We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Culinary

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What are Pear Tomatoes?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: Feb 18, 2024
Views: 14,392
Share

Pear tomatoes can refer to a number of different cultivars of tomatoes, usually cherry sized or just slightly larger. They can come in a variety of colors, with yellow and red ones being the most common. The name is not hard to understand since most of these tomatoes have a distinctive pear shape, a round shapely bottom, with a thinner top portion.

Some varieties of pear tomatoes are exceptionally sweet, and many are great performers even when grown in pots. They may continue to produce fruit from May through October, especially if you live in milder climates. They also may be grown strictly for their ornamental value, though many who are fans of pear tomatoes suggest you miss the point completely if you don’t eat these typically sweet fruits.

Most pear tomatoes are considered heirloom varieties of tomatoes. Heirloom can mean a few things — most often it means that the plants are open pollinated, or left to naturally pollinate by birds, bees, and other types of insects. You can also hand pollinate, but it’s usually unnecessary. If you do plan to open pollinate these pretty tomatoes, you might want to have at least two plants so that you get predictable results and the pear shapes you desire.

You can use pear tomatoes in a variety of ways. They’re perfect served whole in salads, or sliced in half, though many are small enough that this is unnecessary. Many people who grew up in rural regions recall these types of tomatoes being canned whole by grandparents or great grandparents. This meant fresh tasting tomatoes would be available year round.

Although typically people think of pear tomatoes as small bite-sized fruits, there is one variety that is approximately palm-sized. It bears the name of the black pear tomato and only has a slightly oval shape, and is deep red with slight green striping at the top. Some contend the black pear tomato is one of the most delicious heirloom types you can find, but many prefer the smaller yellow, orange and red ones that are so aesthetically pleasing and also bursting with flavor.

You’ll find numerous varieties of pear tomatoes for growing. If you’re not great at gardening, you may want to use starts (small plants) for your first growing attempts. Even a small outdoor space with plenty of sunshine will do for most pear tomato types; just don’t forget to water every couple of days. If you’re striving for complementary colors in your plantings, growing small peppers in a variety of colors can produce a lovely effect. Growing peppers around the tomatoes may help, since this may help fend off some bugs.

For those who lack growing expertise or space, look for vine ripened, arguably the best tasting ripening method, in your local grocery store. They’re usually available from May onward. You may be able to get these tomatoes year round if you can find those grown hydroponically or imported from other countries.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By visionary — On Mar 16, 2011

@healthnwell -- The best way to grow tomatoes that we have come up with is the hanging sleeve.

It looks a bit odd, but almost doubles your growing season in length. It will also protect the vines from insects and any bad weather you might get.

You can generally get these hangers all ready to go at your local gardening center or you can order them on-line.

By healthnwell — On Mar 14, 2011

I love the red pear tomatoes! We are going to try to grow them this summer. Can anyone tell me the best way to grow them? We tend to have short growing seasons.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.wise-geek.com/what-are-pear-tomatoes.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.