Matina tomato: cultivation & care

With deliciously deep red fruits, the ‘Matina’ tomato variety is easy to spot. Read on for our top tips on growing the ‘Matina’ tomato plant at home.

The ‘Matina’ tomato variety is a classic salad tomato: red, round and juicy. No wonder it is a favourite of many hobby gardeners. Here is an introduction to this delicious German heirloom tomato variety.

‘Matina’ tomato: profile

Origin and history

The tomato variety ‘Matina’ was originally bred by the Hild seed company in southern Germany. It is sometimes mistakenly given the synonym ‘Tamina‘ but this is, in fact, a separate variety.

Characteristics and taste of the ‘Matina’ tomato variety

‘Matina’ plants grow vigorously and can reach up to two metres tall, with leaves that resemble that of a potato. The fruits grow to about five centimetres in diameter and weigh up to 70 grams. This variety is early-ripening, with the first bright red fruits ready for harvest as early as mid-July. When ripe, ‘Matina’ tomatoes become soft, and their skins becomes tender and thin. ‘Matina’ tomatoes taste fruity and juicy, and have a pleasant balance of sweet and sour. 

Note: This red vine tomato is an heirloom variety. This means that you can save its seeds in autumn, and sow them next year.

‘Matina’ tomato: planting and care

‘Matina’ is an all-round tomato variety. It is easy to care for, robust and disease tolerant, which means you can grow it outdoors, in pots or in the greenhouse. Either way, it produces abundant and delicious yields. Unusually, ‘Matina’ tomatoes even tolerate a few days of rain without their thin skins bursting open.

If you intend to plant your ‘Matina’ tomatoes outdoors, wait until mid-May at the earliest. You will need to harden off your tomato plants for the first 1 to 2 weeks, before they are left outside long-term. Then, dig a deep hole in your bed and place in your young ‘Matina’ plant. Mix a natural, slow-release fertiliser, such as our Plantura Tomato Food, with your soil to ensure a good supply of nutrients, and cover the plant. Water well, and the nutrients will release slowly and evenly for about two months. After these first two months, the plant will need another dose of fertilisation.

Tip: In summer, place a layer of mulch over the soil of your tomato plants. This will hold in the water. This way, you save water and promote soil life!

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To plant Matina in a pot, fill the container with a potting soil specially made for tomatoes. Plantura Organic Tomato & Vegetable Compost is a great choice. This peat-free compost contains all the essential nutrients your Matina needs to grow well and produce delicious fruit.

‘Matina’ grows best with two or three shoots. Leave the three most prominent side shoots on the plant and remove the others. When pruning tomatoes, minimise damage by removing the excess side shoots as early as possible.

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Harvest and use ‘Matina’ tomatoes

It is hard not to eat the perfectly round, red ‘Matina’ fruits before they are ripe. They are delicious in salads, lovely in a packed lunch, and a perfect snack. Of course, you can also cook them or preserve them for winter.

In the veg patch, you can grow herbs and vegetables alongside tomatoes. But which plants grow best together? Find out all you need to know in our article on companion planting tomatoes.