Nochtli
$3.50
Out of stock
Nochtli is the Nahuatl word for Prickly Pear fruit, a sweet pink cactus born from the heat of the desert. A sister to Cuautli Salubong, Nochtli also has incredible production, drought tolerance, hot and cold temperature fruit set, and perfect buttery texture for sauces. Unlike its red pleated sister, Nochtli is radiant pink and nearly perfectly round. The saladettes have a long shelf life and can be used as salad tomatoes if you do not plan on canning. Being sweeter than Cuautli Salubong, Nochtli still has an ancient pre-columbian tomato flavor, with less emphasis on sugar and more on umami and essential tomato flavor, another trait good for sauces. Topping out at around 3 feet tall, the semi-determinate vines will produce a second wave after other determinate plants have already sputtered out. Nochtli, like the real cactus, likes to stay dry, and when there is too much rain may succumb to fungal diseases, so it is best grown in the southwest and other arid climates as well as the northern plains and Canada where fungal disease is not an issue due to cold winters. Being one of the earliest from my garden, the fruit start ripening 55 days after transplant making them ideal for the short seasons of the north, or the winter planting within the low deserts of the south. Without exaggeration, this tomato has proven itself capable of setting fruit in temperatures as high as 105 degrees fahrenheit. At least 6 seeds per packet.