It’s being called “delightful” – a new tomato variety available this year from Fruition
Seeds in Naples, New York.
“Yellow Submarine” has deep New York State roots. In addition to being offered by Fruition, it was developed by Phillip Griffiths, an associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.
The name “Yellow Submarine” reflects the tomato’s yellow color and oblong shape. It has clear skin and a semi-translucent look and also resists cracking on the vine.
An article by Holly Hartigan published in the Cornell Chronicle on January 8, provided details about the unusual tomato and its development.
Griffiths specializes in brassica vegetables, but decided to try his hand at tomato breeding several years ago as something fun to do on Friday afternoons, the article said. Griffiths crossbreeds many types of small-fruited tomatoes which results in a great variety of colors and shapes. The tomatoes go through a period of evaluation to find the types that people like and that perform well here in the Northeast.
“Yellow Submarine” was bred, developed and cultivated both at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva and at the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station’s Homer C. Thompson Vegetable Research Farm in Freeville, NY, Cornell says.
Griffiths and his team turned to Fruition Seeds to help with the process of commercializing the variety. According to Cornell, Fruition customers decided on the name for the tomato, in a vote. More than 80 ideas for the name were submitted. Fruition spent two years growing the tomato and taste-testing it with customers who liked it both for its flavor and unique shape.
Cornell says home gardeners can purchase the seed from Fruition, but you likely will not see it sold at grocery stores. That’s because the partnership between Cornell and Fruition is meant to keep things exciting by bringing different, fun and engaging products to the market, Griffiths says.
Petra Page-Mann, the co-founder of Fruition Seeds, noted in the Cornell Chronicle article that “Yellow Submarine” is not a hybrid. It is an open-pollinated variety and has the potential to become an heirloom variety in the future. The seed Fruition saves will grow true to type – just like the parent, she said.
Griffiths’ earlier breeding resulted in the colorful Galaxy Suite of grape tomatoes which is available from High Mowing Organic Seeds. “Starlight” is a yellow fingerling; “Sungazer” is orange in color and grape-shaped; “Supernova” is marbled and striped; “Comet” is red and grape shaped; and “Midnight Pear” is dark purple and pear-shaped.
Griffiths says the Galaxy Suite varieties are ideal for organic and conventional growers as well as hobby gardeners.
