A French hybrid, the Carmello tomato is about to be your new favorite go-to tomato for all of your summer recipes! A high-yield tomato that produces copious amounts of fruit throughout the growing season is perfect for sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes, salsas, and more!
These garden favorites are known for their irresistible flavor that keeps on giving all season long. Keep reading to see why you must plant the Carmello in your garden!
Looking to purchase Carmello tomato seeds? Check availability.
What Does the Carmello Look Like?
The mature Carmello plant reaches a height of 4 to 8 feet, with bunches of crimson red tomatoes growing in clusters of thick, vigorous vines.
These crack-resistant tomatoes are around 4 to 5 inches in diameter, making them the perfect-sized tomato for recipes and snacking.
What do These Tomatoes Taste Like?
Carmello tomatoes are known for their fantastic flavor. Some say it is a rich, sweet, juicy fruit with slight acidity. European markets stock the Carmello tomato mainly because it is easy to use in any dish and integrates well with other flavors and ingredients.
Best Uses for the Carmello Tomato
These fruits are best known as slicing tomatoes. They keep their shape and do not lose their integrity once cut into.
That said, Carmello tomatoes are perfect in cold dishes or for adding to sandwiches or that freshly grilled burger that just was pulled off the grill.
Slicing up one of these tomatoes and sprinkling some freshly ground salt and pepper will be your new go-to summer side dish or healthy snack.
The Most Delicious Tomato Recipes
Summertime calls for backyard barbecues and family get-togethers. A delicious and easy-to-make tomato salsa is one of everyone’s favorite party snacks. This salsa blends freshly grown tomatoes and hot chili peppers with fantastic seasonings to make this salsa a party favorite.
Other great uses for the Carmello tomatoes include anything that can keep them fresh. Antipasto salads, Caprese salad, bruschetta, all of these recipes will pop with mouth-watering flavor when you use Carmello tomatoes.
The Amazing Health Benefits of Carmello Tomatoes
Tomatoes provide so much better for our everyday healthy diets. Vitamin-rich, Carmello tomatoes are full of potassium, folate, lycopene, and vitamin C, just to name a few.
Lycopene, a chemical compound that gives red fruits their hue, has exceptional cancer prevention and anti-inflammatory properties. These vitamins and minerals can also help lower your risk of heart disease.
Not only do tomatoes help you on the inside, but they are also remarkable for your skin. Again because of all the vitamin richness, lycopene, and water content, tomatoes are wonderful when looking for things to add to your diet for that perfect glowing, healthy skin.
Growing at Home
There is no better flavor than a beautifully ripened homegrown tomato. With some basic instructions, you can have a bounty of stunning Carmello tomatoes in no time.
Planting and Spacing
Carmello tomatoes are large tomato plants that need a minimum of 24 to 36 inches of space between plants.
Each plant needs tomato cages or stakes to grow on because of the tomatoes’ weight.
Be sure to have larger cages or trellises, as these plants can grow from 4 to 8 feet high.
Perfect Climate Conditions
Like all fruit-bearing plants, the Carmello must be planted in full sun to grow and ripen those beautiful fruits.
Even though these plants need at least 8 hours of sunlight daily, they do not do well in super hot climates. Once the temperatures are nearing 90 degrees Fahrenheit, you may see a stall in tomato production.
Tomato plants require daily watering always to keep the first inch of topsoil moist. If there is heavy rainfall, you can skip the daily watering until you notice the soil starting to dry out.
Pollination
Carmello tomato plants, like all indeterminate tomatoes, are open pollinating. As long as there is wind and insects such as bees, you won’t have to worry about pollination.
One great tip is to plant different flowers near your tomato plants to encourage the bees to visit.
Pests and Diseases
Unfortunately, all tomato and fruit plants are susceptible to pests and diseases. One of the most common is aphids, tiny bugs that can eat through a tomato plant in no time. The best way to deal with them is with different chemical and organic sprays, depending on your preference.
The Carmello tomato plant is prone to developing various tomato diseases simply due to the thick foliage of the plant. This is why pruning is essential. One advantage of the Carmello is its resistance to verticillium and fusarium wilt.
Pruning
To prune or not to prune can sometimes be a question, especially regarding tomato plants. For the case of the Carmello variety, it’s recommended to prune your plant once it starts to bush up.
This is simply to help avoid any type of mold and mildews. The more airflow the plant receives, the less likely it is to develop mold and mildew diseases.
Harvesting
Carmello tomatoes are ready to harvest typically 70 to 75 days after planting.
Where to buy the Carmello Tomato Plant
Seeds
When purchasing seeds, many online retailers and small businesses like the ones here on Etsy sell Carmello tomato seeds.
Live Plants
Few nurseries or big box stores carry the Carmello tomatoes, but you may have some luck searching online with other retailers that ship out live plants.
Wrapping up the Delicious Carmello Tomato
If you’re looking for a new slicing tomato variety to grow in your garden this year, you have found the perfect one. Large, juicy, and full of flavor, you can add this tomato to almost any dish for a delicious bite of freshness.
Are you looking for even more tomato varieties? Read about care tips, hybrids, and even more varieties from our fantastic tomato articles.
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Lauren has three main passions: her family, writing, and gardening! Lauren has spent countless hours in her garden tending to different plants, whether those be beautiful flowers, vegetables, or different perennials.
Rest assured that if it concerns plants and gardens, Lauren has got you covered. So, when needing advice or looking for the best new gardening gadget, you have come to the right place and the right author.