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An (Almost) Instant Compost Pile

An (Almost) Instant Compost Pile David The Good David The Good Subscribed25K Add to Share More 69,705 views 731 153 ShareEmbedEmail https://youtu.be/sdQ1I3L2mho Start at: 1:57 Published on Jun 9, 2017 My CONTROVERSIAL post on chickens: http://www.thesurvivalgardener.com/ar... The Home Grown Food Summit: http://ddddddd.ontraport.com/t?orid=1... Today we build a really fast compost pile from junk laying around the yard... soon we'll have enough biomass to really get this cooking. Based on Geoff Lawton's method in Permaculture Soils, we're shooting for an 8-day pile. We shall see if this fast composting method works... stay tuned. Category Howto & Style License Standard YouTube License SHOW LESS COMMENTS • 171 Oscar del Rosario Add a public comment... Top comments billyman Pinned by David The Good billyman2 months ago I bought your Compost Everything book. You're a good writer. The story about singing songs to your pet worm Dinky is... not a surprise! lol. Reply 14 View all 3 replies Vlad The Impaler Țepeș III Vlad The Impaler Țepeș III2 months ago Why are you putting a metal floor in your compost bin? You want worms to come up out of the ground to eat your compost and poop! Compost without worms is just a pile of rotting junk! Reply 32 View all 7 replies small footprint small footprint2 months ago Not sure I understand the idea of compost bins with metal floors. The reason they are called compost piles is because you just dig a slight depression to expose fresh soil, mix the Carbon and Nitrogen waste and let the worms and other bugs come up and help in the decomposition. Turn the pile every now and then to oxygenate and prevent fire, and voila...compost/soil. When one gets going, start another one. Read more Reply 11 View all 2 replies Garry Hoddinott Garry Hoddinott2 months ago I'm interested that you used a sheet of iron underneath your new compost bin. Why? I've always thought bugs and stuff from under the compost do it good. One use I would make for the iron is to use it as a base to burn your woody yard waste. That way you save the minerals and can use them where you want them. Reply 10 View reply Kirsten Whitworth Kirsten Whitworth2 months ago LOL - some people get attached to ideas and won't let go even when they are not appropriate in a specific situation. If chickens don't work for you, why should it matter to someone somewhere else? When I announced on a certain permaculture FB group that I did not think swales would work at my place, a small war erupted online; friendships were terminated and the group schismed. Sheesh! Some folks make their living digging swales - I guess I threatened their existence from 3000 miles away. I'm just about done with hot composting; I prefer cold sheet composting under duck bedding mulch - I'm not working with too many seeds, so it doesn't really need to get hot. If the odd veggie sprouts, it's not the end of the world. Read more Reply 7 View all 3 replies zemadeiran zemadeiran2 months ago Congrats :) I knew there was a bun in the oven.... Reply 6 View reply Katie Pierce Katie Pierce2 months ago I am tired, so admittedly a bit impatient- BUT, we watch you build a compost pile for 15 mins, then you FINALLY tell the trick to a "Almost Instant Compost" at the 15 min mark approximately...UGH...So build the pile, then turn every 4days...OK- it does work, just FYI, this was how I first learned to build one. TRICK is the wetting it initially and then turning it frequently....G'night. Read more Reply 5 Cindy Strong Cindy Strong2 months ago the owner of that property should love all the work/improvements to the land you do. Reply 5 Melissa Varone Melissa Varone2 months ago It's hard not to be happy during mango season...except when the squirrels keep eating my mangoes!! They take ONE BITE and then move on to the next one. We finally just pulled all the green ones just so the squirrels wouldn't get them. Reply 5 View all 2 replies ronsue h ronsue h2 months ago Take the blue pallet ...go back to sleep Take the red pallet see how deep the compost goes. Sorry couldn't help it! Reply 4 View all 2 replies Cindy Strong Cindy Strong2 months ago david here in the ocala national forest chickens do not work with the bears.....so I had to get rid of mine too. Don't feel bad..... Reply 4 View reply Tom Nichol Tom Nichol2 months ago (edited) BUILD THAT WALL HIGHER!! AND USE SOMETHING BESIDES PALLETS! Never mind. Where's you baling wire? Reply 4 View reply Kent Keller Kent Keller2 months ago battery drill and a few decking screws! Reply 3 View reply Betty Ann Kosherzenko Betty Ann Kosherzenko2 months ago Why did you put that metal in the bottom of your compost bin?? I'm no expert that's for sure but don't you want the worms to come up and help to break things down and leave their "castings" behind?? Reply 2 View reply wi54725 wi547252 months ago Compost can be made in 14 days if you feed it nutritional yeast, alfalfa meal, and unsulphured molasses and turn it every 48-60 hours. I took my lawn clippings, kitchen waste (especially coffee grounds and ground up banana peels and eggshells, and added the mixture to every 6 inches of compost pile. I put it in a 32-gallon plastic garbage can chock full of 1/3" holes, and voila! In 14 days, I had a can full of compost to make compost tea. Read more Reply 2 View reply Peter Hills Peter Hills1 month ago WHY NOT PUT THE BASE IN THE OTHER WAY ? Reply 1 View reply Shahila Siddiqui Shahila Siddiqui2 months ago Run grass machine on over this pile I do to so they mulch Easley !try , Reply 1 914Catfish 914Catfish2 months ago Mass vs. Volume..... raw uncomposted naterial some mass lots of volume, composted material about the same mass(?) lots less volume. Would the tin not have been better used on the top? Reply 1 Rosemary Hugharts Rosemary Hugharts2 months ago Man you need some kind of shredder.That stuff is too big to break down completely.It will take such a long time, cutting it up would help. Reply 1 Michael Sean Michael Sean2 months ago I would love to come intern for you all !lol,but I have my own pile to turn.Bless you both. Reply 1 Show more Autoplay Up next 19 Days to Finished Compost... Not Quite Diego Footer 28,772 views 17:30 Grass to Garden Soil in 14 Days! Drunken Composting Using Beer, Cola, & Ammonia! Reaganite71 503,598 views 8:44 How to Make Compost With Grass Clippings CaliKim29 Garden & Home DIY 1,197,945 views 11:40 Backyard Garden Tour | Summer 2017 | Man Turns Yard Into Food Forest, part 1 VeganAthlete 10,637 viewsNEW 19:01 Everything You Know About Composting is Wrong: Mike McGrath at TEDxPhoenixville TEDx Talks 858,891 views 17:22 Compost made Easy! 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There are more than 3,000 varieties of heirloom or heritage tomatoes in active cultivation worldwide and more than 15,000 known varieties

Grow a Beautiful Basketful of Heirloom Tomatoes In Your Garden! In this photograph I took during a fall harvest, you will see some of my favorite varieties including Aunt Ruby's German Green, Brown Derby, Yellow Brandywine, Paul Robeson, Dagma's Perfection, Carmello, Japanese Black Trifele, Black Cherry, Green Zebra, Black Plum, Sun Gold, Azoychka, Green Giant, Costoluto Genovese, Marianna's Peace, Brandywine OTV, Kellogg's Breakfast, Sunset's Red Horizon and Eva Purple Ball. These delightful tomatoes are as easy to grow as the common hybrids and need no special care other than fluffy, deeply amended, healthy soil, lots of sunshine, moderate watering, clean garden practices and sturdy support. Most of these plants will get really big, up to 7 feet tall, 3 feet wide. The dwarf varieties are small, shrubby, 2 to 3 foot tall vigorous plants with lots of big beautiful tomatoes. There are more than 3,000 varieties of heirloom or heritage tomatoes in active cultivation worldwide and more than 15,000 known varieties. We have narrowed it down to 100 for you in The Big List, below. For fall and winter growers we offer 14 varieties. Costoluto Genovese The Fall-Winter List for 2017 We will have 14 of our top-selling varieties available for shipping from late August 2017 through early December. These plants are for gardeners in the super-hot summer areas who cannot grow tomatoes in the summer. Most are early-ripening fruits for a 'fast' harvest in challenging climates. These plants are perfect for the thermal belts of Southern California's Coastal Region, California's Coachella Valley including Indio, Palm Springs & Palm Desert where 2 crops can be planted: October and early February, micro climates of AZ and NV, The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Central and Interior Florida, regions of the Gulf Coast and North Florida, South Florida and The Keys, various micro-climates and for greenhouse growers in cooler climates and for adventuresome gardeners who want to give it a try! Ordering for fall-winter plants has begun. Ordering for Spring and summer begins Monday August 21st. Order now to reserve your plants and shipping time! Call: 310 534 8611 Or Email: tomatoplants@pacbell.net Here's what's available for fall and winter, photographs and descriptions are in the Big List halfway down this page. Tell me know when you want them shipped when you place your order. Fall shipping begins the week of August 21st and continues throughout the fall or until we sell out. Amy's Sugar Gem - early ripening red cherry Black Cherry - early cherry Bloody Butcher - very early main-crop red Cherokee Purple - big early purple Green Zebra - early green and amber salad size Jaune Flamme -- early deep orange salad size Marianna's Peace - deep pink/red beefsteak Northern Lights - big very early multi-hued Paul Robeson - early main-crop black Rosella Purple (Dwarf) early big purple, shrubby plant San Marzano Redorta - sauce/paste Sun Gold - very early golden-orange cherry Sweet Scarlet (Dwarf) early big red, shrubby plant Tati's Wedding big red (available late September) Fall-winter plants are $7.95 each. The Big List of 100 varieties for 2018 is below! Keep scrolling down to see all of our plant photos and descriptions in The Big List It's way, way down this page.... "Say, where do you grow all these plants, Laurel?" Here's a shot from inside one of our greenhouses in Los Angeles as it's filling up with plants. They are among the first 10,000 of 50,000 babies we grow each season. Here they are in winter, growing and glowing, getting big enough to travel to their new homes...soon they will be out of the greenhouses and into full sun where we harden them off before shipping them to you. All of our plants are 100% organically grown and shipped to you in individual 4" pots, grown in top-quality Fox Farm 'Lucky Dog' organic starting mix, healthy, lush and full-sized, from about 8" to 18" tall, hardened off and ready to plant out. They are shipped when they have strong stems and well-developed root systems. A detailed 4 page step by step planting and growing guide is included. All seeds pass individually through my fingers for counting and quality control and are then started by The Tomato Elves from fresh organically grown seeds. I harvest many of my seeds from my own plants. Each plant comes to you individually packaged and carefully protected in a sturdy container, with a permanent name label for your garden. Our unique No-Shift custom packaging technique, designed by me, protects your plants from shifting or movement in transit, assuring safe arrival from here in Los Angeles to your door. Your heirloom tomato plants will have several different types of foliage; some very wispy, fern-like, and delicate like Anna Russian, Sunset's Red Horizon and San Marzano Redorta, some thick and hearty like Emerald Giant, Rosella Purple, Purple Haze, Foxy Lady, Sweet Sue, Stupice and Marianna's Peace and everywhere in between, in varying shades of green. Some plants can reach 6 to 8 feet, with vines up to 15 feet or more, and some remain small and compact like the Dwarf varieties, 18 inches to 3 or 4 feet tall. Come see us on Facebook for the latest news, plant care, plant sale updates and awesome tomato recipes! New for 2018! We have added some delightful varieties for your 2018 garden: Aftershock, Black Beauty, Braveheart, Lavender Lake, Lucky Cross, Pink Bumble Bee, Queen of the Sea, Sweet Leilani, True Black Brandywine and Tomatoberry! Scroll down to see them below in The Big List! Aftershock Part of our September & October harvest. Laurel holding a Jaune Flamme tomato. Life is good. Eat more tomatoes! In Lycopersicon Veritas,~ Laurel We send you big hearty, lush plants, 8" to 20" tall, in 4" pots, 100% organically grown outdoors in full sun here in Los Angeles. Occasionally we will send a smaller plant if the root system is well-developed. The husky dwarf plants are usually shipped at about 5". Our plants do not need hardening off or adjusting to your climate. They must go into full sun as soon as you get them and cannot be kept indoors so it's best that we ship when it's your planting time. See all the photos in the Big List below! 