Piennolo Rosso Winter Storage Tomato

Lycopersicon esculentum

Piennolo Rosso is a traditional Italian heirloom storage tomato originating from the Campania region. Known for centuries for its rich flavour, small oval fruits, and exceptional keeping qualities, it has been cultivated as a long-keeping tomato prized by families for winter use.

With thick skin and concentrated flesh, these tomatoes are perfect for long-term storage, slowly developing a sweet, complex flavour over several months. Traditionally, the fruit is harvested by the truss and hung in cool, ventilated spaces, allowing flavour to deepen while maintaining excellent texture.

Piennolo Rosso is also an interesting candidate for dry farming. Traditional Piennolo tomatoes are grown in the hot, relatively dry conditions of southern Italy, and varieties from this group have been included in dry-farming trials in the Pacific Northwest. Dry farming relies primarily on rainfall and moisture stored in the soil rather than regular supplemental irrigation once plants are established. Deep, moisture-retentive soil, appropriate plant spacing and careful management of available soil moisture are important to success. Results will vary with climate, soil and the particular seed strain.

An indeterminate variety, Piennolo Rosso produces clusters of bright red fruits and thrives in full sun with well-drained soil. The small, firm fruits have high dry-matter content and a distinctive pointed tip at the blossom end. They are suitable for fresh eating, roasting, sauces and traditional hanging storage. Maturity is approximately 80–85 days.

Perfect for gardeners who want a heritage tomato with concentrated flavour, traditional winter storage potential and possible applications in dry farming, Piennolo Rosso bridges the gap between summer harvest and winter pantry.

These storage tomato seeds are available directly from Garden Faerie Botanicals in British Columbia, Canada. The collection features heirloom and heritage seeds personally cultivated using organic growing methods without synthetic chemical inputs. Emphasizing historical, rare, non-GMO seeds, this selection preserves biodiversity through open-pollination and represents one of Canada’s widest selections of storage tomato seeds.

These storage tomato seeds are available directly from Garden Faerie Botanicals in the heart of British Columbia, Canada. The collection features heirloom and heritage seeds that are personally cultivated organically without the use of any chemicals. Emphasizing historical, rare, non-GMO seeds, this selection preserves biodiversity through open-pollination, and representing the widest selection of storage tomato seeds available in Canada.