How to Grow Yellow Pear Tomatoes

With their tangy flavor and heavily producing vines, yellow pear tomatoes (Lycopersicon lycopersicum 'Yellow Pear') add value to the home garden. Gardeners grow these yellow pear-shaped tomatoes as annuals in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 2 through 10. Yellow pear tomatoes are an indeterminate variety, which means they will grow and produce fruits for as long as conditions remain favorable.

When growing yellow pear tomatoes from seed, start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last expected frost. Fill small individual containers with seed starting mix, place three seeds in the center of each container and cover with 1/4 inch of seed starting mix. Water well and place under grow lights positioned 2 inches above the soil surface. The soil temperature must be between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (70 to 75 for the best germination rates) for tomato seeds to germinate. If the room is too cool to maintain this temperature, place the seed tray on top of a heating mat.

Thin to one seedling per container when they are 4 inches tall by pinching off the weakest seedlings just above the soil line with fingers.

Windows do not offer enough light to grow healthy tomato seedlings, but tomatoes can be started in a heated greenhouse that does not fall below 50 degrees at night.

Harden off seedlings by transitioning them to the outside slowly each day when outdoor temperatures are above 65 degrees. Move plants outside in the full sun for one hour the first day. The second day, leave them out two hours and add one hour each following day until they are outside all day. Once they are outside all day, leave them overnight. They are now ready to transplant to the garden.

After all chance of frost has passed, prepare a garden space in full sun by tilling or working up the soil with a shovel. Remove all grass and weeds. Add 1/2 inch of compost to the surface of the soil and work it into the top few inches of soil with a rake.

Tomatoes will only produce when grown in full sun conditions, which is six to eight hours of sunlight a day.

Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball of the tomato and deep enough that, when placed in the hole, the surface of the root ball is even with the surface. Place the tomato in the hole and fill the space around the roots with soil. Water thoroughly.

Indeterminate tomatoes take up a lot of space, so space plants 3 to 4 feet apart to leave from for cages and to prevent crowding.

Because yellow pear tomatoes are indeterminate, they require a sturdy trellis or cage for support. Small, three-ring cages or tomato stakes will not offer enough support for these vigorous vines. Large tomato cages made of concrete remesh work well for indeterminate tomatoes. Concrete remesh sheets are 7 feet long and available at home improvement stores. Make a round cage by securing one end of the sheet to the other with wire. After planting the tomato, place the cage around it and secure the cage to the ground by connecting to rebar, T-posts or wooden stakes with wire to keep it from falling over during strong winds. Remesh cages are just more than 2 feet across.

Begin fertilizing yellow pear tomatoes three weeks after they are planted with fish emulsion and every three weeks thereafter until nighttime temperatures consistently drop below 50 degrees, which will cause the plant to slow or stop fruit production. Combine 2 tablespoons fish emulsion with 1 gallon of water per 25 square feet of garden space.

Even, consistent watering is essential to fruit production. Water deeply any time the soil is dry 1 inch below the surface.

Failing to water consistently causes the plant to stop producing blooms to conserve water, so watch soil conditions carefully and water any time it is dry.

Yellow Pear tomatoes are similar in size to a cherry tomato and ripen 78 days after starting seeds. Harvest when tomatoes are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, fully yellow and no longer show green. Ripe fruits should be firm but not solid. Mushy or soft fruits are overripe and should be composted. Squirrels and birds will often take ripe fruit so harvest daily.