16" plants, ready to ship! The new Big List for 2018 will be posted here August 18th - 19th. Opening Day! Ordering for 2018 plants begins on Monday, August 21st. Order on August 21st, get a free plant with your order! Shipping Periods For 2018 Period A - February 12 - Feb 24th Period B - February 26th - March 3rd Period C - March 5th - March 17th Period D - March 19th - March 31st Period E - April 2nd - April 16th Period F - April 16th - April 30th Period G - April 30th - May 14th Period H - May 14th - May 29th Period I - May 29th - June 9th Period J - June 11th - June 23rd (Please be sure to double-check your spring or summer vacation schedule before choosing your shipping time. Be sure you are going to be home when your plants arrive. This will help you avoid expedite fees if you need to suddenly change shipping weeks.) To Order By Telephone: 310 534 8611 July - November: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 to 4:00 Friday 9:00 to 1:00 Pacific Time. December - June Mon-Fri, 9:00 to 5:00 Saturday 9:00 to 3:00. Pacific Time. (We are in Los Angeles County near Torrance.) Shipping Costs: Payment Information & Shipping Costs 1. Take a look at The Big List of tomato plants below -- or the categorized links. Make a list of the plants you need. Minimum order is four plants. Orders of more than 64 plants qualify for a volume discount. 2. Go to the Growing Tips & Garden Products link: Growing Tips and Garden Products to choose your fertilizers and garden products. 3. Choose your shipping window from the list above. NOTE: We ship via Post Office Priority Mail and Golden State Overnight to the Western States. If you cannot receive post office packages on Saturdays please let us know and we will be sure your plants do not arrive on a Saturday! If you cannot get post office deliveries, please tell us and we will ship UPS which is at least twice as expensive and takes 4 days instead of 2. Phone order : payment is made via credit card or PayPal when you place your order by phone. About Phone Orders During April & May If you do not get through right away due to very high call volume, please try again, messages are backed up about 10 days during April & May so please call until you reach us. Black Krim To order by Email or FAX Email tomatoplants@pacbell.net FAX # 310 494 0518 Our FAX line is secure for credit card numbers. Before you order, read our 'Payment and Shipping Costs' page for shipping and packaging info and our guarantee: Payment Information & Shipping Costs Make a list of your plants alphabetically, along with fertilizers, SmartPots, etc. from our Growing Tips and Garden Products page: Growing Tips and Garden Products Choose your shipping period from the list above and email or FAX with: 1. Your name 2. Your billing and shipping address 3. Your 'anytime' telephone number where you can be easily reached 4. Your email address where you can be easily reached 5. Your preferred shipping period 6. The payment type you will be using: VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, PayPal, Check, Cash (if picking up). 7. Your plant list in alphabetical order and a list of the garden products you need. 8. Required: We need a list of several alternate plants you'd like in case one of your choices is too small to ship. This happens because seeds and plants do not always grow on schedule. Or: Please have Laurel choose an appropriate, similar, delicious alternate for me if a plant is too small to ship on shipping day. Important: If you do not want Laurel to choose alternates for you please select one option: 1. Please substitute from my list of alternates. 2. Please send a second plant of one on my list. 3. Cancel the order. (We can't accept orders without a few alternate choices.) After we receive your emailed order we will send an invoice within a few days. You then call or FAX payment information to reserve your plants. When you get your invoice, call with credit card or PayPal information right away to reserve your plants or arrange to send a check or money order within 2 days. Very Important: After payment is made, you will get a copy of your receipt by email. Please check your receipt carefully to be sure the information is accurate. If there is a mistake in your shipping address and you have not corrected it, we may have a wrong shipping address, your plants could get lost. If you do not get a receipt by email within 5 days of talking to Laurel and paying for your order, please call or email to be sure we have your correct email address. Calling in your order is faster. 310 534 8611 Telephone hours are Pacific Time: July - November: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 to 4:00 Pacific Time. Friday 9:00 to 1:00 December - June Mon-Fri, 9:00 to 5:00 Saturday 9:00 to 3:00. Brown Derby, Kellogg's Breakfast & 1884 Need Tomato Seeds instead of plants? Here is the very best place for heirloom seeds: Go To Tomatofest.com When Will My Plants Ship? Shipping begins in mid February and continues throughout the spring and summer or until we sell out. (We usually have a list of about 20 varieties for fall and winter, too.) Your shipping time is scheduled during a 2 week period to suit your desired planting time in spring or summer. This means your plants will ship during that period, not that they will arrive during that period. They may ship on the very last day of that period. EXAMPLE: You choose Period E, April 2nd to April 14th. Your plants will ship sometime between April 2nd to April 14th. Your plants will be shipped during the period you select -- as long as that period is not fully booked and the plants are big enough. If your plants are not big enough we delay shipping for more growth and safe arrival. We reserve the option to hold up a shipment if temperatures en route from our nursery to you are extremely cold. We want your plants to arrive alive. If you still want them shipped during cold springtime temperatures to cold areas, night temps below 39º, you assume the entire risk of severe cold damage in transit. We do offer the option of our Double-Box or Triple-Box Systems which will insulate your plants. This increases shipping cost. Expedited Shipping Services Please check with Laurel. For May, expedited shipping may be fully booked. For exact day or exact week shipping, fees range from $20.00 and up depending on the number of plants in your order. We will stop the line and get your order out right away. This means overtime for the crew, thus the fee. We take a limited number of expedited orders. Expedited shipping costs to have your plants shipped during an exact week are: $20.00 per order of 1 to 5 plants $30.00 for 6 to 10 plants $40.00 for 11 to 20 plants. $50.00 for 21 to 30 plants. More than 30 plants is $2.00 per plant. SUPER EXPEDITED SHIPPING: Exact day shipping for any number of plants is $50.00 plus $2.00 per plant. Questions? Just call me, I'm glued to my desk: Laurel, 310 534 8611 Heirloom Caprese Salad. Yum! When To Plant Your plants should go into the garden during the best time for your USDA planting zone, when nighttime and soil temperatures remain steadily and reliably above 50º. Tomatoes are a Hot Weather Crop. Don't Plant in Cold Soil! If you choose earlier shipment, you risk the chance of cold soil and cold air triggering dormancy, undermining the health of your plants and setting back their growth progress, reducing and delaying your harvest. This can cause stunted growth, disease-prone plants, uneven ripening and low production during the season. Two to three weeks after your last frost date is usually the best time to plant. Wait for the warm weather when soil temperatures and night temperatures are reliably above 50º. Tomatoes are warm weather crops and will grow much faster and healthier in warm soil. How Many Plants? Smart Spacing Most of these heirlooms get really big, from 6 to 8 feet tall and taller, 3 to 4 feet wide, and need to be spaced at least 32 - 36 inches apart in rows at least 4 to 5 feet apart. Sure, they are small when you plant them; don't let that fool you. King Kong and Clifford the Big Red Dog were small when they were born, too. The dwarf varieties need about half the space. Photo 1. Dan Barnes with his plants growing in big cages....can you spot Dan? Photo 2. Dan Miller's big ol' plants with lovely wife and hungry dog. Photo 3. Dan Hornbaker and his 8 ft. Aunt Ruby's German Green plant. What is it about guys name Dan? For example, a garden bed 6' by 18' will accommodate no more than 10 -12 plants -- 2 rows of 5 or 6 plants -- depending on plant size at maturity, while providing plenty of root space, airflow, and room for lots of foliage and fruit. Our dwarf varieties remain quite small and compact, from 20" to 4 ft. tall and can be spaced 18" apart on center. See the Growing Tips page for more detailed information. Plant Prices, Minimum Order Our organically grown tomato plants are priced from $6.25 to $6.95 each; a couple of our very rare plants are priced higher. Plant prices are next to their names on The Big List below. Shipping is not included in the plant price. Minimum order is 4 plants. Price break begins at 64 plants. (Prices are subject to change without notice.) Sun Gold Substitutions, Very Important Information! Sometimes we must substitute a similar plant variety if your first choice is not available. Please list some alternates, if you do not list alternate choices, Laurel will personally choose a very similar and delicious variety which will do well in your climate. If you do not choose a few alternates we cannot take the order. Hey...Where's the Shopping Cart? Can I Order Online? No, we do not have an online shopping cart due to variable plant sizes, from 9" to 20" tall so shipping weight will vary. A plant can weigh from 12 oz. to 2 lbs. This means variable shipping weights and package dimensions. Payment Information & Shipping Costs Folks, please read this page before ordering! You must know our prices, shipping method, packaging costs and our guarantee before you order so you will not be surprised/shocked at 2-day shipping costs for large, live plants from Los Angeles. (Shipping and packaging costs are not included in the plant price.) Privacy Your personal information, email, phone number, etc. is secure and never shared with anyone, ever. When To Order Ordering begins in mid-August for the following year's delivery. Your delivery will be scheduled during a 2 week period for your desired spring or summer planting time. For instance, if you choose April 16th to April 30th as your shipping period your plants will ship sometime between April 16th to April 30th. If they are too small to ship it may be a few more days. Will-Call Orders - Picking Up Your Plants - by appointment only. Do you live or work in Southern California? We do not have a retail store but you can pickup your plants here at our nursery throughout spring, summer and fall. Please call least 4 days ahead to schedule your pick up and inquire about availability. Will-call is by appointment: Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays 11:00 to 1:00. 