All About the Super Fantastic Tomato - Minneopa Orchards (2024)

If you haven’t had the pleasure of cooking with Super Fantastic Tomatoes, you’ll want to—especially after learning about all its benefits.

The juicy and tasty Super Fantastic Tomato is a fan-favorite fruit and a common ingredient used in salads, sandwiches, salsas, and more! Easily recognizable by its hefty size and bold color, this tomato type adds brightness and freshness to all kinds of meals and snacks.

Keep reading to learn all about the Super Fantastic Tomato, and find out why you should incorporate this must-have fruit into your meals.

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Characteristics of the Super Fantastic Tomato

Super Fantastic Tomatoes are immensely popular in the U.S. Here’s more about its standout traits.

Appearance

Super Fantastic Tomatoes are large and solid, beefsteak-type tomatoes. They are mid-sized and average 10 ounces each—which is more than a couple of mouthfuls! This tomato is recognized by its bright red color, oblong body, and smooth skin.

Taste

The flavor of this tomato strikes a perfect balance between sweet and acidic.

Cookingwith Super Fantastic Tomatoes

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The Super Fantastic Tomato is a versatile tomato that you can prepare and enjoy in a myriad of ways. Because there are so many ways to use these tomatoes, they’re family-friendly and kid-friendly crowdpleasers!

Slicing

Slice these tomatoes, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and enjoy! Add fresh mozzarella and basil leaves to make aCaprese salad, or dice the tomatoes to make salsa orbruschetta.

You can also slice the tomatoes and add them to salads, sandwiches, and meat dishes, likebaked chicken Caprese.

Canning

Canning is another popular way to enjoy Super Fantastic Tomatoes.

Use these tomatoes to make canned whole tomatoes (with skin or skinless), as well as crushed, diced, stewed, and pureed canned tomatoes. You can also make homemade tomato sauce, tomato paste, and ketchup using a tomato press. Check out our post,7 Picks for the Best Tomato Press, for suggestions on the best tomato press.

Making your own tomato sauce at home, in particular, allows you to control the ingredients you add to it, like olive oil, cream, and garlic, as well as salt content.

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Drying

You can also use Super Fantastic Tomatoes to make sun-dried tomatoes. Instead of letting them dry the old-fashioned way, you can achieve the same effect by using a dehydrator at home.

Freezing

Another great thing about tomatoes is that you can freeze them later. To learn how to freeze tomatoes properly, check out our post,How to Freeze Tomatoes: 2 Easy Methods for Freezing Tomatoes.

Juicing

There are many benefits of drinking tomato juice, which certainly makes it another pro of keeping Super Fantastic Tomatoes handy in your kitchen. Truly vitamin-packed and super healthy, learn about all the health benefits of drinking tomato juice in our post,5 Health Benefits of Tomato Juice.

Health Benefits of Tomatoes

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Tomatoes are low-calorie, water-dense fruits packed with nutrients like protein, fiber, and Vitamin C, among others.

Red tomatoes, like Super Fantastic Tomatoes, contain lycopene, a natural compound found in foods. Lycopene is responsible for giving tomatoes their red color, and it’s also believed to contribute to the overall health of our skin.

Learn more about the vast health benefits of tomatoes in our post,5 Amazing Tomato Health Benefits.

Growing Super Fantastic Tomatoes

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For novice and advanced gardeners, Super Fantastic Tomatoes are great to grow at home.

These tomatoes are very hardy compared to others. In the U.S., Super Fantastics are grown outdoors in U.S. Hardiness zones 9-11, from California to Florida, and parts of Illinois, Pennsylvania, and even Alaska.

Indeterminate

The Super Fantastic Tomato is an indeterminate plant, meaning that it grows long vines. The vines require additional caging or staking and tend to produce more fruit than bush-form, determinate tomatoes. Our post,All About Indeterminate Tomatoes, covers more on how to grow and care for indeterminate tomatoes.

