Amish Paste Tomato
Lycopersicom esculentum
Seeds per pack ~25
Germination: 87% Nov 2025 Packed for 2026
Origins & History of Domestication
Amish Paste Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, formerly Lycopersicon esculentum) is an open-pollinated heirloom paste/plum tomato associated with Amish farming communities. It is commonly traced to Wisconsin Amish communities in the late 1800s (often cited around the 1870s), and it later became widely circulated through the heirloom seed community and seed exchanges, helping move it from regional Amish gardens into national seed catalogs. Its reputation has continued to grow because it bridges “paste tomato usefulness” with “fresh tomato flavor,” and it has even been recognized by heritage-food groups (including being listed by Slow Food’s Ark of Taste).
Appearance & Characteristics
Amish Paste is a large paste-type tomato, typically producing oblong plum to heart/strawberry-shaped fruit, often 8–12 oz (with some natural variation by strain and growing conditions). The flesh is usually described as meaty and flavorful for a sauce tomato—often juicier/sweeter than many classic “Roma”-type pastes, which is why gardeners like it for both cooking and slicing. Plants are generally indeterminate, meaning they keep growing and producing until frost, so they benefit from staking or caging.
Culinary Uses
As a “paste” tomato, Amish Paste shines in sauces, paste, ketchup, and canning because its flesh is substantial and cooks down beautifully—yet many growers also use it fresh (sliced, chopped, or in salads) due to its balanced sweet-acid flavor. If you’re doing preservation, it’s a strong choice for roasting and reducing (sheet-pan roast, then mill or blend) to concentrate sugars and deepen color before canning or freezing.
Growing Tips (Vegetation Zones & Sowing Depth)
Zones: Tomatoes are tender, warm-season plants that can be grown as annuals in essentially all USDA hardiness zones as long as you plant after frost and give them enough warm days to mature; they cannot tolerate frost. In frost-free climates (often the warmest zones), tomatoes can behave more like short-lived perennials, but most gardeners still grow them as annuals for best production and disease management.
Starting & sow depth: Start seeds indoors about 6 weeks before your last expected frost (a common approach for indeterminate heirlooms), then transplant out once nights are reliably warm. Sow seeds about ¼ inch deep in a sterile seed-starting mix, keep evenly moist, and provide warmth for steady germination.
Site & care: Give full sun, consistent watering, and fertile soil with good drainage. Because Amish Paste is indeterminate and can set heavy fruit, use a sturdy cage or stake early and keep airflow up (thoughtful pruning of lower leaves can help). Fruit can be more exposed on some plants, so consider light shading via foliage management or strategic placement to reduce sunscald risk in intense heat.
Harvesting Guidance
Harvest Amish Paste when fruits are fully colored (deep red to red-orange, depending on strain) and slightly soft to the touch, with a noticeable “tomato aroma.” For sauce-making, you can pick fully ripe for maximum sweetness, or pick at the breaker stage (first blush of color) and finish ripening indoors to protect fruit from cracking, pests, or weather swings. With indeterminate plants, plan on multiple pickings over a long window—and frequent harvesting often encourages continued production until frost.