1725 257th St. Lomita CA 90717 310 534 8611. (No walk-ins, please, we do not have a retail store.) Laurel is allergic to manufactured perfumes; please avoid perfuming before you set out. We are in Lomita in the South Bay/Torrance area of Los Angeles County near Western and Pacific Coast Highway, 30 minutes south of LAX, 5 miles from the Pacific Ocean and 3 minutes west of the 110/Harbor freeway. You will see symbols in The Big List Here's what they mean: (H) Hybrid. We offer 6 hybrid varieties. The ones I chose were developed with great flavor as the main criterion. These are delicious varieties which we have grown and taste-tested to ensure superior flavor. (D) Determinate. These plants are usually, but not always, small and great for container growing or for your small garden. They reach a certain predetermined height and then stop growing. Most of the fruit is borne over a 4 to 6 week period and the plant expires. :( Our Sunshine Symbol this variety grows beautifully in all climates, and my customers tell me it does especially well in sustained high heat but not hotter than 97º. Pollen normally becomes sterile above 97º. Shown to be extra heat tolerant. Produces well at 95º temperatures. A specialty plant, developed to produce consistently in very hot weather, up to 97º- 100º. Our Penguin Symbol means this variety grows beautifully in all climates, and my customers tell me it does especially well in cooler temperatures and produces late into the cool season. Twin Penguins: Grows beautifully in most climates and can be extra cold tolerant. However, this does not mean North Dakota-in-winter-tolerant. These tomato plants need night temperatures consistently above 45º F. Our Mountain Symbol means this plant is a good choice for your high altitude garden -- and grows beautifully everywhere else, too. (E) Early ripening variety, with 78 days or less to ripe tomatoes. (VE) Very early varieties, usually less than 68 days from plant-out to ripe fruit. (EE) Extremely early ripening varieties, ready to pick in only 45-60 days from planting. A good choice for growing in pots, and a variety which Laurel has already grown successfully in containers. Any heirloom tomato plant will grow well in a large 10 - 30 gallon container with proper growing techniques. The dwarf varieties can be grown in 10 gallon containers. See detailed container-growing info: Growing Tips (Ch) A cherry tomato. These little fruits can be red, black, orange, pink, purple, green, yellow, ivory, white or bicolor and in varying shapes: round, pear, grape, ping pong, pea-sized and plum-shaped. F/C This denotes a tomato that grows well in foggy coastal areas but also does beautifully in full sun. Thanks to Cynthia Sandberg at Love Apple Farm for this list! (B) A big tomato of at least 1 or 2 pounds. (BB) A really big tomato. These 'super braggers' can reach 3 to 4 pounds. (BBB) A ridiculously huge tomato, these delicious, prize winning giants can reach 5 lbs. (SM) A small plant, great for containers or smaller garden spaces. (VSM) A very small, dwarf type plant, some produce lots of big tomatoes, some are cherry tomatoes -- for small containers and tiny gardens. (P-S) Paste or sauce type, especially popular for sauces. These tomatoes are richly flavored, ideal for cooking because flavors increase exponentially during the cooking process, and are also marvelous for fresh eating. (HG) For your Historical or Heritage Garden. These are storied tomatoes with a fascinating history, including well-known historic varieties, some of them named after persons of high renown, or an historical event. Some are tomatoes with tall tales and legends attached to their names. Many have simply stood the test of time. Days: This means days to maturity. It is the approximate time from planting the seedling to harvesting the ripe fruit. Can vary from climate to climate. New for 2018 This means we are offering these varieties this year for the first time. Not necessarily a 'new' variety. Here are links to all the site pages including our tomato varieties by category. New Varieties for 2018 Growing Tips and Garden Products Need tomato seeds? Go to Tomatofest.com for 600 varieties of heirloom tomato seeds! Our 2018 Plant Sale Dates Please join us for our Sunday Sales here at the nursery in spring and summer! (Please check back for sale dates) Payment Information ...and shipping details (Please read before you order.) Gift Certificates Laurel's Favorites Big Red Tomatoes Medium Size Red Tomatoes The Biggest Tomatoes Small Fruited/Cherry Tomatoes Early Ripening Tomatoes Pink and Purple Tomatoes The Black Tomatoes The Green Tomatoes The Yellow, Gold & Orange Tomatoes Multi Colored Tomatoes Other Colors Sauce and Paste Tomatoes Smaller Plants for Containers ...and small garden spaces. Growing Tips and Garden Products Favorite Tomato Recipes Great Recipes for your heirloom tomatoes; please send us your favorite recipe! The Best Tomato Sandwich Recipes from our customers; please send us yours! What Our Customers Say And some photographs of their gardens... Laurel's Blend Olive Oil My Favorite! Plant Support: TomatOH! Holders. They are awesome. Go here: www.tomatohelpers.com Favorite Links ...Highlighting some excellent resources! Queen of the Sea Here is The Big List For 2018! IMPORTANT NOTE: Folks, please remember to water your plants moderately, especially when your tomatoes start to ripen. Otherwise you'll have mushy, cracked, waterlogged tomatoes. It can be hideous. Seriously. 1884 1884 ($6.25) (B) (HG) (E) 78 days. 1884 is a superbly flavored old-time tomato which grows on a strong vigorous plant and produces big luscious 1 lb. to 2 lb. deep dark pink fruit with luxurious flavor and sets fruit readily in hot weather. The original seeds were discovered in 1884 by James Lyde Williamson in the debris after the big Ohio River flood of 1884 in Friendly, West Virginia. This grand fruit has taken top mention year after year in tomato tastings all over the country. Easy to grow and very productive. Abraham Lincoln ($6.25) (HG) (B) 80 days. This is the lusciously famous old time Illinois tomato. Very tasty, sweet, and juicy, with intense old fashioned tomato flavors, this wildly popular heirloom was introduced in Illinois in 1923 and produces big, red, round, scrumptious 10 ounce to 1-pound fruits in bountiful clusters of up to 9 tomatoes! These guys also have has excellent disease resistance. A real classic which grows beautifully everywhere. New for 2018! Aftershock ($6.50) 78 days. Aftershock is a new 'dwarf' variety introduced this year. Look at this beauty! Big striking, striped tomatoes on a shrubby 3 to 4 ft. plant. A stunning red bulls-eye in the center of ripe fruits the flavor is a mind blower. Beyond delicious! Sweet with perfect tang found in some of the green when ripe tomatoes like Green Giant. Loves the heat. Great for containers or in the ground. This stunning photograph is the property of Heritage Tomato Seeds/Bunny Hop Seeds. Go see their seeds, a fabulous selection! Amazon Chocolate, see Chocolate Amazon Amishgold Amish Gold ($6.50) 70 days Do you LOVE Sun Gold? You'll love Amish Gold. This magnificent cross of Sun Gold and Amish Paste produces loads stunning golden tomatoes, about 2 to 3” long and 1” wide with the spectacular sweetness and huge production of Sun Gold along with the meatiness of Amish Paste. Fabulous for fresh eating and makes a lovely sauce! It has become a hands-down favorite in our garden and they get 'stolen' by maniacal family members and friends the moment they ripen. Here's how it happened: Cross Sun Gold with Amish Paste and..... tah-dah! Amish Gold! Yay! + JungSeed.jpg (425×425) = Amishgold JungSeed.jpg (425×425) Amish Paste ($6.50) 80 days. This classic variety has big, bright red heart-shaped fruits -- meaty and juicy with rich complex flavors. With very few seeds, Amish Paste is the perfect sauce tomato yet ideal for fresh eating, too. We have had so many requests for Amish Paste I can't resist offering it for 2017. The first time I grew it, so many years ago, we canned 24 jars of the best tomato sauce I've ever made. My kitchen never smelled so great. One of the largest and sweetest of the paste tomatoes it produces a heavy crop of luscious 10 to 12 ounce delicious tomatoes all season. long. Introduced by Tom Hauch who got his seeds from the Amish in Lancaster, PA. IMPORTANT NOTE!: Remember to water sparingly or moderately when your tomatoes start to ripen. Otherwise you'll have waterlogged, mushy, cracked tomatoes! This goes for ALL of your heirlooms! s-l300.jpg (300×225) Amy's Sugar Gem ($6.25) (VE) 65 days. This huge, sprawling plant produces heavy clusters of golf ball sized, incredibly delicious, deep red ambrosial fruit with tiny golden jewel-like sparkles within the red skin. Very sweet! It was one of my absolute favorite tomatoes at TomatoFest in September--just knocked me out. Candy-on-the-vine, not to be missed. Developed by Jeff McCormack, it is a cross of Red Cherry and Tappy's Finest. Named for Amy Boor Hereford whose Grandma Tappy introduced Jeff to heirloom tomatoes more than 20 years ago. August 24, 2016. Anna Banana, one day's harvest in my garden, from a plant grown in a 25 gallon Smart Pot, 10.5 lbs in the basket. Anna Banana Russian ($6.75) (E) 65 days. I've been waiting a long time for a tomato like Anna Banana. For me this is tomato heaven; a yellow bull's-heart shaped fruit growing on a beautiful wispy plant which produces like crazy. I've told anyone who'll listen that Anna Russian was the first heirloom tomato I ever tasted -- and ultimately the reason I'm in this business. To be able to offer this spectacular, accidental yellow version with its dazzling deep yellow skin and dense sweet flesh is beyond thrilling for me. Balanced flavor, sweet with just a little tang in the background and growing on wispy vines just like the original red Anna Russian. Reaching 8 to 12 ounces and producing abundantly in all climates, this lady is a radiant winner. Some fruits are heart shaped, some beefsteak, right there on the same plant. This trait is part of the charm of the heirlooms. Inside you'll find a stunning little pattern of scarlet streaking. NOTE: I think Anna Banana is the wispiest tomato plant in existence. On the young plants, possibly the most delicate looking foliage of any tomato on Earth -- but as she gets bigger her foliage gets heartier and the tomatoes grow like crazy. Keep that in mind. Hang in there. This variety was grown out and stabilized by Michael Walker of Ellensburg Washington. Yay, Michael! 