🍅 Quick take: Spike is an eye-catching, semi-determinate novelty tomato bred by Tom Wagner. It features distinctive, feathery carrot-like foliage on a compact 4 ft (1.2 m) frame. Producing heavy crops of round, 2 oz (60 g) dark-red fruits streaked with bronze and metallic gold, it requires zero suckering and yields continuously until frost. Full summary ↓
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zone 4 Experience)
Spike. Really interesting, rare, and gorgeous variety! 👍
The foliage is delicate and lacy, true carrot-top style. In the greenhouse, the plant stayed around 4 ft (1.2 m). Zero suckering needed on this one, though you definitely want to give it plenty of elbow room and solid stake support because it branches out nicely.
Extended production window right up until the end of the season. It continuously throws new side shoots and flower sprays, so by mid-September up here, it’s best to top the plant and pinch off any late flowers so the remaining fruit can finish sizing up.
The fruit are round, striped saladettes pulling up to 2 oz (60 g). Very tasty – deep mahogany-red with greenish-bronze and gold stripes. A massive producer!
I managed to misspell the name on the plant tag because I wrote it from memory without checking first. Guess my memory’s not what it used to be! 😄
Edited September 30, 2021 by Svetikk
The foliage is delicate and lacy, true carrot-top style. In the greenhouse, the plant stayed around 4 ft (1.2 m). Zero suckering needed on this one, though you definitely want to give it plenty of elbow room and solid stake support because it branches out nicely.
Extended production window right up until the end of the season. It continuously throws new side shoots and flower sprays, so by mid-September up here, it’s best to top the plant and pinch off any late flowers so the remaining fruit can finish sizing up.
The fruit are round, striped saladettes pulling up to 2 oz (60 g). Very tasty – deep mahogany-red with greenish-bronze and gold stripes. A massive producer!
I managed to misspell the name on the plant tag because I wrote it from memory without checking first. Guess my memory’s not what it used to be! 😄
Edited September 30, 2021 by Svetikk
Quick Facts: Variety Summary
- 🌿 Growth Habit: Semi-determinate to compact bush reaching about 4 ft (1.2 m) under cover. Highly ornamental, featuring fine, feathery carrot-like (dissected) foliage. Does not require sucker pruning, but needs horizontal spacing and sturdy staking to support multiple fruit-laden branches.
- 🍅 Fruit Profile: Perfectly round saladette-to-cocktail tomatoes weighing up to 2 oz (60 g). Rich brick-red skin accented by bronze, green, and burnished gold stripes.
- 📈 Yield & Season: Exceptionally high yield. Keeps producing continuous flower clusters until frost. In northern zones, vines should be topped around mid-September to redirect energy toward ripening existing fruit.
- 👅 Flavor Profile: Rich, sweet, and complex with typical “dark tomato” savory depth. Firm skin makes it resistant to splitting.
- 🧬 Breeder: Created by independent American plant breeder Tom Wagner.
👨🌾 Editor’s Note: The “Carrot-Leaf” (Dissected) Trait
The feathery, fern-like leaves on Spike are a rare recessive mutation known among heirloom growers as “carrot foliage” or silphium leaves (similar to heritage Russian lines like Silvery Fir Tree). Beyond being ornamental, this open, lace-like canopy allows superior airflow and light penetration deep into the center of the plant, significantly cutting down on foliar mold and mildew in humid greenhouses.
The feathery, fern-like leaves on Spike are a rare recessive mutation known among heirloom growers as “carrot foliage” or silphium leaves (similar to heritage Russian lines like Silvery Fir Tree). Beyond being ornamental, this open, lace-like canopy allows superior airflow and light penetration deep into the center of the plant, significantly cutting down on foliar mold and mildew in humid greenhouses.
🍅 Have you grown Spike or other carrot-leaf varieties? Did you let yours bush out unpruned or cage it, and how did it perform in your climate? Share your experience in the comments below!
