Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners - Variety Details

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'Principe' Tomatoes

Sub-Category:	Cherry Main-Season

Sub-Category 2:
Description:	Open-pollinated, main season, Italian heirloom, cherry/pear/grape type. Determinate plants bear red, 1- to 2-ounce, crack-resistant, pear-shaped dry-fleshed fruit with pointed ends and few seeds. Good for drying. Also known as 'Principe Borghese'.
Days To Maturity:	72-78
Seed Sources:	Gurneys Seed & Nursery Co. - updated in 2019 Seed Savers Exchange - updated in 2014 Totally Tomato - updated in 2011

Rating Summary

Overall: (3.9 Stars) Taste: (3.8 Stars) Yield: (4.6 Stars) Ease/Reliability: (4.5 Stars)

Reviews

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Number of Reviews: 17

KEY: O=Overall Rating, T=Taste, Y=Yield, E=Ease

Reviewed on 03/25/2018 by NMcL - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Scott, Virginia, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Principe Borghese tomatoes are the world\\\'s premiere drying tomato. That\\\'s what they are meant to do, and to judge them by other criteria (e.g., the taste when eaten out of hand) is as unfair as judging hard-cider applies by their taste when eaten in the orchard. Just as cider apples are good for only one thing, but are very, very good at that one thing, the same is true of Principe Borghese.\\r\\n\\r\\nI\\\'ve been drying tomatoes inside by machine (Excalibur dehydrator) for 25 years. For much of that time, I used Romas, a great all--purpose tomato. But about 7 years ago I heard of this cultivar, and it is much, much better for drying.\\r\\n\\r\\nIt is very easy to grow, and in fact it may overwhelm your largest tomato cages (and mine are HUGE). Incredibly big, incredibly prolific. And if you don\\\'t preserve your tomatoes via drying, you should. The process is trouble free, and the dried fruit takes up very little storage space, and--a major plus--you can control the amount of oomph you want the tomato taste to have by varying the amount of liquid that rehydrates them. Or if you want to try dried-tomato-and-cheese bread (believe me, it\\\'s to-die-for; make it one time, and it will be a staple in your home!), you don\\\'t have to rehydrate them at all before adding to the bread batter.\\r\\n\\r\\nI can\\\'t say enough good things about this tomato as a drying tomato. If you want to eat a tomato in the garden or with your supper or sandwich, fine--just choose another variety for that purpose. But don\\\'t badmouth this one until you\\\'ve tasted it for its intended purpose. As a dried tomato, it has no rivals.

Reviewed on 02/17/2011 by Ferdzy - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Ontario, Canada Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I've grown this for a number of years and it's always produced well; lots of fruit, easy and reliable. Note that these taste TERRIBLE when they are fresh - that is what makes them so GREAT to dry. They are very low in sugars, so that when those sugars are concentrated by drying what you get tastes like a tomato, only dry. A lot of the naturally sweet cherry tomatoes taste like candy, or at least dried fruit, once they are dried. These keep a genuine tomato flavour. Nice manageable size for drying too - not too big, not too small.

Reviewed on 07/20/2010 by Naseer - A novice gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Dutchess, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
I've only tried eating these raw, and they are completely tasteless. Is it worth buying a dehydrator to dry them out? I guess that is what we will have to do to see if they are good after drying, but I'd be very surprised. I'll update this review if we see any success in that venture. This plant grows very easily and the fruiting was abundant. I was slightly annoyed, though, that it didn't quite grow like a vine (in which case we'd stake it), and when we used a tomato cage, it rapidly outgrew the confines. So it's a bit "wild" compared to the other varieties that we grow.

Reviewed on 03/16/2010 by edweather - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Oswego, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Grew these for the last 3 years. Good for eating or drying in a dehydrator (ie. sun-dried tomatoes.) Had mixed results....great the first year, and not so great the last two. Plants started dying before main harvest. Suggest spraying early to prevent wilt, blight, etc.

Reviewed on 01/10/2010 by ElyseG - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Lane, Oregon, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
My favorite tomato for drying. It's slightly mealy, so I don't care for them for fresh eating - but they will certainly do when they are the only ripe ones in my garden. They are usually one of the first varieties to ripen up. They prefer to sprawl and yield fairly heavily all season. They are great roasted or made into sauce/paste.