41xnGNhuh+L.jpg (300×300) Anna Russian ($6.25) (VE) (HG) 65 days. This was the very first heirloom tomato I ever tasted and one of the finest of the oxheart tomatoes. The plant has very delicate, wistful foliage as do many of the Russian varieties. Don't let that fool you! Anna is easy to grow and bears heavily during hot and cool weather. Years ago my mom brought me some perfect heart-shaped Anna Russians from her garden. She had gotten the seeds from a friend. I tasted; I swooned. From 8 to 12 ounces, the fruits she brought had grown in beautiful clusters of 2 or 3--I wouldn't be without it. Still in my top 5 favorites after all these years, Anna Russian is always among the first few plants I set out in my home garden every spring in a little Tomato Love ceremony. Its perfect heart shape in colors ranging from pink to red make it very special indeed. Anna Russian seeds came to Craig Lehoullier from Brenda Hillenius of Oregon, who got the seeds from her grandfather, Kenneth Wilcox. Years earlier he had been given the original seeds from a Russian immigrant friend--a genuine example of the intriguing history these grand old tomatoes carry with them. IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT ANNA RUSSIAN: Be sure to note that Anna Russian (and Anna Banana) have droopy, wispy, delicate foliage as do so many of the heart-shaped tomatoes. There is nothing wrong with your plant; it's supposed to look that way. One of my customers was convinced by a well-meaning neighbor to rip out her Anna Russian plants. "There's something wrong with them plants, Hildy, better rip 'em out..." And she did, then called me to tell me the bad news. I gave her the other bad news; her heart broke. "Oh no! I murdered them!" It was too late for her to replant that season but she ordered Anna Russian the following year and got a beautiful crop! Aunt Ruby's German Green ($6.25) (B) (E)75-78 days. You're going to love this beautiful Tennessee tomato. Medium to large, sweet beefsteaks, bursting with a fragrant, complex, spicy-sweetness with a touch of tang. A gorgeous green-when-ripe color with a delicate pink blush inside, this much sought after variety is a real treat to have in your garden, and is said to be the very best tasting green. Reaching up to one pound, Aunt Ruby's German Green grows in clusters of 2 or 3. With its intricate, earthy, unforgettable flavor and chartreuse flesh this one will broaden your tomato horizons. Very adaptable, and easy to grow with good disease resistance. From Ruby Arnold of Greeneville, Tennessee who passed away in 1997. Ripens in only 60 to 65 days © Photograph property of Restoration Seeds Azoychka (Ah-ZOYCH-kah) ($6.25) 65 days. (E) One of the first to ripen in your garden, this juicy, scrumptious, lemon-yellow, 7 to 9 ounce tomato has a rich, lingering sweetness with a fine touch of acidity. High producing and ripening in only 65 days from planting out, it has a delightful yet subtle hint of citrusy flavor. A spectacular Russian heirloom, Azoychka has become a favorite of chefs and tomato lovers worldwide. A good choice for high altitude gardens. Bear Claw ($6.95) 75 days I'd been hearing about this extremely rare fruit in heirloom tomato circles--everyone wanted it and we've got it! From Lisa VonSaunder, "A fabulous tomato in every way you can measure. A huge tomato with some of the most outstanding flavors I've ever known. I never saw tomato plants grow so large so fast. Huge plant with stems like tree trunks. The first tomatoes of the season were one pound, then the fruit started coming in larger and larger and larger until they were the largest of all my tomatoes this season. Fabulous deep, rich, pink fruit that beat all the others in taste. They grew so large the branches were drooping even with one fruit on them. So, if you want to win first place for size but you treasure flavor above all else, this is the tomato to grow! Do you want to have the most tomatoes ever grown on a vine? Then this is the plant for you!" From the Ben Quisenberry collection. Second photograph courtesy of our customer and friend Michael Alterowitz growing in his western Montana garden. Third photograph from Dianna Theyssen grown in Ingalls, Indiana. Sliced Bear Claw property of Heritage Seed market. Ripens in only 52 days. Beaverlodge Slicer ($6.50) 52 days. (EE) F/C (SM) From Gary Ibsen, "One of the earliest maturing tomato varieties at only 55 days, this tomato was developed at the Beaverlodge Research Center in Alberta, Canada. The plant is short, compact and semi-determinate, loaded with 2", smooth, red, round tomatoes that contain rich and well balanced flavors. A surprisingly big flavor for such an early tomato. This is a perfect tomato variety for growing in a hanging basket or in a patio container. A good choice for cooler and foggy growing regions..." Berkeley Tie Dye ($6.75) 80 days. This rare and exotic fruit with big, bold, luscious flavors looks just like its name implies with showy streaks and swirls of green red, yellow and orange patterning inside and out. From 8 to 12 ounces, chefs nationwide are ordering these plants for their restaurant gardens -- tomato lovers are clamoring for this fabulous variety. Berkeley Tie Dye is another fabulous variety from talented tomato breeder Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms here in California. Photograph used here with the kind permission of Brad Gates. Photograph of hand holding Berkeley Tie Dye courtesy of David Tucker. BIG RAINBOW Big Rainbow ($6.25) 75 days. Big it is....2 pounds or more, a sweet and voluptuous, fruity, juicy, tri-colored tomato dapple red, orange and yellow inside and out. Just enchanting. Heavy in the hand, full of tropical rich flavors. A prize worth every luscious bite. My customers keep asking when I will have Big Rainbow back on the list. Here it is! IMPORTANT NOTE!: Remember to water sparingly or moderately when your tomatoes start to ripen. Otherwise you'll have a waterlogged mushy tomato! This goes for ALL of your heirlooms! Image result for Big Zac tomato Big Zac ($8.95) 80-85 days. (H) (BBB) (HG) The biggest tomato of all! This gigantic and very delicious tomato normally reaches 4 lbs., and can reach 5 to 7 lbs., with luscious meaty fruits growing on a hearty disease-resistant plant. Big Zac is very easy to grow and reliably produces gigantic tomatoes in all climates. Big Zac was developed by Minnie Zaccaria of New Jersey, a kind and kindred spirit, who has been growing big championship tomatoes for more than 20 years and has won the biggest tomato contest 7 times. Minnie, shown in the photograph with a 5.2 lb. Big Zac fruit, worked tirelessly to create this humungous fruit by crossing the largest heirloom tomato varieties she could find and finally came up with this amazing and yummy whopper of a tomato. Some Big Zac fruits look like 3 or 4 huge tomatoes sort of melted together. Please order early to reserve your plants; Big Zac is grown in limited quantity and sells out quickly. Black Beauty Tomato New for 2018! Black Beauty ($6.75) 85 days. The World’s Darkest Tomato! A dark, meaty, very rich-fleshed tomato with extreme anthocyanin effect, the same antioxidant in blueberries and blackberries. Beautiful to look at and flavor is deep, rich and complex. Combined in a tomato salad with red, orange and yellow tomatoes - a real mind-blower! So dark that some tomatoes turn solid blue-black on the skin. Deep red flesh is among the best tasting of all tomatoes. Rich, smooth and savory with earthy tones. Be sure and wait for true ripeness! Black beauty takes a while to ripen but is definitely worth the wait. Keeps well on the vine and stores very well, and the flavor improves with room-temperature storage. Baker Creek's Dave Kaiser tasted it at the 2015 National Heirloom Exposition and proclaimed it as the BEST tomato he had ever eaten! Photograph from Baker Creek Rare Seeds. Black Cherry ($6.25) F/C (Ch) (VE) 65 days. A perfectly round 1" cherry tomato with classic black tomato flavor, sweet, yet rich, smoky and complex. Fruit picks easily from the stem and is produced in abundance on vigorous, tall plants. Bred by Vince Sapp, these cherries are irresistibly delicious: look like a black cherry, taste like a sweet cherry-- a unique addition to the color and flavor spectrum of cherry tomatoes for your garden, along with our other cherries, it makes an arresting display for any table. Just outstanding. These guys got eaten moments after the photograph was taken. :) A short video from my dear friend and mentor, Gary Ibsen. Take a look! http://www.tomatofest.com/video-good-news-from-the-garden-part5.html Black Ethiopian ($6.25) 80 days. This spectacular tomato from the Ukraine has an exquisite flavor – just knocks me out. Be prepared for extremely heavy production of deep reddish brown-bronze 5 oz. luscious rounded plum shaped tomatoes, sweet, rich and tangy – just ambrosial. Black Ethiopian’s exceptional production and splendid flavor have made it highly prized in the tomato world. A beautiful and rare tomato, a wonderful addition to your black tomato selection. Black Ethiopian is a hearty plant which bears fruit right up to frost. I picked these on November 27th. Then I ate 'em. Black Krim ($6.25) 75 days (E) This much sought after Russian variety is unique and unforgettable, originally from Krim (Crimea) on the northern coast of the Black Sea in The Ukraine, Black Krim has a superb smoky sweetness with a delicate lingering touch of tang in a 4-6" slightly flattened, mahogany-colored fruit with lovely, deep green shoulders. Setting fruit at higher temperatures, it is superb and very easy to grow. This gorgeous photograph of a 10.5 ounce Black Krim is courtesy of Damon Webber. Yay, Damon! Photo property of Georgia Coastal Gourmet Farms Black From Tula ($6.25) 75 days. The largest of the irresistible, luscious black tomatoes, this big old-time Russian beauty produces a heavy crop of 4 inch,12 to 14 ounce, deep garnet-mahogany with all the promise of the smoky rich flavor for which the blacks are renown. Sweet and earthy, its mouth-watering flavor will make your eyes roll back in your head. One of Laurel's all-time favorites. Black Plum ($6.25) 75 days. F/C (E) (P-S) This marvelous plant offers a very heavy production of rich, sweet, fruity, elongated, mahogany plum-shaped 3" fruits that fall into your hands by the dozens as you pick them. This one is outstanding eaten fresh, or sliced in a salad, with a rich smoky sweetness and a delicate touch of tartness to its creamy flesh, it makes a fabulous and perfectly balanced sauce or paste and is becoming a great favorite for canning. I like it fresh off the vine for straight-up garden snackin'. Produces really well in hot humid areas. First place winner at the TomatoMania tasting of 2002. Blondkopfchen ( Blond-copf-shen) ($6.25) 75 days. One of the finest tasting cherry tomato in existence, the name of this marvelous German heirloom cutie means Little Blond Head or Little Blond Girl. The big leafy plant produces thousands of ½" grape-size sparkling yellow-gold cherry tomatoes in phenomenal clusters of 30 fruits per bunch! Delightfully sweet with a citrusy finish, this is the one to try with children who don't think they like tomatoes. As Gary Ibsen of Tomatofest.com says, " Just put one in your mouth and try to keep from smiling!" No cracking, with great disease resistance, this little sweetie grows anywhere and produces right up until frost. Challenging to pronounce, really easy to eat. Ripe in only 52 days Bloody