producing seed this year, and it will be released to seed companies again this fall.

We are also working on getting other Artisan Cherry colors and flavors combined with Maglia Rosa bush habit. It is so productive and early. We probably should have been doing this sooner.

This really has all happened, to a large extent, because there are a handful of growers in different areas of the country who are very passionate about Maglia Rosa, and they have been hounding us for seed because it has been in such short supply the past couple of years.

[QUOTE=Fred Hempel;495149]This tomato is back on the front-burner for us. We are producing seed this year, and it will be released to seed companies again this fall.

We are also working on getting other Artisan Cherry colors and flavors combined with Maglia Rosa bush habit. It is so productive and early. We probably should have been doing this sooner.

This really has all happened, to a large extent, because there are a handful of growers in different areas of the country who are very passionate about Maglia Rosa, and [B]they have been hounding us for seed because it has been in such short supply the past couple of years.[/B][/QUOTE]

True. I recently tried to buy some to plant now. I think I found only one source, through, I think Amazon!

Yeah. I think this was the worst year for MR seed supply. But, we're going to fix that.

[QUOTE] We are also working on getting other Artisan Cherry colors and flavors combined with Maglia Rosa bush habit. It is so productive and early. We probably should have been doing this sooner. [/QUOTE]

Make a blue one that taste good, is productive and dosent split when the wind blows. Please?

If it is as flavorful as it is pretty, Maglia Rosa looks like a real winner!

I don't do blue. I eat blueberries.

[QUOTE=BigVanVader;495161]Make a blue one that taste good, is productive and dosent split when the wind blows. Please?[/QUOTE]

Funny! I'm looking forward to MR also.

[QUOTE=Fred Hempel;495227]I don't do blue. I eat blueberries.[/QUOTE]

:(

There are a large number of small breeders working on blues. Between the crowded field, and the non-trivial efforts needed to combine flavor and ease of harvest (issues with ripening cues) with blue color, I just can't justify working on them myself.

Perhaps most importantly though, I think some of us are sensitive to a "blue" metallic aftertaste that many don't detect. I find that when people give me a blue tomato and say it is a great one (and to them it is) I still get a funny taste in my mouth. It might be a sensitivity analogous to what some people (fortunately not me) experience when eating cilantro.