Growing habits

These tomato plants grow an average of six to nine feet tall and 24 to 36 inches wide. To ensure they have enough room to grow, plants must be spaced 18 to 24 inches apart. Super Fantastic Tomatoes require moist, well-drained soil and full sun exposure.

Our post,How to Grow Tomatoes at Home: The Complete Guide, covers all you need to know about growing your own tomatoes at home.

Harvesting

Super Fantastic Tomatoes bloom in the spring and summer months. They require 70 to 85 days to mature, and plants generally produce a high fruit yield until the first frost. Learn how to determine whether your tomato fruit is ready from our post,How Long Does It Take Tomatoes to Ripen?

Companion Plants for Super Fantastic Tomatoes

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Not only do tomatoes offer health benefits when we eat them, but they can even be good for the plants growing near them.

Tomatoes work well in companion plant gardening. Companion plants can grow alongside each other because they have a mutually beneficial relationship that helps one, or both, thrive.

When herbs like chives, cilantro, mint, oregano, and parsley are grown near tomatoes, they help to prevent pests from eating the fruit. Basil is one of the best plants to grow near tomatoes because it keeps pests away and may increase yield.

Other good companion plants for tomatoes include black-eyed peas, bush beans, clovers, collard greens, culinary dandelions, dill, garlic, mustard greens, sweet alyssum, and varieties of thyme, among others.

Plants To Avoid Growing Near Tomatoes.

There are also plants that negatively affect tomato plants when they are grown close by. For example, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale compete with tomatoes for the same nutrients. Without ample nutrients, tomato plants may not produce fruit.

Corn, on the other hand, attracts the same pests and fungal infections as tomatoes. When corn and tomatoes are planted close to each other, the attraction doubles!

If you plant tomatoes in a garden or close to other plants, double-check the interaction of these plants to ensure a “fruitful” outcome.

Vulnerability to Pests and Diseases

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As with any plant you grow at home, you may encounter issues when growing Super Fantastic Tomatoes at home—or any tomatoes, for that matter. One of the issues may include susceptibility to pests and diseases. Learn more about these pests and how to prevent them in our blog, The 15 Most Common Tomato Pests.

Fortunately, Super Fantastic Tomatoes are hardy plants with a strong resistance to nematodes, verticillium wilt, and fusarium wilt. These tomatoes are susceptible to blossom end rot and late blight, however. Learn more about the diseases that affect tomato plants in our post, The 7 Most Common Tomato Plant Diseases.

Where to Buy Seeds

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The Super Fantastic Tomato is a hybrid that’s the new and improved Fantastic Tomato. Because it’s a hybrid, the seeds from Super Fantastic Tomato fruits can’t be saved to grow new plants.

To grow these tomatoes at home, you’ll need to purchase seeds from your local hardware store or online. We highly recommend theSuper Fantastic seedssold online by one of our favorite retailers for seeds, True Leaf Market.

The Fan-Favorite Tomato That’s Great for Cooking

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Not only are Super Fantastic Tomatoes delicious, but they’re easy to integrate into all sorts of recipes that call for tomatoes. Use these tomatoes to complement other ingredients in favorite recipes or feature them as the star ingredient. However you serve Super Fantastics, they’re sure to please!

To learn even more about how to plant, grow, and harvest tomatoes, head over to theTomato Plantspage on our website. There, you’ll find blog posts on over 70 different varieties, plus lots of helpful growing and care guides for your best tomato season ever!

All About the Super Fantastic Tomato - Minneopa Orchards (2024)

FAQs

Is super fantastic a good tomato? ›

Description: Smooth, solid, and meaty, a good slicer with delicious flavor! Large, round, perfectly formed, 8-10 ounce red fruit that adapts well to all parts of the country. An outstanding early tomato that produces abundant harvests continuously until frost.