Butcher ($6.25) F/C (EE) 52 days. This marvelous early ripening fruit has an unmatched, spectacular deep red hue--juicy with an intense lingering flavor. The 4 ounce round red 2" to 3" fruits have a rich silky texture and grow in great abundance on potato leafed vines. With its bountiful harvest month after month, the strong depth of flavor in Bloody Butcher has made it a favorite among tomato gourmands worldwide. A favorite for canning. BRANDYWINE OTV Brandywine, OTV ($6.25) 72 days. A truly marvelous stand-out member of the great family of Brandywines, this one arose in Craig LeHoullier's garden years ago. Big 1 pound red fruits with orange shoulders and complex rich flavors. An outstanding tomato for your garden; it also sets fruit very well during high temperatures and bears all season. A reliable producer, very disease resistant, and easy to grow; OTV stands for Off The Vine, which was a wonderful online tomato newsletter published by Carolyn Male and Craig LeHoullier. They describe this tomato as "the best strain of Brandywine set apart from others by its smooth, creamy, almost buttery texture, and harmonious sweet flavor." It originated from a natural cross-pollination of Yellow Brandywine and an unknown red parent, and was further developed and stabilized by Carolyn Male. Brandywine, Pink ($6.25) 82 days. (B) (HG) This is the old-time original Brandywine tomato and the first heirloom tomato to achieve cult-like adoration in the world of tomato lovers. From Legendary tomato seedsman Ben Quisenberry of Ohio, this variety has been around for 100 years and was Ben's favorite tomato. Many gardeners consider this strain the best Brandywine of all, with fruit that is superior in taste and smoothness. Its tomatoes are indeed special, 1 to 2 pound deep-pink beefsteaks with the delectably complex, rich, sweet flavor that has made Brandywine justifiably famous. Legendary for its big, succulent overwhelming deliciousness, it is the tomato to which other heirlooms are compared. "Is it as good as Brandywine?" Not as high yielding as some other varieties, but each fruit is a treasure. Most folks buy more than one plant to get enough of this delightful fruit. Photographs courtesy of Dianna Theyssen, copyright 2014 Image result for black brandywine tomato New for 2018! Brandywine, True Black ($6.50) Look at this gorgeous tomato! Its deep, earthy sweet flavors will blow your mind. This one is a challenge to share--you'll want to hide them for yourself before they disappear into the hands family and friends! True Black Brandywine is a workhorse of a tomato plant -- grows loads of big beautiful tomatoes in clusters of 3 or 4. Incredible tasty and productive --producing dozens of ripe fruits every few days. Loves the heat, stands up to diseases and is a treasure for your tomato garden. A cross between Brandywine and an old time brown variety called Fejee Improved, the seeds were given to the folks at Baker Creek Rare Seeds by William Woys Weaver from his grandfather's seed collection from the 1920's. Photograph from Baker Creek Rare Seeds. Brandywine Yellow, Platfoot Strain ($6.25) 85 days. (B) From Gary Platfoot of Ohio, this magnificent big 1 to 2 pound brightly-colored smooth-shaped yellow tomato with marvelous complex taste is a special strain of Yellow Brandywine which has a much higher yield than regular Yellow Brandywine and offers the same elaborate, delicious tomato flavor. Gardeners who try this variety continue to grow it in their gardens. Disease resistant and very easy to grow. It's a classic. I love it. Related image New for 2018! Braveheart (H) ($6.50) 65 days. Here is a perfectly marvelous cherry tomato for your garden! Braveheart is a strong, sturdy plant that gives you copious harvests of delightfully sweet and tangy deep-red cherry tomatoes on a more compact plant. The fruits have thin skin but are crack-resistant. They ripen early and produce scads of yummy tomatoes all season The medium-size plants are easy to manage. High production, smaller plants and deep sweet flavor are the endearing qualities of this showcase variety for your garden. Brown Derby (Elser's) ($6.75) 75 to 80 days. My absolute favorite discovery in 2007, no contest and a top seller for 10 years now. Combining the sweet succulence of the black tomatoes and the tangy spiciness of the greens, this is a spectacular cross of my all-time favorite, Paul Robeson, and the legendary Aunt Ruby's German Green. Reaching up to 2 lbs. It arose about 10 years ago in the garden of Elser's Country Farm in Yucaipa, California and they have been selling it to adoring customers at their Southern California heirloom tomato farm stands for several years. The flavor is tantalizing--tart and sweet, a perfect combination of tang to sweetness with plenty of juice and a rapturous brown and green color. When I first tasted it in August, my eyes got wide, I grinned with the 'Oh-my-God-this-is-incredible' look. I could barely believe my mouth. I had to scramble to get this one Maria and Darrell's Farmer's Market. True story. I picked it up, another customer begged me for it; I did not budge, wouldn't give it up. Almost came to blows....I wanted it for the photograph because it was so beautiful. Then we ate it. A Laurel's exclusive. (This fruit is not related to Tom Wagner's Brown Derby line, arose independently from that line and was named without knowledge of it.) © Photograph is the property of Steve Masley of Grow It Organically Carmello ($6.25) (E) 68 days. This fabulous and extremely popular French tomato is a great favorite among my customers and top seller. De-hybridized years ago by Gary Ibsen, it's a very reliable and bountiful producer of heavy, juicy, 8 oz. red fruits with immense flavor. This plant is among the most prolific ever bred and produces so many fruits you will be giving them away by the basketful. The Carmello plant in my garden proved to be disease resistant, and produced through late December with night temperatures about 42 degrees. The flavor alone puts it in my top 10. Wait 'til you see all the tomatoes on this plant; bring the big harvest basket. Image result for cherokee purple Photographs property of: Dianna Theyssen Cherokee Purple ($6.25) (HG) (E) 75 days. A legendary and beautiful tomato, at least 100 years old and grown by the Cherokee People. 12 oz. deep dark dusky rose-purple, deep red inside, with sweet, rich and smoky, luscious flavor. Cherokee Purple is a garden staple, in everyone's favorite list for a good reason-- disease resistant, reliable and easy to grow, and great one for your heirloom or heritage garden. Seeds were sent to Craig Lehoullier by JD Green of Tennessee who got them from a neighbor whose family had grown them for more than 100 years. In 1990 Craig named it Cherokee Purple. Have a small garden space? See 'Rosella Purple' for flavor like Cherokee Purple but in a smaller shrub-like plant which produces lots of big yummy tomatoes! Chocolate Amazon (aka Amazon Chocolate) ($6.75) 80 days. (B) This exceedingly rare, beautiful and incredibly delicious variety is the first tomato that I can say rivals my all-time favorite, Paul Robeson. Everyone who tastes it goes mad with tomato love and says it is the best tasting tomato they have ever tried, bar none. The flavor of this deep chocolate-brown tomato, as described by Lisa Von Saunder of Amishland Heirloom Seeds, "a distinctive, winey, smoky, rich taste and fabulous color." Lisa was the first to offer seeds of Chocolate Amazon which were sent to her by her Ukrainian friend, Sergey. Double the size of most other black tomatoes, reaching 1 lb. or more, extremely prolific and pumping out sweet, luscious, juicy tomatoes right into the cooler weather, Chocolate Amazon is in our top three discoveries for your tomato garden. Go see Lisa's website www.amishlandseeds.com Image result for chocolate stripes tomato Chocolate Stripes ($6.25) 80 to 85 days. (B) Okay, I'm sorry! Lesson learned....I like to change the list a bit every year but was not ready for the hue and cry for the return of Chocolate Stripes! After removing it from the list I was bombarded by horrified customers who could not live without it and were freaked out by not seeing it on the list! I've heard from more and more folks who really love it --so, it's ba-ack! Forever. Among the largest of the black tomatoes. Reaching 4-5 inches, 12 to 14 ounces and ripening to mahogany with dark olive green stripes, these fruits have enormous old-time tomato flavor and an appearance similar to Black Zebra, but huge! A plentiful harvest, stunning beauty and out-of-this-world taste make Chocolate Stripes a rare treat in your garden. © Photograph property of www.heirloomtomatoplants.com Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red ($6.25) (HG) (E) 78 days. From Gary Ibsen, owner of Carmel TomatoFest, "Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red is a deep-red, round, beefsteak type fruit with a robust unruly tomatoey flavor and firm, juicy flesh that invites tomato feasting and seed-saving. The tall, indeterminate, very disease resistant plant produces loads of 3" to 4", 10-12 oz. fruits. " "This is one of those big, bold tasting tomatoes that is not for sissies," said Ibsen. "Although it has some of the highest sugar levels I've ever seen from a tomato, the sweetness is in the background and its fruity flavors are balanced beautifully with plenty of acidity, earthy nuances and flavor complexity. It's a perfect tomato for eating fresh, cooking or canning." "Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red has proven resistant to several of the most common tomato diseases: verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, nematodes and tobacco mosaic virus." "Within the hundreds of varieties of heirloom tomatoes I've grown each year has been a selection of previously undistributed, un-named varieties, the seeds of which have been handed down within different families from around the country for generations, then tucked into letters from gardeners wanting to share their legacy with me." "The seeds of this variety came from Archie Millett who from the foothills of the Sierras. Archie was a tomato breeder with the University of California at Davis since the early 50's. Following years of crossing thousands of tomato varieties at the university to produce a disease resistant tomato with intense flavor, he retired in 1987 and continued cross breeding to enhance the flavor qualities of his favorite tomato from his small home garden." "Archie gave me these seeds by pressing them into my palm while we were in his garden," said Ibsen. "He said, "Here Gary, these are for you. I've only shared these with friends and family. This is the best tasting tomato of my 50 years of growing tomatoes. Name it what you want, share it with others. You are the person I'd like to introduce this tomato to the public." Costoluto Genovese ($6.25) F/C (P-S) (HG) (E) 78 days. A big beautiful and classic Italian heirloom, the deeply fluted, ribbed intensely-red 8 to 12 oz. fruits are mouthwatering and utterly scrumptious. This stunning tomato has a splendid, complex old-time flavor which makes it a perfect choice for sauce and fresh eating. Does will in high heat and cooler areas, too. Thomas Jefferson grew Costoluto Genovese in his Virginia garden in 1780's along with many other heirloom varieties which became popular across the country. Costoluto means 'ribbed'. Humungous! © Photograph property of Terroir Seeds and Underwood Gardens Cuostraleé ($6.25) (Koh struh LAY) (BBB) 85 days. Big, hearty, prolific