🚚 Shipping Update:
We’re now shipping nationwide across the continental U.S. again! 🌱
📦 Please note: Shipping to California remains paused due to agricultural regulations.
Everglades Tomato — The Wild Florida Favorite 🍅
Ships in a 4-inch container
A heat-loving Florida classic, the Everglades tomato is your go-to for effortless summer harvests—even when other tomatoes tap out. Whether you're in a subtropical zone or just craving something resilient, sweet, and wild—this tomato will win your heart (and your garden plot).
🌿 Quick Facts Table
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Solanum lycopersicum (*see species note below) |
| Plant Type | Perennial in warm climates; annual elsewhere |
| Sale Size | Ships in 4" container |
| Mature Height & Width | Up to 10–12 ft sprawling unpruned; easily contained to 3–4 ft with support or trimming |
| USDA Zones | Perennial in zones 9 - 11, Grown as an annual in Zones 5–8 |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun preferred; tolerates partial shade |
| Cold Hardiness | Sensitive to frost—protect below 32°F |
| Growth Habit | Indeterminate, vining, highly productive |
| Spacing Requirements | 2–3 ft apart; can be closer when trellised |
🍅 Fruit Details
- Flavor Profile: Sweet, rich, and fruity—often more flavorful than store-bought cherry tomatoes
- Size: Tiny currant-sized tomatoes (~½ inch)
- Texture: Juicy with thin skins that burst with flavor
- Color: Glossy red
- Harvest Window: Nearly year-round in Florida; summer through fall in most other zones
- Fruiting Habit: Extremely prolific—often produces hundreds of fruits per plant
- Boosting Fruit Set: Grows best with full sun and consistent watering; thrives on neglect once established
🌱 Top Benefits and Uses
- Culinary: Eat fresh, in salads, salsas, or as a garden snack; also makes flavorful sauce
- Ornamental Appeal: Glossy leaves and a wild, sprawling habit that adds a naturalistic vibe
- Low Maintenance: Thrives in heat, poor soil, drought, and humidity
- Self-Seeding: Will often reappear in the same garden bed year after year
- Pollinator Friendly: Tiny flowers attract bees and native pollinators
- Cultural Roots: Native to South America, adapted to Florida by generations of seed savers
- Educational Favorite: A hit with schools and home growers for its resilience and abundance
Best Practices for Planting and Care
- Where to Plant: Full sun is ideal; plant in-ground, raised beds, or containers with well-draining soil
- Soil Preferences: Tolerates a wide range of soils; amend with compost for best results
- Planting Method: Unlike other plants, this can be planted deep, well past the stalk. Pack tightly enough for good soil contact.
- Watering: Water daily during establishment; reduce to deep watering 2x per week once mature
- Mulching Tips: Mulch heavily to retain moisture and protect roots.
- Winter Care (Florida): May survive mild winters; prune lightly and cover during hard frost
Container & Indoor Growing Tips
- Container Size: Minimum 3–5 gallon pot; larger for unpruned vines
- Support Needed: Cage, trellis, or let sprawl over container edge
- Indoor Tips: Not ideal as a year-round indoor plant; may be started indoors before last frost
🌱 Botanical Background: Solanum lycopersicum vs. Solanum pimpinellifolium
The Everglades Tomato has sparked debate among gardeners, seed savers, and botanists when it comes to its scientific classification.
Here's what you need to know:
- UF/IFAS and some academic sources (like the article you referenced: IFAS – Everglades Tomato) list the species as Solanum pimpinellifolium, which refers to the wild ancestor of modern cultivated tomatoes. This classification highlights the Everglades tomato’s tiny fruit size, strong disease resistance, and ability to thrive in the heat and humidity of Florida.
- However, seed producers like ECHO Global Farm, from whom we source our seeds, classify it as Solanum lycopersicum, the same species as most modern tomatoes. This is likely due to natural hybridization over time with domesticated tomato varieties, which has resulted in many strains that are no longer pure wild-type.
✅ So which is correct?
Both have merit, depending on the strain, source, and how strictly one interprets species boundaries:
- Botanically, S. pimpinellifolium is the correct species for the wild-type Everglades tomato.
- In practical horticulture and seed trade, especially with hybridized or regionally adapted strains, S. lycopersicum is often used.
Because we source from ECHO and strive for consistency with their labeling, our current listing uses Solanum lycopersicum, with a note acknowledging the wild ancestry and taxonomic overlap.
⚠️ Cautions
- Pests: Relatively pest-resistant, but can occasionally attract whiteflies or aphids
- Diseases: Generally disease-tolerant, especially compared to commercial hybrids
🌟 Is This Plant Right for You?
✅ Ideal for:
- Florida gardeners and Southern growers
- School gardens and community plots
- Anyone looking for a nearly foolproof tomato
- People tired of pampering fussy hybrid tomatoes
❌ Not Ideal for:
- Cold climates without frost protection
- Gardeners seeking large slicing tomatoes
- Indoor-only growers (limited success indoors long-term)
Ready to Grow Tomatoes Like Nature Intended?
Whether you're cultivating a wild food forest or just want a tomato that can take the heat, the Everglades tomato is a top choice for flavor, resilience, and repeat harvests.
👉 Order your Everglades Tomato today and experience why this Florida-native favorite has a cult following!