Reviewed on 01/07/2010 by SueG-ME - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Kennebec, Maine, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Reliable producer of small fruits for drying. I generally dry all that I get, but have also used them in sauces where they're just fine. These are great to have on hand through the winter. True-to-type plants bear fruit with a nippled end- I have heard reports that not everything sold as this variety comes true to type, but I've had good luck so far and have been growing them for over 10 years. A must-grow for me.

Reviewed on 12/22/2009 by YorkerJenny - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Onondaga, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I planted them to my new garden. I mixed the soil with some wood ash, also put egg shells to the holes before I planted my tomatoes. I covered the soil with red plastic cover. Metal fence was their support. Plants grew like a tree, so big and so wide, it was out of control. Also they had many many small tomatoes. Then, a new type blight came. I heard it was Irish potato blight. It was different, in days the plants and even tomatoes turn to brown. 23 varieties and 160 plants!!!. Then those dead looking plants started to grow new branches and new tomatoes. Tomatoes are pretty small like big size cherry tomatoes. Taste was average, juicy, some sour. It's said it was for drying. I personally don't like dired tomato, so I didn't try, but definetely not for fresh eating, especially when there are hundreds of open polinated, there are better fresh eating tomatoes. I got the seeds from seed trading.

Reviewed on 01/07/2008 by Uncle John -
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Sullivan, New Hampshire, United States Frost Free Season: Soil Texture: Garden Size: Sun Exposure:
Very prolific, VERY. I dried mine in a dehydrator, and was very satisfied with the results.

Reviewed on 11/20/2007 by WeedyWagner - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Wake, North Carolina, United States Frost Free Season: More than 203 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Great for making sun-dried tomatoes - this is not a fresh-eating variety. Got 3 quart-sized bags of sun-dried tomatoes from 2 vines; I'll be giving some away. The only minor complaint is that the plants defoliated early, so all I got was the first (large) crop.

Reviewed on 03/26/2007 by naplesgardener - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Collier, Florida, United States Frost Free Season: More than 203 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
not a very big plant, which makes it nice for containers, but it keeps throwing off big cherry sized tomatoes which are great for drying, eating fresh and making sauce. I think you get a lot of tomatoes for the space that this plant takes up. I gave one small plant to elderly neighbors and it was all they needed for all their fresh tomato needs. would be perfect for apartment growers.

Reviewed on 03/26/2007 by kristie8888 - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Tarrant, Texas, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Not worth growing if the skins are so thick and tough that you cant eat it. Besides I couldn't even peel them for canning cause cherry size it a waste of time.

Reviewed on 02/07/2007 by talbin - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Hennepin, Minnesota, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
This tomato must be dried to be appreciated. The fruits are small and not-too-tasty off the vine. However, when they're dried properly they are divine - that's what my five-star taste rating is based on. A very prolific plant. Although labeled as determinate, it produces until fall in my short-season area.

2 of 2 gardeners found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 01/28/2007 by starflakes - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Roberts, South Dakota, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
My seed came from Totally Tomatoes and was not what I expected. I got some pear shaped ones and some principe ovals. They produced heavy about inch by 2 inches. The fruits were very firm, but were sour and watery to taste. I tried drying them "like figs" and they were horrid things like black water skin bags whole and they shrivel too much in a drier like regular tomatoes. I was looking forward to this variety, but compared to a Super Marzano hybrid it is the difference of a lemon principe compared to a fruity grape Marzano.

Reviewed on 01/03/2007 by tdoty - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Clinton, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I grew it last year for the first time. It produced well and ripened well in my short growing season. The flavor was good for canning and freezing. I did not try drying any, but I may this year. The skin is a little tough for eating fresh.

Reviewed on 01/19/2006 by neetz - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Wayne, Michigan, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I have to plant, at most, 2 plants and it keeps my family of 4 well supplied in sun-dried tomatoes for two full years. There is even enough for me to give out as gifts. It has been a mainstay in my garden now for 10 years, on the odd numbered years only. Never had any problems with diseases or for that matter, pests. This variety came to me by way of a good friend who happens to be an organic gardener/farmer in the thumb area of Michigan.

1 of 1 gardener found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 01/19/2006 by Nancy Strasser - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Pulaski, Virginia, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Very productive; and taste is good. But the size (in my garden) was too small for canning. (Just picking them all, let alone coring and peeling, would be too time-consuming for this size tomato.) I have not tried sun-drying this tomato.

Reviewed on 11/28/2005 by Echidne41 - A novice gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	St. Lawrence, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Easy and productive. Taste was a little disappointing, but could be a real workhorse for canning.

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