Tomato Seeds

Tomato seeds are ordered and on their way!!! I'm taking a chance this year and trying to start my own tomato plants. With any luck, I'll have my first seeds in starter mix by the end of the week!

J and L Gardens

Bosque Blue

"Here at the farm, we've crossed a selected strain of the rare blue stock to Amy's Sugar Gem, one of our favorite tomatoes to take to market in Los Alamos and Santa Fe. The result is a vigorous plant which bears wonderful salad tomatoes with the lustrous dark purple of the original and its important antioxidant properties. The skin of this tomato contains as much anthocyanin as a blueberry. The color is darkest when the temperatures are cooler and the fruit is not shaded. Because the color shows up in the young foliage, you can continue to improve the stock by selecting the darkest of your seedings to plant out. This is really an adventure in gardening and we would welcome hearing about your success. We will send 30 seeds per packet so you can share with your family and friends. The vines reach about 5 foot and need support. Ripe tomatoes can be picked at 65 days from transplant."

Yellow Submarine

 "If you think yellow pear tomatoes are pretty, and pretty bland, you need to try this import from Ireland.Yellow Submarine has a wonderful wild sweet flavor and the production off these big vines is astounding. Fruit is 1 1/2 inches in length, a vivid golden color and holds well on the vine. They ripen in about 65-70 days from transplant."

I tried these last year, and they didn't disappoint. The taste varied throughout the season, and sometimes was a bit lacking, but they're pretty good compared to the yellow pears I've had in the past and it's hard to beat the color, unique shape, and prolific harvest that comes with this tomato.

Trade Winds

Sun Gold

"Beautiful cherry tomato that ripens to a golden orange. The Sun Gold Cherry is possibly the sweetest cherry tomato around. Plants bear lots of fruit, and ripen early, continuing to produce throughout the season. A single large plant has produced over 1000 tomatoes. Hybrid. Indeterminate. 57 days."
These were one of my favorites last year. They just pop with flavor and it was difficult waiting to get them inside and on the scale before I had tasted a few. They are an appealing, sunny orange color and about the size of a cherry.

Berkeley Tie Dye

"A beautiful multi-colored tomato with red-gold-green striped fruits. The luscious fruits have a a wonderful juicy flavor with a hint of tartness. Good production, large fruits average from 8-14 ounces. Indeterminate. 75-80 days."
"Warning, high acid content may cause flashbacks. This tomato blows me and alot of my customers away. A favorite to many of my chefs. Mid-late to late, 75-90 days. indet. regular leaf plants. 8-16 oz. Green fruit with yellow and red stripes. Creamy green flesh infused with various shades of red and yellow. Each of these colors has a different flavor resulting in a spicey, sweet, tart tomato with good acid all in one. Originated from one plant 500 F-2 Beauty King."(From Wild Boar Farm - who developed the strain)

TomatoFest

Hawaiian Currant

"A sweet red, pea-sized currant that holds fruit on clusters until all are ripe. A very sweet and tasty treat. Hawaiian Currant tomatoes are a sure winner in children's gardens around the world.  All TomatoFest tomato seeds are certified organic.  Go ahead, give them a try!"

This was another of my favorites last year. Maya did her best to try to kill it, by snapping it off right at the base of the stem, but I managed to save it by putting the branches into my aquaponics garden until it grew some roots and I could replant it. This gave it a pretty late start, but it still ended up being one of my best plants. It also managed to fruit right through September and October, so I was able to serve a fresh tomato salad with Thanksgiving dinner. These tomatoes are seriously tiny, just slightly larger than a pea and they have a great red tomatoey flavor. 

Black Plum

(image from Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants)

"One of my favorite Russian varieties that produces a long and steady crop of 2-inch elongated plum-shaped fruits colored a beautiful deep-mahogany with dusky-green shoulders. Fruit resembles a small paste tomato but with thinner walls. Unique sweet tangy flavor."

I won't lie; this tomato was a major disappointment last year. The first year I grew them, they were my ultimate favorite. They were almost smokey in flavor and were prolific growers. Everyone else who tried them agreed they were the best. This last year, they were bland and watery. They didn't grow as plentiful either. MAJOR disappointment. But they were so amazing the previous year that I'm going to have to try them again. I'm crossing my fingers that I just had a bad plant last year.

Paul Robeson

 (image from Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants)

"Tomato seeds for this Russian heirloom were made available by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seeds woman. This favorite heirloom tomato was named after the operatic artist who won acclaim as an advocate of equal rights for Blacks. His artistry was admired world-wide, especially in the Soviet Union. This "black" beefsteak tomato is slightly flattened, round, and grows to 4-inches. Its deep, rich colors stand it apart from others…a dusky, dark-red, with dark-green shoulders, and red flesh in its center. Very flavorful fruits with luscious,  earthy, exotic flavors and good acid/sweet balance. Paul Robeson (aka Pol Robeson) won "Best of Show" at Carmel TomatoFest. As this tomato variety originates from Siberia and sets fruits at lower temps, it is an excellent choice for cooler growing regions."

I've grown this one two years in a row now, since it seems to be a widespread favorite. The first year, I only got a couple tomatoes out of the plant (probably my fault, not its). Last year, I got a few more and was pretty pleased with the taste. It was milder than most of the other tomatoes, but it was fleshy and moderately sweet. I'll give it another try this year because I know it will be good on sandwiches and pizzas and because it is such a favorite among other heirloom growers.

1884

"Great old-time heirloom tomato said to have been discovered by James Lyde Williamson near Friendly W.Virginia in a pile of flood debris from the Ohio River in 1884. A personal favorite of Gary Ibsen, and a priority in his yearly tomato planting. These organic heirloom tomato seeds produce a vigorous, regular leaf, tomato plant that yields large (1-2 lb.) dark pink fruit with lots of tomato flavors.  Perfect tomato seeds to include in your garden!"

Opalka

An heirloom originally from Poland.  (aka Polish Torpedo)  Vigorous vines produce some of the best tasting paste tomatoes with 5-inch long fruit shaped like a banana pepper with a pronounced tip on the bottom. Fruit has very few seeds, is extremely meaty and loaded with rich sweet flavors lending to its sauce appeal.

Yellow Brandywine, Platfoot Strain

"Since 1991 Yellow Brandwine has become an American favorite heirloom tomato. The strain we carry is considered to be the original and best tasting strain, the Platfoot Strain from Gary Platfoot of Ohio. Our TomatoFest organic tomato seeds produce big, indeterminate, potato-leaf tomato plants that yield large amounts of 1 lb., 3 to 4-inch, yellow-orange (gold), round, flattened, slightly ribbed shouldered beefstaek tomato with delicious, intense sweet flavors balanced with a slight tartness."

Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red

"Named by Gary Ibsen, the seeds of this variety came to Gary from tomato breeder, Archie Millett, who crossed his favorite tomato varieties over many years to finally produce a disease resistant tomato with intense flavor. 'Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red,' is an open-pollinated tomato (78 days to maturity). The tall, indeterminate, plant produces lots of 2-inch (6-10 oz.), deep-red, round tomatoes with a subtle point on it's end. Fruit has robust, "not for sissies," bold, tomatoey flavors, with a firm, juicy flesh, that invites snacking in the garden, cooking, canning and seed-saving. Its fruity sweetness is perfectly balanced with plenty of acidity, earthy nuances and complexity."