How tall do super fantastic tomato plants grow? ›

This is an indeterminate variety, which means it produces fruit throughout the growing season. The tomatoes have a pleasant taste and a juicy texture. The tomatoes are most often used in the following ways: Super Fantastic Tomato will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches.

How big are fantastico tomatoes? ›

Fantastico Tomato Small Fruited

General Information: Unique bush grape tomato plant produces flavorful 0.5-oz. (14-g) fruit. High-yielding plants produce up to 12 lbs. (5 kg) of ripe tomatoes.

How do you grow fantastic tomatoes? ›

Devote a prime, sunny spot to growing tomatoes. Tomatoes need at least 6 to 8 hours of sun to bring out their best flavors. You will need to stake, trellis, or cage most tomato plants to keep them off the ground. Decide on a support plan before you set out your plants, then add that support directly after planting.

What are the healthiest tomatoes to grow? ›

That said, some varieties are naturally higher in this healthy antioxidant compound than others. Here are a few lycopene-rich tomato varieties to try: 'Crimson Cherry': Of all the tomatoes, cherry and roma varieties are the highest in lycopene, and, for us, Crimson Cherry comes top of the heap.

What does a fantastic tomato look like? ›

The 3–5 inch, round firm slicers are very solid, and have above average crack resistance. Fantastic's meaty, bright red fruit are rich in beefsteak flavor that makes this a favorite.

How long does it take for tomatoes to grow to full size? ›

Depending on the variety—early-, mid-, or late-season—and local weather conditions, Tomatoes take 50 to more than 80 days to grow from seedling to harvest. Consider early- or mid-season cultivars if you live in a USDA Zone with a relatively short growing season.

Will tomatoes grow with 5 hours of sun? ›

Tomatoes need both morning and afternoon sun and at least six hours of sun a day. Morning sun is important because it starts photosynthesis. Afternoon sun maintains energy needed for healthy growth.

Are fantastico tomatoes determinate or indeterminate? ›

Fantastico is a determinate short bush type plant with a height of three to four feet. It is ideal for container growing. This year a plant will grow in one of my 12 or 14-inch diameter pots.

Are fantastico tomatoes good? ›

Fantastico is a must for any market grower or home gardener looking for an early-maturing, high-yielding grape tomato with built-in Late Blight Tolerance. Bred for small gardens, determinate Fantastico will work great in hanging baskets, container gardens as well as in small gardens.

What is the brix of fantastico tomatoes? ›

'Fantastico': Slightly elongated grape tomatoes still fall into the cherry tomato category, and the bright red, AAS-winning 'Fantastico' is one of the best. The glossy sweet tomatoes have a 12 °Bx and are firm, crack-resistant, and sweet.

What is the best fertilizer for tomatoes? ›

Look for a fertilizer that has a high middle number, which represents phosphorus, in the N-P-K analysis. Commonly available fertilizer analysis that are great for tomato seedlings include 8-32-16 and 12-24-12. Mix the fertilizer with water according to package directions.

How big does a super fantastic tomato get? ›

Super Fantastic tomatoes have dark red, smooth blemish free, skin. Fruits are uniform in size: 8 -10 cm (3-4") diameter, weighing on average about 283 grams (10 oz.). Vigorous vines grow 1.8-2.7 meters (6-9') tall and require good caging or staking.

Is baking soda good for tomato plants? ›

To create a solution that prevents and treats disease, add a heaping tablespoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and a small amount of mild soap to a gallon of water and spray the tomato plants with this solution. This needs to be reapplied regularly to maintain its efficiency.

Which is the best big tomato? ›

Do you like a sandwich whose tomato peeks out from the edges of the bread? If so, grow the big ones such as Big Beef, Better Boy, Parks Whopper, Brandywine, German Johnson, and Super Fantastic. Plant these deeply so that two-thirds of the plant is underground.

What is the best tomato to can? ›

Ace 55 – These thick-walled tomatoes are about the size of a tennis ball and stay firm even when cooked, making them a perfect choice for canning whole.

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