Planting Seeds

tomatogrowing — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:37:44 +0000

Here is a picture of how the seeds were packaged:

Tomato seeds still in their packages

I actually planted the seeds on March 1. I put 5 seeds of the each varity in a peat pot. I have a spreadsheet that lists which pot is which varaity. Here is a picture of the pots in their container.

Seeds, pots in container, ready to plant.

I put the containers in the garden window in my kitchen.

In the greenhouse window.

Now we wait for sprouts!

In the beginning….

tomatogrowing — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:34:59 +0000

I purchased a set of heirloom tomato seeds on Ebay in January. The set was listed as tomatoes from A to C. There are 20 different varieties:

Name	Description
Amana Orange	Huge orange beefsteak that can grow to 2 lbs. and more, with an average diameter of 5 inches. Flavor is mild and quite pleasant. Heirloom variety named for Amana, Iowa. Indeterminate. 90 days.
Ananas Noire aka Black Pineapple	The skin has shades of green, purple, orange, and yellow. Bright green flesh has bursts of red streaks that will definitely add intrigue to your vegetable platter. The lip smacking flavor starts out sweet and ends with the perfect amount of tang. What’s more, the sprawling indeterminate plant yields a tremendous amount of 1 1/2 pound fruits
Aunt Ruby’s German Green	The Aunt’s Ruby’s German Green is a sweet, juicy tomato with a piquant bite. The heirloom is a large beefsteak-type tomato, pale green in color with a hint of yellow striping. This large tomato often weighs one pound or more. Aunt Ruby’s German Green has the wetness of a melon and boasts a deep, robust flavor. It is generally used in salads, but is also a wonderful tomato to fry.
Azoychka	indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that produce an abundant crop of smooth, 3-inch round, slightly flattened, yellow/orange tomatoes with a sweet citrusy flavor.
African Togo Trifele	African in origin, these tomatoes are very sweet and have an excellent deep red color on the inside.
Banana Legs	Yellow, paste-type fruit is 4 in. long and 1-1/2 in. in diameter. Tomatoes are meaty with few seeds and a good taste. Most fruit is solid yellow, but some have light green stripes. Very prolific variety. Determinate. 75 days.
Berkeley Tie Dye	green-yellow with orange-red stripes. Green-yellow flesh with red blush and bright green seed gel. 1/2-3/4 lb. average. Heavy hitter in flavor also, complex tomato flavor with some tartness.
Black Russian	Cordon (Indeterminate). These medium sized black tomatoes grow on compact plants bearing plenty of dark mahogany-brown fruits, with a delicious blend of sugar and acid, making a distinctive, complex flavor that has to be tasted to be believed.
Big Yellow Zebra	Neon yellow fruit have faintly deeper yellow markings, large size and good flavor;
Box Car willie	indeterminate, regular-leaf, tall, vigorous, tomato plants that yield abundant crops of 10 to 16-ounce, smooth, bright-orange/red slicer tomatoes with distinctly delicious well-balanced, rich, sweet that have sufficient acid to push the flavors forward and guarantee this variety as a good choice for a canning tomato, sauce tomato or salad tomato or perfect for tomato juice. A good all season tomato that produces well until frost
Brown Berry	vigorous, indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that yield exceptionally large crops of mahogany (brick-red) brown colored, 1-inch, round, open-pollinated cherry tomatoes. The Brown Berry cherry tomato has excellent semi-sweet , rich flavors with just a slight bit of acid finish over it’s fruity sweetness. Very Juicy! A great snacking or salad tomato to mix with your other colored tomatoes.
Brandywine	large potato-leaved foliage and which bears large pink beefsteak-shaped fruit.
Black Pear	Dark brown tomatoes are shaped like miniature pears and flavored with an excellent, rich taste. Potato-leaved plants produce an abundance of these beautiful, 4 to 6 ounce fruit, perfect for cutting up for salads or using as a unique addition to platters. Heirloom variety. Indeterminate. 80 days.
Black Cherry	perfectly round cherry with classic black tomato flavor, sweet yet rich and complex. Fruit picks clean from the stem and is produced in abundance on vigorous, tall plants. These cherries are irresistibly delicious and a unique addition to the color spectrum of cherry tomatoes now available. Indeterminate. 65 days.
Candy Stripe	A fun beefsteak style tomato with large fruits that grow to 1-2 pounds. Fruits are brightly colored, with streaks of red, orange, yellow and pink. Flavor is very good, juicy, with good acidity. Uncommon in cultivation. Indeterminate.
Caspian Pink	80 days. Lycopersicon esculentum. Plant produces excellent yields of large 12 oz pink tomatoes. One of the best tasting tomatoes on the market. The Caspian Pink beat Brandywine varieties in three straight taste tests. A variety from the Caspian and Black Sea region of Russia. Indeterminate.
Cherokee Purple	85 days. (Indeterminate) Disease resistant, good for the South. [Pre-1890 Tennessee heirloom, reportedly of Cherokee Indian origin. Introduced 1993 by SESE Seed courtesy of Craig LeHoullier.] Large fruits (10 to 12 oz.) are smooth with slightly ridged shoulders. Ripens to a unique dark, dusky pink/purple. Sometimes called a ‘black’ tomato, the color carries though to the flesh, especially at the stem end. Good resistance to Septoria leaf spot.
Ceylon	small, ruffled red fruit are unique in appearance, but distinctive in flavor also. Their taste is rich and assertive, slightly sweet with a bit of zing added in. Only about 2 inches across, these flattened scalloped tomatoes appear in great profusion, perfect for cutting into halves for a salad or using on plates as a garnish. Indeterminate. 72 days.
Copia	6 oz., red and yellow striped slicer with great flavor. this plant bears medium-size luscious red and yellow marbled fruit with striking “handpainted” stripes. Ready to harvest in 80 to 90 days, when fruit is firm and juicy with a perfect acid-sweetness balance.
Crimson Cushion	90 days, indeterminate — This is a very old late-seasoned, wilt-resistant beefsteak variety. The fruits are large, fourteen to sixteen ounce, deeply ribbed, irregular, bright scarlet, juicy, yet solid and very prolific. Nice balance of tart and sweet. A real nice slicing tomato.

