Solanum lycopersicum 'Harbinger'

RHS Plant Profile
tomato 'Harbinger'

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Synonyms

Lycopersicon esculentum 'Harbinger'

Fruit Edible

A cordon salad tomato suitable for growing in a greenhouse or outdoors. It produces reliable crops of medium round, red salad tomatoes, and will give a reasonable yield in cooler areas.

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
0.5-1 metres
Max Height
1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H1C

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Solanaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Columnar upright
Genus
Solanum can be annuals, perennials, evergreen or deciduous shrubs or twining climbers, with simple or pinnnately lobed leaves and star- or bowl-shaped, 5-lobed flowers with prominent stamens, followed by fleshy fruits
Name Status
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Tomatoes can be started from seed indoors or in a heated greenhouse. See tomato cultivation. For help with diagnosing tomato problems see our video What's gone wrong wtih my tomatoes?

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors for further advice

Pruning

Remove all side shoots as they appear. Pinch the growing tip when the plant has formed seven trusses under cover or four trusses outdoors

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly and tomato moth

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), blossom end rot, magnesium deficiency, tomato spotted wilt virus and grey moulds under glass