Alpha Pink

General Info
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Alpha Pink
Maturity	midseason
Growth habit	indet.
Leaf type	regular
Fruit color	pink
Fruit shape	globe
Fruit size	medium
Fruit type	slicer
Variety type	commercial heirloom, historic, open-pollinated
Country	USA

Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Alpha Pink - sliced fruit. 2014-08-04.

B.C KO T

Relatively compact indet., regular leaf plants are only up to 4-5' tall. Fruits are smooth, pink, round and oblate medium beefsteaks, 4-6 oz, meaty and juicy, very good balanced flavor. Very productive. Quite early for a large fruited tomato.

Seed source:

Jeff Fleming of Augusta, Michigan (MI FL J) 07 / Craig LeHoullier of Raleigh, North Carolina (NC LE C) / USDA Collection 94

Year grown: 2014

Location: Zone 7b, PNW, Anmore, BC, Canada (760 ft above sea level)

MI FL J

Moderate (4-5 ft) vines need caging or staking, plant is highly branched near the base and it lacks a central main stem. It is a moderate producer of irregular size (4-10 oz) and shaped pink fruits with green shoulders. They have good flavor but are quite prone to cracking in wet weather.

Seed source:

Craig LeHoullier of Raleigh, North Carolina (NC LE C) / USDA Collection 94

Year grown: 2003

Location: Augusta, Michigan

History

Alpha Pink is a historically important variety that dates back to 1914. It was introduced by the Isbell Seed Company.
The catalog description from 1914 says:

"The earliest pink in cultivation. As early as Spark's Earliana. Outyields all others."

"Since the Introduction of our Earlibell (the earliest red in cultivation), growers of extra early Tomatoes for certain markets have said to us: "You have the best extra early red Tomato, but our market demands a pink, or as it is sometimes called, a purple sort. "

"We are very glad, therefore, to offer the Alpha Pink, and do not hesitate to claim that it is the Earliest Pink or Purple Tomato in circulation. The color is same as the well-known Acme or Beauty."

"In addition to its extreme earliness, it is much superior to Earliana in table quality, in handsome shape and attractiveness. The plants are of such vigorous growth that the finest fruits are produced, both extra early and until frost. One large grower uses this variety exclusively and makes but a single planting too. The flavor is free from acidity, particularly sweet and pleasant to eat raw. The fruits are set in generous clusters of large fine specimens, and like our Earlibell, it is characteristic of Alpha Pink to ripen nearly every one in cluster at the same time. "

"One grower says that he "will drop Earliana and plant Alpha Pink only. Another writes that Alpha Pink ripened 7 days sooner than Earliana."