Name Description

Amana Orange Huge orange beefsteak that can grow to 2 lbs. and more, with an average diameter of 5 inches. Flavor is mild and quite pleasant. Heirloom variety named for Amana, Iowa. Indeterminate. 90 days.

Ananas Noire aka Black Pineapple The skin has shades of green, purple, orange, and yellow. Bright green flesh has bursts of red streaks that will definitely add intrigue to your vegetable platter. The lip smacking flavor starts out sweet and ends with the perfect amount of tang. What’s more, the sprawling indeterminate plant yields a tremendous amount of 1 1/2 pound fruits

Aunt Ruby’s German Green The Aunt’s Ruby’s German Green is a sweet, juicy tomato with a piquant bite. The heirloom is a large beefsteak-type tomato, pale green in color with a hint of yellow striping. This large tomato often weighs one pound or more. Aunt Ruby’s German Green has the wetness of a melon and boasts a deep, robust flavor. It is generally used in salads, but is also a wonderful tomato to fry.

Azoychka indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that produce an abundant crop of smooth, 3-inch round, slightly flattened, yellow/orange tomatoes with a sweet citrusy flavor.

African Togo Trifele African in origin, these tomatoes are very sweet and have an excellent deep red color on the inside.

Banana Legs Yellow, paste-type fruit is 4 in. long and 1-1/2 in. in diameter. Tomatoes are meaty with few seeds and a good taste. Most fruit is solid yellow, but some have light green stripes. Very prolific variety. Determinate. 75 days.

Berkeley Tie Dye green-yellow with orange-red stripes. Green-yellow flesh with red blush and bright green seed gel. 1/2-3/4 lb. average. Heavy hitter in flavor also, complex tomato flavor with some tartness.

Black Russian Cordon (Indeterminate). These medium sized black tomatoes grow on compact plants bearing plenty of dark mahogany-brown fruits, with a delicious blend of sugar and acid, making a distinctive, complex flavor that has to be tasted to be believed.

Big Yellow Zebra Neon yellow fruit have faintly deeper yellow markings, large size and good flavor;

Box Car willie indeterminate, regular-leaf, tall, vigorous, tomato plants that yield abundant crops of 10 to 16-ounce, smooth, bright-orange/red slicer tomatoes with distinctly delicious well-balanced, rich, sweet that have sufficient acid to push the flavors forward and guarantee this variety as a good choice for a canning tomato, sauce tomato or salad tomato or perfect for tomato juice. A good all season tomato that produces well until frost

Brown Berry vigorous, indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that yield exceptionally large crops of mahogany (brick-red) brown colored, 1-inch, round, open-pollinated cherry tomatoes. The Brown Berry cherry tomato has excellent semi-sweet , rich flavors with just a slight bit of acid finish over it’s fruity sweetness. Very Juicy! A great snacking or salad tomato to mix with your other colored tomatoes.

Brandywine large potato-leaved foliage and which bears large pink beefsteak-shaped fruit.

Black Pear Dark brown tomatoes are shaped like miniature pears and flavored with an excellent, rich taste. Potato-leaved plants produce an abundance of these beautiful, 4 to 6 ounce fruit, perfect for cutting up for salads or using as a unique addition to platters. Heirloom variety. Indeterminate. 80 days.

Black Cherry perfectly round cherry with classic black tomato flavor, sweet yet rich and complex. Fruit picks clean from the stem and is produced in abundance on vigorous, tall plants. These cherries are irresistibly delicious and a unique addition to the color spectrum of cherry tomatoes now available. Indeterminate. 65 days.

Candy Stripe A fun beefsteak style tomato with large fruits that grow to 1-2 pounds. Fruits are brightly colored, with streaks of red, orange, yellow and pink. Flavor is very good, juicy, with good acidity. Uncommon in cultivation. Indeterminate.

