About This Variety
Oxheart is a classic heirloom known for its large, heart-shaped fruits and dense, meaty flesh with very few seeds. The pink-red fruits are excellent slicers with low moisture content, making them ideal for sandwiches and fresh eating. An indeterminate variety maturing in 80–90 days, Oxheart rewards patience with substantial, flavorful harvests.
How to Save Seeds
- Pick fully ripe or slightly overripe fruit from your healthiest, most vigorous plants.
- Cut the tomato horizontally and squeeze the seeds and gel into a clean jar.
- Add a splash of water and let the mixture ferment for 2–3 days. Stir daily — a layer of mold forming on top is normal and expected.
- When the viable seeds have sunk to the bottom, pour off the mold, pulp, and any floating seeds.
- Rinse the good seeds thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer under running water.
- Spread seeds on a paper plate (NOT paper towels — seeds stick to them) and let dry for 5–7 days in a well-ventilated spot.
- Store dried seeds in a labeled envelope in a cool, dry place.
Pro Tip: Oxheart produces fewer seeds per fruit than most tomatoes — save seeds from 3–4 fruits to make sure you get enough viable seed for next season.
Cross-Pollination
Tomatoes are self-pollinating — the flowers fertilize themselves before they even fully open. This means cross-pollination between tomato varieties is extremely rare (typically under 2–5% even when plants are side by side). No isolation cages, hand-pollination, or separation distance is needed.
No isolation needed: Oxheart can grow right next to your other tomato varieties with essentially zero cross-pollination risk. All five of your tomato varieties can be grown side by side and still produce true-to-type seeds.
