How to Grow Green Zebra
Solanum lycopersicum
Green Zebra is an heirloom tomato prized for its unique striped skin and sweet flavor. Gardeners value this moderate-difficulty crop for its exceptional disease resistance compared to other heirlooms. It produces fruit quickly, making it a rewarding addition to any warm-season garden.
📷 Wikimedia CommonsStarting Green Zebra: indoors or direct sow?
🌾 Sow directly in the garden — Green Zebra is not usually started indoors.
Do not transplant seedlings; wait until all danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures are warm before placing young plants directly in the garden.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8 before planting. As a warm-season tomato, you must wait until after the last spring frost when the ground is fully warm; do not sow indoors or direct-sow earlier. Plant seeds about 1/4 inch deep. Germination typically takes 6 to 12 days under these conditions.
Space plants 24 to 30 inches apart in full sun. Provide sturdy support like a cage or trellis since heights vary from 1 to 10 feet. Maintain consistent moisture by watering regularly, as dry spells cause cracking. Apply mulch around the base and feed with balanced fertilizer during the growing season.
Watch for tomato hornworms, aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites; inspect leaves often. Prevent early blight, late blight, fusarium wilt, and bacterial speck by ensuring good airflow and avoiding overhead watering. Harvest ripe fruit approximately 72 days after planting by twisting gently from the vine.
When to Plant Green Zebra
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | May | — | September – August |
| Zone 2 | April – May | — | September |
| Zone 3 | April | — | August – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | — | August – October |
| Zone 5 | March | — | August – October |
| Zone 6 | March | — | July – September |
| Zone 7 | February – March | — | July – September |
| Zone 8 | February | — | June – August |
| Zone 9 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 10 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 11 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 12 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 13 | January | — | April – June |
Companion Plants for Green Zebra
✓ Good companions
Repels aphids and whiteflies, may improve flavor
Help break up soil for tomato roots, don't compete for nutrients
Repel aphids and may improve tomato growth and flavor
Benefits from tomato shade and doesn't compete for deep nutrients
Deter nematodes and whiteflies with natural compounds
Act as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles
Repels pests and may enhance tomato flavor through companion effect
Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies that eat aphids
✗ Keep away from
Releases juglone toxin that causes tomato wilt and stunted growth
Compete for similar nutrients and may stunt tomato growth
Both attract corn earworm, creating concentrated pest problems
Inhibits growth of most garden plants through allelopathy
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
