Havestvee is an og tomato. A high-lycopene, bush beefsteak-type tomato.
Harvestvee has the ‘old gold’/high crimson gene (og). See the Introduction in Old Gold/High Crimson for more details. Harvestvee was developed by Dr. Ernie Kerr, a master tomato breeder at the Horticultural Experiment Station in Simcoe, Ontario, and released in 1980. In a scientific paper written by Kerr and Cook (1981), introducing the variety, they rather understatedly mention that Harvestvee has a “complex” ancestry. No kidding, take a look:
This decades-in-the-making ancestry gives you some insight into the excellence of the Canadian tomato breeding programs of the 1950s-1980s. And not only does Harvestvee have a great ancestry, but Harvestvee is one of the best tasting tomatoes we have ever tasted.
Plant Characteristics: Harvestvee has an exceptionally dark red/crimson interior. It has an excellent sweet taste. Its medium sized fruits (about 90g to 140g/3oz to 5oz) have great texture, are crack-resistant and hold off the vine for a long time. Harvestvee is a determinate tomato and benefits from a short stake, on the other hand, its compact sprawling nature means it doesn’t have to be staked, and we let ours sprawl on the ground. Keep in mind this tomato was created to be farmed on an industrial scale, which would have meant no staking in a huge open field. So, it depends on what your garden space is. If you have a smaller space, you might want to stake it, whereas, if you have more space, you might want to let it sprawl. Either way it is easy to maintain and hugely productive.
Also, Harvestvee is resistant to verticillium and fusarium wilt.
How to Plant: Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost. Plant seed 5mm (¼ inch) deep. Keep moist. When true leaves appear, transplant to a larger container if needed. Transplant outside after the danger of frost has passed/later spring.
