Mystery Keeper is an excellent storage tomato that gives you a burst of fresh veggies in winter.
Pick Mystery Keeper unripe at the end of summer and then store in a cool, dry place. It is ripe when the exterior is a salmon-peach colour (they won’t get red). Fruit will be firm.
Robust, easy to manage 2.5 foot plants.
We collect seed from our longkeepers in January; so, you will be able to store yours until November/December.
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How to Store: In their classic how-to book, Root Cellaring, food storage experts Mike and Nancy Bubel suggest storing tomatoes at 13 to 18 C (55 to 65 F) to keep them on “hold” for a while. A spot in your basement would do or a colder room in your house. Place longkeepers in a single layer in a cardboard box or on a shelf out of direct sunlight. On the other hand, the Bubels also suggest you can store tomatoes at room temperature (15 to 21 C / 60 to 70 F) — on your kitchen counter, for instance, but it will speed up the ripening process. Keep it simple and do whatever works for you.
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.