plant, with HUGE red beautiful beefsteak tomatoes, up to 4 lbs. I have to use both hands to pick them. Gigantic fruits have a superb, classic tomato flavor. Very easy to grow, disease resistant and a reliable producer, in my top 10 favorites. Another hot weather favorite which will grow easily and wonderfully in all gardens. Don't worry; nobody knows how to pronounce it but it's so good, you won't care. :) Dagma's Perfection (DAHK - mahs) ($6.25) 72 days. (E) 72 days. TOP SELLER As described by Gary Ibsen, renowned tomato expert, gourmet, author, connoisseur, and owner of Carmel TomatoFest, who named this extraordinary tomato for his charming and winsome lady love. "This vigorous and abundant plant offers a bountiful harvest of medium-sized, 3" 12 oz., light yellow beefsteak fruits with beautifully delicate red striping. Deliciously flavorful with lingering sweet overtones of tropical fruit and subtle hints of lime, it is firm, juicy and elegant in the mouth." An enchanting tomato...delightful and jewel-like, just marvelous. Dagma's Perfection is a best seller for us. Very high production. A Laurel's TOP PICK ! Dirty Girl ($6.50) (E) 65 days. I LOVE the name of this incredibly delicious, high producing, open-pollinated version of Early Girl! It was de-hybridized by Joe Schirmer, owner of Dirty Girl Produce in Santa Cruz California. An organic grower, Joe spent the last 7 years growing out Early Girl into an open-pollinated version of Early Girl -- what we call a 'new' heirloom. Dirty Girl produces huge harvests of perfect, yummy, 3 to 4 ounce salad size, red tomatoes with all the great qualities of Early Girl -- high production, early ripening and strong plants, with some added attractions for gardeners-- an even richer flavor and a bonus; you can save seeds, grow out your own Dirty Girl plants and share them with the world. Joe named it 'Dirty Girl' after his wife with whom he created Dirty Girl Farm. Yay Joe! If you've got a wife, mother or daughter girlfriend or girl friend who spends a lot of time in the garden, give her one of these plants. My customers love buying this one as a gift for their Dirty Girls! Surprise your Dirty Girl! Go see! www.dirtygirlproduce.com Big 10 ounce fruits! Druzba (DROOZH-Bah) ($6.25) 80 days. This is a very special favorite of mine which I've grown for my personal stash for a long time. Because it's such an extraordinary variety, I have sent plants of Druzba as an alternate for Goose Creek when it's not available. Everyone likes Druzba just as much if not better! Soon I began getting calls from customers who loved it and begged me to send them another Druzba! I think you will agree that it has a very robust, rich, concentrated tomato flavor borne in smooth, perfectly round, deep-red, blemish-free 10 ounce fruits with good disease resistance and high production. The name Druzba means friendship in Bulgarian only they write it this way: приятелство. Say that 5 times fast.... :) Dwarf Blazing Beauty ($6.75) 75 days. F/C (VSM) This is the first orange tomato offered by Dwarf Tomato Project. These gorgeous fruits reach the 6 to 12 ounce range and grow on a little shrubby plant. Beautiful and luscious tomatoes with a bright sparkling flavor. The sweetness is perfectly balanced by a fine tartness which creates intense flavor. I do LOVE the orange tomatoes. Blazing beauty reminds me of Kellogg's Breakfast and Summer Cider, flavor-wise, and grows on a smaller hearty potato-leafed shrub-like plant. Perfect for smaller spaces or for growing more tomatoes in your big space! This stunning photograph is the property of Heritage Tomato Seeds/Bunny Hop Seeds. Go see their seeds, a fabulous selection! Emerald Giant, Dwarf ($6.25) F/C (VSM) A good choice for all areas including high altitude gardens. 65 days Big tomatoes on a little plant. This new dwarf variety is essentially a dwarfed version of Green Giant with deep green, potato leaf foliage and a very sturdy main stem, growing to only four feet. Fruits can range from 8 ounces to a pound and ripen to green with a bit of a pale-pink blush on the blossom end. Flavor is spectacular! Full-bodied, intense and delicious. Another delightful variety from the dedicated crew of the Dwarf Tomato Project for those growing in small gardens or containers or who want to fit more plants into their large garden. RosellaPurple2_IMG_3918_grande.jpg (600×448) Photos courtesy or Restoration Seeds and Kurt Surrette Rosella Purple, Dwarf ($6.25) F/C (VSM) 70 days. Big yummy tomatoes on a little plant. A delightful dwarf variety to grow on a balcony, patio, or in a smaller garden--or in a large garden to fit more plants into your garden space! The photo on the right is from Kurt Surette, our delightful customer in Redding, CA who is growing the shrubby 2 ft. plant in a 10 gallon container. Look at those beauties! Ripe in only 70 days from planting, Rosella Purple is among the finest flavored of the dwarf varieties, similar to the classic Cherokee Purple, putting on great harvests of 8 to 12 ounce purple fruit on beautiful, lush 3 foot compact plant. This awesome cross was developed from Budai, a small red fruited dwarf, and Stump of the World in 2006 by tomato genius Patrina Nuske Small in Australia. The color can vary from purple-red to rose to darker purple like Paul Robeson. Another delightful variety from the Dwarf Tomato Project for those growing in small gardens or containers or who want to fit more plants into their large garden. Photo courtesy of Heritage Seed Market. Sweet Scarlet, Dwarf ($6.50) 78 days. F/C (VSM) This vigorous dwarf plant produces a heavy yield of 10 to 16 ounce smooth, sweet and tangy, red tomatoes with a superb, intense concentrated tomato flavor. One of the best of the Dwarf Tomato Project varieties, it may surprise you by producing an occasional yellow or orange tomato on the same plant. Be sure to try them, they taste fantastic, one of the thrills of growing in the heirloom world! IMPORTANT NOTE!: Remember to water sparingly or moderately when your tomatoes start to ripen. Otherwise you'll have a waterlogged mushy tomato! This goes for ALL of your heirlooms! Dwarf Sweet Sue Photo courtesy of Heritage Seed Market. Sweet Sue, Dwarf ($6.75) 75 days. F/C (VSM) Another delightful creation from the Dwarf Tomato Project. Big luscious rich-flavored tomatoes, 8 to 16 ounces, on a small shrubby plant! The flavors are deliciously sweet and well-balanced with rich tropical overtones. This lovely tomato was named by my friend Craig Lehoullier in 2007 for his wife Susan who "loved the tomato and is very sweet". The plant reaches only about 4 feet and produces lots of round, smooth, sunny yellow tomatoes, averaging a half pound. Very prolific, Sweet Sue shows a beautiful rosy blush on the blossom end when ripe. Disease resistant, too! Photo courtesy of Heritage Seed Market. Tasmanian Chocolate, Dwarf ($6.25) (VSM) 65 days Big tomato, little plant, high production, early ripening, very sweet flavor, sometimes called a sugar bomb. Tasmanian Chocolate has it all! A beautiful variety that produces huge tomatoes on very compact plants. Large, beefsteak style fruits can grow to almost a pound and ripen to a deep chocolate-mahogany. What really makes it unique is the dwarf growing habit, with small plants only growing to 2-3 feet, but still loaded with big fruits! Great for small spaces and containers. Tasmanian Chocolate has the same dark smoky flavor we've come to treasure in our darkest colored tomatoes. A cross of Paul Robeson and New Big Dwarf made by Australian grower Patrina Nuske Small in 2006, then further developed by Linda Reid of Tasmania, a rugged island off the south coast of Australia. Linda named it Tasmanian Chocolate. Another delightful variety from the incredibly dedicated crew of the Dwarf Tomato Project developed for those growing in small gardens or small containers -- or who want to fit more plants into a large garden. Early Girl See Dirty Girl, above. Image result for eva purple ball tomato EASY TO GROW. Eva Purple Ball ($6.25) 68 days F/C (E) A beautiful, adaptable and reliable choice for your garden. Easy to grow, virtually problem free, and often called the most beautiful tomato of all. Eva Purple Ball produces perfectly round, deep pink, 6-8 oz, juicy, sweet luscious globes with an outstanding rich and refreshing flavor. At first bite, the tanginess dominates, giving way a moment later to an enduring sweetness with overtones of tropical fruit and spice. Growing very well in high heat and humidity, its very high-yield and disease resistance makes this prolific garden staple an outstanding choice for novice gardeners and experts alike. Originally from the Black Forest of Germany in the late 1800's. This plant out produced all others in my garden. Top seller and ripe in only 55 days! Fireworks ($6.25) 50 days (EE) Ripe in only 50 to 55 days, this lovely bright red tomato, very large for a quick maturing variety, has splendid rich, sweet juicy flavor which runs deep for a super-early tomato. Fruits are 3", 6-9 oz., round, with a very distinctive slightly pointed tip, are heat resistant, cold tolerant and delicious. A fast-ripening classic, easy to grow, very productive! Flammé, see Jaune Flammé below Big specialty tomato for high heat! Florida 91 ($6.25) (Hybrid) 72 days. (D) (E) I have chosen Florida 91 as the perfect plant for my customers in high heat areas who want to have a plant that keeps producing lots of tomatoes in high summer. This specialty tomato has the 'heat gene' and is a very heat tolerant hybrid variety which produces delicious, bright red, 10 ounce, rich, sweet full-flavored tomatoes in only 72 to 80 days. A smaller plant, this variety sets fruit easily during high heat, when days are up to 97º or hotter and night temperatures are 73º to 82º. Very disease resistant. Ideal for slicing onto sandwiches and salads, these sweet tomatoes ripen to be firm, solid, and resistant to cracking. Foxy Lady ($6.25) (E) (HG) (70 to 75 days). This rapturous little cousin of Purple Haze is one of the newest additions to our heirloom cherry selection. The flavor, is energizing, elaborate and dazzling with a sweet, seductive background and earthy nuance with lingering flavors. A tiny touch of tang balances its big full-bodied sweetness. I am madly in love with this tomato. Early ripening and growing in huge abundance on big plants in clusters of 5 to 7 fruits, Foxy Lady ripens in only 70-72 days from plant out and has some of the biggest potato type leaves I’ve ever seen. Dana has donated seeds so we can grow and offer this very rare plant to our customers and donate part of the proceeds to TACA, Talk About Curing Autism. www.talkaboutcuringautism.org. Thank you, Dana! Supply is rather limited, please order early. A Laurel's exclusive. Photograph By Dana Ferrin, used here with his gracious permission. Goldman's Italian-American ($6.75) 80 days. Due to unprecedented customer requests, I am including this marvelous tomato again! Heirloom Guru Extraordinaire, Amy Goldman, found this delightful full-figured, big-flavored tomato at a roadside stand in Cernobbio, Italy and named it after her father's Brooklyn, NY grocery store. With very few seeds, Goldman's Italian-American is a terrific choice for cooking--makes a very silky sauce, creamy paste and adds some magic to soups and stews. Pear shaped, blood red, juicy and meaty, growing to about 12 to 16 ounces with a beguiling ruffled shape, it is in such high demand that seeds are almost sold out everywhere. Photograph of Goldman's Italian-American is the property of