Red Pride Bush Tomato Seeds

I grew Red Pride Bush for a 2nd year in 2024. It proved to be a good producer again. However, I noticed a few things that are worth sharing. This plant becomes very big! And when the fruit loads the plant, it struggles to stay up. Even staking can be inefficient because each branch that holds a cluster of fruit starts to bend over. I ended up having to stake each branch to support it. Perhaps this is a good problem to have, but next time I'm considering growing the bush at a tilted angle, and supporting it with a tilted cattle panel. In that way, the loaded plant can lean its weight on the mesh. I planted the seedlings into the ground in mid-April (Zone 8a). They survived two nights at 42degrees (which I wouldn't recommend for nightshades, but these survived and thrived). They produced the majority of the fruit in mid-July. By the end of July, they seemed to be at the end of their productive time.

I started gardening last summer. With only youtube as a guide, I planted Red Pride from seed. I am a complete noob, and I have made a ton of mistakes. I originally wanted 16 plants, so I planted 60 seeds. I had 50 germinate, so I had too many plants. I started outside, but had to bring them in to my garage soon after because it got cold early. Then, I decided to grow in water instead of soil. Most survived the transplant, I have plants to spare. I originally had not enough light, so for 2 months my plants just stopped growing around 2 ft. When I fixed the light things got back on track. Now, in Jan/Feb of 2025, I have a bunch of tomatoes. So many mistakes, like not enough spacing, not using enough to support. Yes, I have had big plants break off at the base. This was a big learning experience, but despite it all it looks like after 6 months I will get a bunch of tomatoes.

I tried the red pride bush tomato for the first time in '23, and I was very pleased with the results. (I wanted to take a break from the hassle of growing indeterminates.) The 'red pride' bush is an excellent producer. One caution: the plant will be much larger and wider than the packet indicates. I'd reckon the plant has at least a 3 ft diameter (...so leave enough space). Also, when the plants are loaded with fruit, they will be heavy and require support. (These are all 'good problems' to have.)