Skip to product information
Everglades Currant Tomato
  • Everglades Currant Tomato
  • Everglades Currant Tomato
  • Everglades Currant Tomato
  • Everglades Currant Tomato
  • Everglades Currant Tomato
  • Everglades Currant Tomato
  • Everglades Currant Tomato
  • Everglades Currant Tomato
Everglades Currant Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum x pimpinellifolium
$4.50
Description

A beloved Florida heritage tomato known for surviving where most tomatoes struggle. This sprawling, low-maintenance plant produces masses of tiny, bright red, sweet-tart fruits and can even bear the hottest months of the year in the right garden conditions. Give it space to spread, skip the trellis, and let fallen fruit reseed—many gardeners find it returning year after year. Birds love eating the tiny fruits too, and they help in it's dispersal. 

The flavor is remarkable, and always comes out on top in our tomato tasting events! 

The “Everglades tomato” is often described as a wild currant tomato, but its true identity is more complicated. While some sources identify it as Solanum pimpinellifolium (currant tomato), others classify it as Solanum lycopersicum (the common garden tomato). Current evidence suggests that Florida’s Everglades tomato is likely a naturally adapted hybrid between these two closely related species, shaped by a long history of tomato movement, selection, and crossing.

Although it has become part of Florida’s gardening heritage, it is not actually native to the Everglades. Historical specimens collected from the Everglades in the early 1900s were identified as escaped garden tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), and the exact relationship between those plants and today’s “Everglades tomato” remains uncertain.

Whatever its origins, this tomato has earned its place in Florida gardens. It thrives in heat, humidity, and challenging summer conditions, producing abundant fruit when traditional tomatoes have faded. Perfect for wildlife-friendly gardens, low-input growing, and seed saving.

Many thanks to our state botanist Marc Frank for educating us on the true origins of this unique plant! 

Everglades seeds can be finicky to germinate. See our How to Grow notes below for tips. 
Product details
  • Indeterminate, currant-sized red tomatoes
  • About 35 seeds
  • 80 days from transplant to harvest
  • Seeds grown in Working Food gardens at GROW HUB in Gainesville, Florida
How to grow

Sow seeds indoors from mid-January through early February, preferably on a heat mat or in another warm spot. Warmth will speed up germination and help seedlings get off to a strong start. More wild types like Everglades, Coyote and Prairie Cherry benefit from soaking in shallow, warm water for about 8 hours before sowing. This will improve germination rates and timing. 

Transplant outdoors once the risk of frost has passed—or earlier if you’re willing to keep an eye on the forecast and cover plants when cold weather threatens. When transplanting, plant tomatoes deeply. Remove the lower, tender leaves and bury the stem as deeply as you can, up to just below the lowest remaining branch. Tomatoes will develop roots along their buried stems, creating a stronger, more extensive root system.

Water plants in thoroughly when transplanting and keep them well watered, especially during the first week or two as they establish. Mulch with straw, pine needles, or leaves to conserve moisture and help prevent soil from splashing onto the foliage during rain.

For best results, stake or trellis your plants and remove lower leaves that touch or rest close to the soil. This improves airflow and helps reduce disease problems.

Learn all you need to know about growing tomatoes in our free guide: Homegrown Tomatoes in the Southeast.
How to save seeds

If you can grow a tomato, the hard part is done—saving the seeds is easy!

Harvest fully mature tomatoes, and even better, let them ripen a little longer indoors until they are just slightly overripe, while still edible. Tomatoes are mostly self-pollinating, but not always, so there is always some potential for varieties to cross with one another. To help prevent unwanted crosses, space different varieties as far apart as possible. Or, let nature make a cross for you—you may end up with a great new tomato!

You can save seed from as few as one plant, but saving from more plants is always better for maintaining genetic diversity and keeping your variety healthy over time.

Squeeze the seeds and their surrounding pulp into a jar and let them sit for 24–48 hours, depending on how quickly the fermentation progresses. Stir the mixture once a day and look for a layer of mold to form on the surface—this is normal and part of the process! Once the jelly-like coating around the seeds has broken down, rinse and strain the seeds several times with fresh water. The good, mature seeds will generally sink, while lighter, immature seeds and debris tend to float. Pour off the floating material and continue rinsing until the water runs mostly clear.

Spread the clean seeds out to dry completely on a cloth napkin or coffee filter. Avoid paper towels or newspaper, as the seeds can stick to them. Let the seeds dry for several days, then store them somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Properly stored tomato seeds can remain viable for many years.

Learn all you need to know about saving tomato seeds in our free guide: Saving Tomato Seeds

You may also like