Baker Creek and used here with their gracious permission. Gold Medal (See Ruby Gold) Goose Creek ($6.95) 75-80 days. (HG) (E) This delectable historical family heirloom is one of the rarest plants we offer and our top seller. The flavor and color run deep in Goose Creek, a stunning, deep dark reddish-pink fruit, I call it scarlet or garnet, round or slightly flattened, sometimes lobed, with occasional tiny gold streaks and speckling. Juicy, very sweet and intensely tomatoey as if injected with concentrated tomato flavor Goose Creek reaches 6 to 12 ounces. Ambrosial with a luxurious, silken texture, a lingering touch of sweetness and rich, earthy sweet flavors, it produces high fruit yields and very few seeds. This family treasure comes to us from my sweet old friend and edible landscape expert, Jimmy Williams, author of the top selling gardening book, 'From Seed to Skillet', owner of HayGround Organic Gardening in California and recently featured on CBS News, Jimmy and his Native Island Gullah-Geechee forebears are descendants of slaves brought in bondage from The Caribbean to the coastal islands of the Southern United States to grow rice for plantation owners. The Gullah are still keepers of a fascinating culture of food, language and beloved traditions--a most extraordinary and delightful people. The seeds of this sublime fruit have been passed down through generations when Jimmy's great-great grandmother, a young Caribbean slave, smuggled them with her aboard ship. When the ship docked at Charleston near Goose Creek, South Carolina, she had the treasured seeds with her, hidden in her skirt pocket and planted them that first spring. Jimmy's grandma, Elouise Watson, shared this precious heirloom with him more than 50 years ago when he was a young man, assuring Goose Creek's place in his family's garden for generations to come. Along with being very heat tolerant, it shows remarkable cold-tolerance along the cooler coastal areas where the fruits continue to set and ripen through November and December. It is a wonderful choice for growing in containers and does extremely well in the greenhouse. A rare and exquisite selection for your table and your historical garden. Goose Creek is a delightful gift for the tomato lover on your list. NOTE: This is the original Goose Creek. You may see seeds for sale in various places. Most are not the real Goose Greek. Call me if you want to know. A Laurel's Favorite. Yes, it's ripe! Green Giant ($6.25) (E) (B) 60-70 days. On a flavor scale of 1 to 100, Green Giant is a resounding 100 + Incredible. Unforgettable. The flavor can be described as rich, intoxicating and intense. Occasionally a tomato comes along which deserves very special attention. This big, up to 2 lb., green when ripe tomato resoundingly stole the show in 4 different tomato tastings. We had the immense pleasure of tasting it at TomatoFest in Carmel, California where it captured the hearts of tasters and garnered a great deal of attention. I have not been this impressed by a tomato since discovering Brown Derby in 2007. It arose originally in the garden of Reinhard Kraft of Germany in 2000 when he planted 30 seeds called 'Green Giant' from a friend in Canada. 29 of them grew out regular leafed except for one which had big potato leafed foliage. Reinhard cultivated that one, selecting the best fruit for several seasons, and continued to save seeds. Yay, Reinhard. Don't have a big garden space but want to get the fabulous flavor and big size of Green Giant? See 'Dwarf Emerald Giant'. NOTE: How to tell if a green tomato is ripe and not just an unripe fruit? Close your eyes and feel it; if it's soft, it's ripe. GreenZebra cut open.jpg (600×368) Green Zebra ($6.25) F/C (E) 72 days. Visually enchanting, abundantly productive, this 2-inch round fruit ripens to a beautiful amber gold with dark green zebra-like stripes over the amber background. Inside, the flesh is beautiful, sparkling green. Another wonderful variety from Tom Wagner, it is gorgeous to behold, tangy and deeply sweet with lingering flavors. This exquisite tomato was chosen by chef extraordinaire, Alice Waters, for her restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California and was among the first varieties to trigger the renewed interest in heirloom tomatoes. In my top 5. How to tell if a green tomato is ripe? Close your eyes and feel it; if it's soft, it's ripe. Copyrighted photo property of Laurel Garza/Heirloomtomatoplants.com All Rights reserved You like sweet tomatoes? photo: Baker Creek/Rare Seeds. Hartman's Yellow Gooseberry ($6.25) 75 days. (HG) Very sweet, this very old variety from the 1830's is a brilliant large cherry tomato, to 1½", with big sweet, rich flavors that explode in your mouth with an elegant irresistible pop! The first time I ate one my eyes rolled back in my head. Just try to get more than a handful into the house after picking them vine-ripened and warmed from the summer sun. A rare treat. Huge harvests. Incredibly prolific. One of the best tasting yellow cherries and you will have enough to give them away by the basketful. Originally from John Hartman of J.M. Hartman & Daughters seed company in Indianapolis, Indiana. Hawaiian Pineapple ($6.25) (B) 90 days. A huge, breathtaking and much sought after golden-orange beefsteak with fruit that grows up to 1-1/2 lbs. When fruit is ripe it has a luscious, very rich, sweet pineapple-melon like flavor and heady tropical fragrance. Add the unusually high production of this plant, and it makes my top 10 list. A real knock-out and a top-seller. Photograph of Hawaiian Pineapple is the property of Dianna Theyssen and used here with her gracious permission. Photo Courtesy of Bunny Hop Seeds, thanks Ellie! Hawaiian Currant ($6.25) (Ch) 80 days. This magnificent miniature morsel of a tomato amazed me and the other tasters at TomatoFest in September of 2003. Festival guests were going back for more, causing a traffic jam in the joyous meandering line of tomato fans. We got the hairy eyeball from a staff member. But it was worth it.... It grows in abundant grape-like clusters, each cluster holding onto its little red pea-sized fruits, until all are perfectly ripe. Be sure to snip off the entire ripened cluster as you would with a cluster of grapes on the vine, rather than trying to get these teeny little guys off one at a time. The flavor of Hawaiian Currant is unbelievably deep, rich, sweet, and lingering on the palette, a tiny terrific dream of a tomato. Photo Courtesy of Bunny Hop Seeds, thanks Ellie! Indigo Blue Berries ($6.50) 75 days. You're going to love this tomato! Along with very high production in clusters of 6 to 8 fruits, Indigo Blue Berries are a spectacular indigo blue, 1 to 2 ounces with a snappy, sweet flavor and a gorgeous mahogany-red blossom end. The fruits ripen to shiny, deep midnight-blue, almost raven-black cherries. Quite a conversation piece with plum-like flavor. I grew it in a container out front and passers-by, kids, grandmas and grandpas, whole families (led by grandmas) in my neighborhood actually came to the door to ask what it was. A really mind-blowing tomato. A saucy classic! Italian Heirloom ($6.25) (P-S) 85 days. The name says it all. Unbeatable for production and flavor, thin skinned and easy to grow. A real classic from Italy and a top seller here. Producing loads of fat, juicy, delicious, 5 to 10 oz. brilliant red, meaty, elongated, slightly pear-shaped tomatoes with an abundance of rich, complex flavors you'd expect from the best Italian varieties. This tomato is revered by the Italians for its BIG taste and high production. Whether for fresh eating or cooking, you will fall in love with Italian Heirloom. Japanese Black Truffle AKA Japanese Black Trifele ($6.25) (SM) 70 to 80 days. Japanese Black Trifele, which translates to truffle, is a medium sized, juicy 3 to 4" inch long 6 - 8 ounce very unusual pear-shaped, deep purple-black tomato with pretty green shoulders. In Russia the Trifele varieties of tomatoes--of which there are several colors--are highly prized and command high prices. Growing on a short potato-leafed plant, it's the size and shape of a Bartlett pear and among the darkest hued and finest flavored of the black tomatoes. The skin is smooth and crack resistant and production is huge. Don't over-water and you will be rewarded with flavor that is deep, chocolaty, smoky and rich, just wonderful. Took their picture and ate 'em. A Laurel's Favorite! Jaune Flammé (Jhahn Flahm) ($6.25) F/C (E) 70 days. A top favorite for BLT's! V ery prolific and stunningly beautiful, Flamme is an unforgettable tomato. Intensely orange with a reddish blush on the blossom end, these flame-colored 2 ounce globes have a rich, tangy and exciting flavor that literally bursts in your mouth. Cut open to reveal a reddish interior; this fruit reminds me of a blood orange with its spectacular contrasting colors. At certain times of day when the light is just right, you'll see the ripening fruits of Jaune Flamme glowing brilliant amber against the background of deep green foliage. This tomato continues to blow my mind. A Laurel's Favorite! A Laurel's Top Pick! Jutland ($6.25) (E) 72 days. (Pronounced Jut-land or Yoot-lahn) TOP SELLER Looks like a paste tomato doesn't it? It's not! Looks like a Roma, too. But it's not! This is my new 'go to' variety for the best dang tomato for BLT's and every other fresh tomato use. A perfect 3 to 5 ounce, thin-skinned Dutch tomato, Jutland is plum shaped -- some perfectly smooth, some with a pointed tip but all have the most sublime flavor we've found in a red tomato, ever. It appears in several different shapes on the same plant -- some elongated, some short and plump, and, as with many tomatoes of this shape, the foliage is sort of wispy. Sliced into 'coins' it is my new favorite for salads, sandwiches and cooking. This is less than half of one day's ripe harvest picked from one plant on August 12th -- my kids and grandkids took the rest of them. "Dang it, put those back! Wait'll we take the pictures!" Trust me. Try it. Juicy, sweet, tangy, delicious, old-fashioned tomato flavor make Jutland a must-grow for the most dedicated and adventuresome heirloom tomato fans. Our seeds come from Stephanie Magdziak of Princeton, NJ. Stephanie contacted me about this fabulous tomato, hoping to share it with other heirloom tomato gardeners. She's been growing Jutland for about 15 years since she collected a few seeds at a local tomato-tasting festival and fell in love with this sublime fruit. I did too. Kellogg's Breakfast ($6.25) (E) 78 days. Wow whatta tomato! These big 1 to 2 lb. bright orange beefsteak beauties are exactly the color of orange juice. Thin skinned and with very few seeds, this terrific fruit with its sweet, buttery, ambrosial flavor with a perfect balance of bright tanginess is a favorite of gourmets and gourmands worldwide. Sliced open, it reveals a rich creamy bright-orange flesh, just bursting with juice. A top seller year after year. Seeds originally saved by Darrell Kellogg of Redford, Michigan. Thank you, Darrell. New for 2018! Lavender Lake ($6.50) 88 days. These gorgeous deep purple-black beefsteak size tomatoes are sweet and luscious with tangy gel and sweet meat, making it the perfect tomato for sandwiches, salads, salsa and eating right out-of-your-hand. Lavender Lake does beautifully in large containers as well as in the ground. One of the most beautiful tomatoes in the world, it backs that up with its astounding flavors and fragrance. This beauty belongs in your garden. This stunning photograph