Sunset’s own heirloom tomato

When Nik Peplenov immigrated to Oregon from southern Russia, he brought along seeds of his favorite heirloom tomato.

After friends passed them along to other friends, the tomato found its way into a trial planting conducted by Gary Ibsen, founder of the Carmel TomatoFest. With Peplenov’s permission, Ibsen named this tomato ‘ Sunset’s Red Horizon’, in honor of Sunset magazine.

Fruits are meaty and huge (4 to 5½ inches in diameter and 2 to 3 pounds each). In Ibsen’s trials, ‘ Sunset’s Red Horizon’ was among the earliest tomatoes to produce, bearing its first fruits about 70 days after being sown and continuing into November. Indeterminate in habit, the plant keeps growing and fruiting as long as the weather allows. The tomato tolerates more shade than most varieties but grows in full sun if the soil is kept evenly moist.

To order seeds of ‘ Sunset’s Red Horizon’ for planting in late winter or early spring, visit the Carmel TomatoFest website. Seed supplies are limited.