One of my favorite tomatoes is the Campari. It is deep red, juicy, sweet, and delicious. It is also surprisingly easy to grow! A few years ago I was surfing the Internet and came upon an interesting way of growing Campari tomatoes. No need to purchase tomato plants or seeds… all you need is one or more Campari tomatoes. It’s that simple.

I grew my Campari’s tomatoes on my back porch in pots and a grow box. The grow box, which I used for the first time last year, produced my healthiest and most abundant plants.

Here’s the process to grow your own Campari tomatoes.

  1. Take one Campari tomato, slice into 4 even slices about 1/4” thick. Take all four slices and place them in a pot of soil. I like using an organic mix.
  2. Cover the tomatoes slices with potting soil (not too much and not too little), and place the pot in front of a window if it is too cold to leave it outside, water and wait.
  3. Within a week or two, the tomato slices will sprout seedlings. Lots of them! Let your small tomato plants grow until they are about 2 – 3” tall.
  4. Then gently transplant the stronger plants into small pots. Last year, I used the Jiffy peat pots.
  5. Once your seedlings have grown to a 6” plant, transfer into larger pots and/or a grow box.

Because the Campari tomato plant can grow to about 6’ tall you will have to stake each of your plants at some point. Last year, I transplanted almost all of my seedlings into peat pots, which was quite a task, but well worth it. I then shared the fruits of my labor with my mother, sister, and a dear friend. I am so excited about this year and can’t wait to get started.

Last summer’s crop was my best. I must have had 250 – 300 tomatoes, and with spring on the horizon, it’s time to start planting.

Hope you find this to be well worth your time and effort. Here’s to a good growing season!

All the pictures on this blog posting are from last year.