Caspian Pink 80 days. Lycopersicon esculentum. Plant produces excellent yields of large 12 oz pink tomatoes. One of the best tasting tomatoes on the market. The Caspian Pink beat Brandywine varieties in three straight taste tests. A variety from the Caspian and Black Sea region of Russia. Indeterminate.

Cherokee Purple 85 days. (Indeterminate) Disease resistant, good for the South. [Pre-1890 Tennessee heirloom, reportedly of Cherokee Indian origin. Introduced 1993 by SESE Seed courtesy of Craig LeHoullier.] Large fruits (10 to 12 oz.) are smooth with slightly ridged shoulders. Ripens to a unique dark, dusky pink/purple. Sometimes called a ‘black’ tomato, the color carries though to the flesh, especially at the stem end. Good resistance to Septoria leaf spot.

Ceylon small, ruffled red fruit are unique in appearance, but distinctive in flavor also. Their taste is rich and assertive, slightly sweet with a bit of zing added in. Only about 2 inches across, these flattened scalloped tomatoes appear in great profusion, perfect for cutting into halves for a salad or using on plates as a garnish. Indeterminate. 72 days.

Copia 6 oz., red and yellow striped slicer with great flavor. this plant bears medium-size luscious red and yellow marbled fruit with striking “handpainted” stripes. Ready to harvest in 80 to 90 days, when fruit is firm and juicy with a perfect acid-sweetness balance.

Crimson Cushion 90 days, indeterminate — This is a very old late-seasoned, wilt-resistant beefsteak variety. The fruits are large, fourteen to sixteen ounce, deeply ribbed, irregular, bright scarlet, juicy, yet solid and very prolific. Nice balance of tart and sweet. A real nice slicing tomato.

Also included were 5 packages of regular tomato seeds.

Name	Description
Arkansas Traveler	indeterminate, regular-leaf, 6′, vigorous tomato plants that yield abundant crops of 8-ounce, round rose-pink tomatoes. Considered to be one of the best tasting tomato varieties with well balanced sweet/tart flavors. Arkansas Traveler is much esteemed for its ability to produce flavorful tomatoes under normally adverse conditions high heat, humidity or drought. Resistant to cracking and disease.
Beefsteak	Beefsteak tomatoes are the largest varieties of cultivated tomatoes, some weighing 1 lb (.5 kg) or more. Most are pink or red with numerous small seed compartments distributed throughout the fruit, sometimes displaying pronounced ribbing similar to ancient pre-Columbian tomato cultivars.
Cherry	often sweeter than standard tomatoes.
Costoluto Fiorentino	80 Days. Italian heirloom from Tuscany. Heavily ribbed shiny red squat (others would say ‘flat’) fruits are dense, meaty and have an excellent balance of high sugar & acid making it a full flavored tomato. Ideal for sauce or making a legendary tomato sandwich. Indeterminate so use strong stakes for this variety! This variety is ideal for hot climates. Will produce until frost takes them. Average fruit weight is about 4 ounces.
Costoluto Genovese	85 days. Lycopersicon esculentum. Plant produces good yieds of large red tomatoes. The taste is outstanding. This heirloom is one of the best tomatoes for making homemade tomato juice. Plant likes heat but does well in cooler regions too. A heirloom variety from Italy. Indeterminate.

Name Description

Arkansas Traveler indeterminate, regular-leaf, 6′, vigorous tomato plants that yield abundant crops of 8-ounce, round rose-pink tomatoes. Considered to be one of the best tasting tomato varieties with well balanced sweet/tart flavors. Arkansas Traveler is much esteemed for its ability to produce flavorful tomatoes under normally adverse conditions high heat, humidity or drought. Resistant to cracking and disease.

Beefsteak Beefsteak tomatoes are the largest varieties of cultivated tomatoes, some weighing 1 lb (.5 kg) or more. Most are pink or red with numerous small seed compartments distributed throughout the fruit, sometimes displaying pronounced ribbing similar to ancient pre-Columbian tomato cultivars.

Cherry often sweeter than standard tomatoes.

Costoluto Fiorentino 80 Days. Italian heirloom from Tuscany. Heavily ribbed shiny red squat (others would say ‘flat’) fruits are dense, meaty and have an excellent balance of high sugar & acid making it a full flavored tomato. Ideal for sauce or making a legendary tomato sandwich. Indeterminate so use strong stakes for this variety! This variety is ideal for hot climates. Will produce until frost takes them. Average fruit weight is about 4 ounces.

Costoluto Genovese 85 days. Lycopersicon esculentum. Plant produces good yieds of large red tomatoes. The taste is outstanding. This heirloom is one of the best tomatoes for making homemade tomato juice. Plant likes heat but does well in cooler regions too. A heirloom variety from Italy. Indeterminate.

Suz' Tomato Growing Blog

Planting Seeds

In the beginning….