📍 Available for Local Pickup at GreenDreams!
18709 US Hwy. 41, Spring Hill, FL 34610
Open Tues–Fri 9AM–5PM | Sat 8AM–3PM
Come see what’s fresh 🌱
IMPORTANT INFORMATION BEFORE PURCHASING LIVE PLANTS:
*Please be advised that our online store selections are NOT available for pickup at our retail location in Spring Hill, Florida.
Inventory for our online store is located at a separate facility and are priced and handled exclusively for packaging & shipping.
Click here to learn more about our Spring Hill, FL retail nursery location, including countless more nursery selections ready for pickup - larger sizes and wider variety of plants not suitable for nationwide delivery.
1. Shipping Stress: Transportation can be stressful for plants, particularly when they spend several days in a confined, dark environment. It’s common for plants to experience leaf drop during this period. Rest assured, most plants typically recover quickly and thrive with minimal aftercare. However, some may need extra attention, love, and care, requiring appropriate watering and exposure to gentle light post-unboxing.
2. Potential Physical Damage: Despite our dedicated efforts to ensure that your plants are securely packaged, they may incur damage during shipping and handling by UPS. Rest assured, our shipping team is committed to packing your selections with utmost care and precision to minimize any potential harm.
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For significant box damage, please reach out to UPS within 30 days to initiate a claim.
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For minor damages, such as a broken branch or stem, we advise allowing the plant time to recover and regenerate with proper care and attention.
3. Long-Distance Shipping Considerations: Orders shipped over long distances, particularly to the western US, may take 3 - 5 business days to arrive due to various factors, including agricultural inspections in Arizona, California, and Texas. Such extended transit times can be particularly challenging for tender, young plants, affecting their quality due to prolonged confinement.
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We take additional measures during packaging to facilitate a swift recovery of the plants upon unboxing.
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Initial extra care and attention might be required over the first few weeks post-transport.
For further guidance, kindly review our detailed policies on returns and refunds, as well as our comprehensive plant care guide. We appreciate your understanding and patience in nurturing your new plants.
🌿 Important Shipping Information
Please take a moment to review our shipping protocols designed to ensure your plants arrive in optimal condition.
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Countdown Clock: At the top of our online store, you'll notice a countdown clock. This tool helps communicate our weekly shipping schedule, providing clarity on when you can expect your orders to be dispatched.
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Shipping Schedule: Our nursery, located in the heart of Central Florida, ships orders once weekly, every Monday. This is a strategic decision to prevent packages from being stationary over the weekends, ensuring that our plants travel as swiftly as possible across the country, even reaching as far as California.
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Shipping Method: At present, we offer ground shipping rates to meet various needs while maintaining the well-being of our plants during transit.
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Our Dedicated Team: We are a boutique nursery with a passionate team. Our members wear many hats, contributing to shipping, nursery operations, and engaging in valuable local projects. As we blossom and expand, rest assured that enhancing and streamlining our processes remains a priority to serve you better
Terms and Conditions for Purchasing Live Plants
1. Understanding of Shipping Stress
By purchasing live plants from our store, the customer acknowledges that transportation can be stressful for plants. It is common for plants to undergo leaf drop or experience other temporary issues during shipping. However, it is understood that most plants recover quickly with adequate care and attention post-shipping.
2. Awareness of Potential Physical Damage
Customers acknowledge that despite our best efforts in packaging, there may be occurrences of damage during shipping and handling. For substantial damages to the package, customers agree to contact UPS within 30 days to initiate a claim.
3. Acknowledgement of Long-Distance Shipping Considerations
Customers recognize that shipments, especially those directed to the western US, may be subjected to longer shipping durations of 3-5 business days. Customers agree to provide necessary care to the plants, recognizing that the quality of the plants may be affected due to prolonged shipping times.
4. Agreement with Shipping Information and Schedule
Customers, by making a purchase, have reviewed and agreed upon our shipping protocols and schedules. They acknowledge the presence of a countdown clock on the website and our once-weekly shipping policy every Monday, recognizing the rationale behind avoiding weekend layovers for the plants.
5.Extreme Weather Conditions
Customers acknowledge that our store is not responsible for damage or loss of live plants due to extreme weather conditions during transit and delivery. This includes exposure to cold or freezing temperatures during the winter months and extreme heat during the summer. We provide tracking information when orders are processed every Monday to ensure customers are aware of the delivery schedule. It is the customer's responsibility to prevent packages from being left outside in conditions that may cause damage. Our store does not accept responsibility for any adverse effects caused by weather conditions beyond our control.
6. No Refund Policy
Customers agree that refunds are only processed under exceptional circumstances. Our store will not be held responsible for poor plant choices relative to location suitability, extreme conditions during and/or post-shipment, and improper post-purchase plant care.
7. Responsibility of Care
Upon purchase, customers agree to assume full responsibility for the ongoing care of the plants. This includes, but is not limited to, appropriate watering, exposure to suitable light, and adherence to specific care instructions pertinent to each plant type.
8. Consent
By proceeding with this purchase, customers consent to all the terms and conditions stated above, confirming understanding and agreement to all stipulations mentioned.
These terms and conditions aim to ensure clarity, mutual understanding, and agreement between the seller and the customer to facilitate a smooth transaction and foster a positive customer experience.
