Banana Legs Tomato: From Cultivation to Harvest

The tomato variety ˈBanana Legsˈ is one of the elongated bottle tomatoes. Find out how these special tomatoes are planted and cared for here.

The Banana Legsˈ is, next to the tomato variety ˈBlushˈ, one of the few yellow bottle tomatoes. We introduce the unusually shaped tomato and give tips for growing it in your own garden.

Banana Legs Tomato: Wanted poster

fruit	Salad tomato; sun yellow with light yellow stripes
taste	mild, fruity, sweetish, hardly any acid
Ripening time	medium early
growth	Stick tomato, up to 120 cm
Location	Greenhouse, protected field, pot / bucket

History and origin of the ‘Banana Legs’

ˈBanana Legsˈ is a selection by John Swenson from Illinois in the USA. It has been offered as a seed for hobby gardeners since its creation in 1984. Swenson bred them

yellow tomato variety from a mix of previously unnamed crosses by the famous tomato grower Tom Wagner. The one also comes from his house Green zebra tomato. The Banana Legsˈ is also a parent of the newer tomato variety ˈStriped novelˈ.

Taste and properties of the tomato variety ‘Banana Legs’

The plants of the ˈBanana Legsˈ tomato variety reach a height of 100 to 120 cm and are therefore among the compact stake tomatoes. Particularly noticeable are the long leaves composed of many individual leaflets. The elongated, cylindrical fruits with a detached, blunt tip form on the panicles. Until mid-early ripening from the end of July, these take on a sun-yellow color and light yellow stripes. The tomatoes of the ˈBanana Legsˈ reach an average weight of around 80 grams and are around 10 cm long. Inside the fruit there is a lot of pulp and only a few seeds.
The taste of the Banana Legs tomato is typical of yellow varieties: Mild, sweet and fruity with little to no acidity. You can use the fruits for the next season Obtain tomato seeds yourself, because the ˈBanana Legsˈ is solid.

Cultivation and care: this must be taken into account

The yellow bottle tomato ˈBanana Legsˈ prefers sheltered, warm locations, for example in the greenhouse, under a tomato roof outdoors or in pots and tubs. Due to its compact growth, it is particularly suitable as a Balcony tomato or for planting on the raised bed. Unfortunately, the tomato variety often shows blossom end rot due to a lack of calcium. At best, the plants should thrive in low humidity, as this reduces the risk of the disease. When planting in the greenhouse, sufficient ventilation must be ensured.

In the middle of May after the ice saints, the banana legs tomato can be placed in the bed or in the pot. It can be planted in the greenhouse at the beginning of May. We recommend a planter with a capacity of at least 20 liters for cultivation on the balcony and terrace. This is made with a potassium-accentuated potting soil like ours Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil, filled. Sufficient potassium is particularly important for tomatoes to protect them from drought stress and fungal pathogens.
Place the tomato plants deep in the ground or in a planting hole so that about half of the shoots are below the soil horizon. Then remove these lower shoots and fill the hole all around with substrate, which is lightly pressed down. The young plant should be supported with a stick and then watered generously. The deep planting ensures that the tomato also forms additional roots on the shoot and can thus be better supplied with water and nutrients.

Tip: Use soil to model a pouring rim around the tomato. So you can easily provide the plant with enough water without it simply running off.

From June, the tomatoes begin to bloom and produce fruit. Now the need for nutrients increases rapidly and it is time for a first fertilization. This is particularly easy with the help of an organic liquid fertilizer like ours Plantura tomato & vegetable fertilizer. About 15 to 25 ml of the fertilizer are added to the irrigation water once a week. This is how the tomato is fertilized when watered. The nutrients it contains are quickly available to the plant and can also quickly remedy deficiency symptoms.

The compact growing Banana Legs tomato can easily be raised with three branches. To do this, leave two more deep-seated side shoots on the plant in addition to the main shoot. The remaining axillary drives are regularly used Skinning the tomato removed. Soon the two side shoots will also stretch and should be well supported. Plenty of flowers and later fruits also form on these shoots.

Tip: Instead of a liquid tomato fertilizer, you can also use solid granules directly when planting and again after three months. Granular fertilizers like our mainly organic fertilizer Plantura organic tomato fertilizer slowly release their nutrients with the help of soil organisms.

The physiological fruit disease of the Flower end rot shows up earlier and more often with the ˈBanana Legsˈ than with other varieties. The typical brown-black spots on the bottom of the fruit are caused by a calcium deficiency. This occurs when the transport of calcium into the fruit is disturbed. A quick remedy is foliar and fruit fertilization with a calcium fertilizer. As a preventive measure, changed culture conditions such as a well-ventilated location, protection from excessive heat and watering in the morning and not in the evening help.

Harvesting and using the banana legs tomato

From the end of July until the first frost at the end of October or the beginning of November, the bottle tomatoes can be harvested continuously. The plants bring a high yield despite their low height. Due to the few seeds and the large amount of pulp, the tomato can be processed particularly well into spreads, ketchup or sauces. The mild, fruity taste of the Banana Legsˈ can also be enjoyed as a fresh snack.

If you want to grow tomatoes outdoors, you should first choose robust and resistant varieties. We make the bottle tomato ˈRed Zoraˈ, which was specially developed for unprotected cultivation.