is the property of Heritage Tomato Seeds/Bunny Hop Seeds. www.heritageseeds.com Go see their seeds, a fabulous selection! Ripens in only 52 days! Lime Green Salad ($6.25) (VSM) (D) (E) 52 days. Easy to grow in foggy coastal climates, this diminutive semi-determinate plant as become one of my passions. I grew only one Lime Green Salad plant the first season and wish I'd grown 10. This petite plant, about 18" to 24" tall--great for small containers like 5 gallons, or in your main garden, produces huge sprays of blossoms of which about 15% will become tomatoes. Not a cherry tomato, about handball size, expect early, abundant harvests of luscious tangy-sweet 3 to 4 oz. round lime-green tomatoes which literally burst with intricate, sweet refreshing citrusy flavors when you bite into them. The flesh inside is a gorgeous chartreuse, juicy...the flavor lingers. Be sure to wait for the amber color to rise to signal ripeness. Organic Lucky Cross Bicolor Beefsteak Tomato Seeds - 20 Count - Click Image to Close New for 2018! Lucky Cross ($6.50) 85 days. This golden-red bi-color tomato has Brandywine in its parent line so the depth of flavor is stunning, rich and sweet with a perfect balance of tang in the background. Another astonishing variety from Craig Lehoullier, Lucky Cross is one of the best tasting bi-colors in existence so I've got it here for you! Disease resistant, delicious--a fabulous tomato. And go get Craig's amazing book: Epic Tomatoes. A Laurel's Favorite! Marianna's Peace ($6.25) 80 days. (B) (HG) One of our top 3 sellers -- along with Paul Robeson and Tati's Wedding. The sugary nectar of this huge 5" tomato's creamy, dense, deep pink-red flesh is intensely rich, with perfect sweet-acid balance and sublime, complex flavors reminiscent of the finest of the "old-fashioned" tomato flavors. This big, beautiful irresistible up to 2 or 3 lb. deep pink-red fruit is the talk of the tomato world and has found its way into Top 10 favorite tomato lists of gourmands worldwide. It is perfection and one of the 3 finest tasting tomatoes in existence. Marianna was from a family of farmers in Bohemia, Czechoslovakia. During World War II, in May of 1945 when she was 17, Russian soldiers came to her school and forced Marianna and all her schoolmates into a truck to be taken to Siberia. During the journey, she and a few others escaped by jumping from the moving truck, but Marianna was shot in the leg just as she crossed the Czech border. With the help of her friends, she was able to continue on to the town of Weiden, Bavaria. She lost all contact with her parents and brothers for the next ten years, but after a long and diligent search with the aid of The Red Cross, she finally found them in 1955. Before he died, her father gave her a little bundle of the seeds. Marianna married, and in 1957 moved to Washington State with her husband where they raised four children and lots of tomatoes. The legacy of these seeds reaches back to the early 1900's and year after year the tomatoes borne from this marvelous heirloom continue to be treasured for their outstanding taste and beauty. Incredibly sweet, creamy, with dense flesh, rich and luscious, reminiscent of the finest of those "old-fashioned" tomato flavors, the memories of which are the stuff of dreams for all tomato lovers. For those who want the best; these plants are precious and worth the cost. A Marianna's Peace plant makes a delightful and treasured gift for any tomato lover. Rutgers.JPG (394×324) Momotaro ($8.95) (H) (VE) 62 days. This very popular early-ripening hybrid variety, (and Dolly Parton's favorite tomato), is being offered due to hundreds of requests from my customers who have found Momotaro fruits at Farmer's Markets. (The seeds are among the most expensive among the hybrid varieties.) It is exceptionally sweet, low-acid, juicy and just beautiful with a very long shelf life. The 6 ounce fruits are a stunning shade of pink, full flavored, luscious and bountiful on the vine, with superb disease resistance. I smuggled one into an heirloom tasting party, and the folks loved it. The revelation that it was a hybrid was a splendid surprise to the gathered heirloom aficionados and motley crew of tomato gourmets and gourmands. Named for an ancient legend of Momotaro, or Peach Boy, Momotaro was a baby boy found inside a giant peach by childless peasant farmers who had longed for a child of their own. He grew to be a famous warrior for peace. Among his many achievements: conquering, and then encouraging the ogres of Ogre Island to stop pillaging and be nice ogres. Each year the Momotaro festival in Japan celebrates the legend of this brave and wondrous child. Mortgage Lifter aka Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter ($6.25) (BB) (HG) 80 days. Radiator Charlie and his big tomatoes in a newspaper photograph from 1964. This gigantic legendary heirloom from Logan, West Virginia, developed by M.C. 'Charlie' Byles in the 1930's, is huge, sweet, juicy, delicious and prolific, with splendid old time tomato flavor. The meaty pink-red fruits weigh at least a pound, averaging 2½ lbs. and reaching up to 4 lbs. A very prolific plant which continues to bear fruit in high heat and right up until frost, it also keeps very well. Marshall Cletis Byles, who much preferred to go by MC or just Charlie, owned a garage specializing in radiator repair. He developed Mortgage Lifter over a six year period by crossing German Johnson, Beefsteak and 2 other really big varieties, all chosen for their huge size and grand flavor. He sold the resulting plants for a dollar each (in the 40's), and was able to pay off his $5000.00 house mortgage in only 6 years with the profit from his plant sales. "I didn't pay but six thousand dollars for my home, and paid most of it off with tomato plants", said Charlie in a tape recorded interview with his grandson which aired recently on National Public Radio. Charlie's repair shop was at the bottom of a steep hill so travelers whose radiators over-heated during the climb had to coast back down to Radiator Charlie's for repair. Other folks heard about these huge luscious tomatoes and came from hundreds of miles to buy the plant. As my customer John in Virginia says, "It's just not a real tomato garden without Mortgage Lifter." Charlie Byles lived to be 97 years old. Here is a link to the story, in Radiator Charlie's own voice: http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00027&segmentID=6 Our deepest thanks to Jeff McCormack, a famed seed saver, for keeping Charlie Byle's tomato seeds and so many other great heirloom varieties alive and thriving for gardeners worldwide. Without Jeff's efforts many of these grand old family heirlooms would have been lost forever. (And thanks to Cory for his help with the information.) Image result for neves tomato Neves Azorean Red ($6.25) (BB) (Pronounced Nevezh Ah-ZOR-ree-uhn) 75 days. Boy are you in for a treat! This terrific, boldly flavored, 1 to 3 lb tomato is produced on a big hearty plant with a large central stem branching out into loaded branches of big beefsteak tomatoes so delicious they are in great demand in the heirloom tomato world. I had been custom-growing this variety for certain very discriminating customers for the past couple of years, and now that the world is catching on to this spectacular fruit, it could become the ultimate sandwich tomato or to show off your special tomato salad. This one packs quite a flavor punch--not for sissies. Featuring great disease resistance and an excellent production right up until frost, we heartily thank the late Antonio Neves who brought the seeds home with him from a trip to The Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic about 900 miles west of mainland Portugal. Thanks to my customer Renee Machado Berry for the Portugese pronunciation of Neves. :) Image result for northern lights tomato Ripe in only 60 days! Northern Lights ($6.25) F/C (VE) 60 days. An absolutely striking tomato. Easy to grow in foggy coastal climates. This big, heavy 4" - 5", 10 oz. gorgeous yellow-orange beefsteak, with a red blush on the blossom end and spectacular red, gold and yellow patterning in the center, is reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, for which it is named. The flavor is sweet, intense, slightly tangy and luscious. This marvelous tomato, only about 60 to 65 days from plant out until ripe fruit, bears beautiful tomatoes right through the cold weather up until the first frost. Image result for omar's lebanese tomato OMAR'S LEBANESE HUGE! Omar's Lebanese ($6.25) (BBB) 80 days. The really big one! Omar's Lebanese has a passionately sweet and complex flavor. These enormous fruits--deep pink, luscious and juicy--grow to 3-4 lbs with excellent disease resistance. A spectacular tomato. Really easy to grow, out of this world. Can be grown in a large container. Takes 2 hands to pick it. In my top 5. Omar from Lebanon brought this tomato to the US years ago. Yay Omar! Paul Robeson ($6.50) (VE) (HG) 65-70 days. This is my all-time favorite tomato and our top seller. It is a gorgeous, dark and dusky-hued fruit with intensely sweet earthy taste with a hint of tanginess, a luscious velvety smooth texture, beautiful skin, rich with juice and high production. You will love it. The seed was made available by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seedswoman. This luxurious tomato is named for Paul Robeson (1898-1976), the elegant, renowned and charismatic operatic singer, law school graduate, champion athlete, film star, stage actor and boundlessly brave champion of civil and personal rights throughout the world. This marvelous plant will give you its perfect 3" - 4" fruit in only 65 days from planting. Incredible; a symphony. I do believe this is the finest tomato in existence. Rare... and delicious Pineapple Pig ($6.25) 80 days. F/C This big, bodacious beauty regularly weighs 12 oz. to 1 lb. With sweet, rich, complex flavor, Pineapple Pig is lusciously sweet - never mild, never bland - deeply delicious! This creamy ivory-golden fruit has beautiful green mottling here and there along with a rosy blush, making it one of the prettiest tomatoes in your garden and an all around winner for top flavor. Another awesome variety from Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms. IMPORTANT NOTE!: Remember to water sparingly or moderately when the fruits start to ripen. Otherwise you'll have a waterlogged mushy tomato! This goes for ALL of your heirlooms! PINK BUMBLE BEE New for 2018! Pink Bumble Bee ($6.50) 68 days. F/C (VSM) These gorgeous 1½" perfectly round cherry tomatoes are deep pink and with sunshine yellow streaking -- perfect for fresh tomato salads! Sweet flavor and distinctive looks make them a great choice for home gardeners and for market growers to use in colorful pints of mixed cherry tomatoes. Crack-resistant fruit develops on strong plants. Add this to your Bumble Bee collection along with Purple Bumble Bee and Sunrise Bumble Bee! The Triad of Bumble Bee-ness! Purple Bumble Bee Tomato © Photograph property of rareseeds.com Purple Bumblebee ($6.50) 65 days. F/C (VSM) Look at these dark, dusky beauties! Purple Bumble Bee is a new delightful 1" cherry tomato with all the deeply complex smoky flavors of the black tomatoes. With dramatic grey-green stripes and stunning purple flesh inside, this little treasure will be a favorite treat in your garden. Crack resistant, disease resistant and a high producer all season long! You will have basketsful to share. Bred by Fred Hempel of Baia Nicchia Farm in Sunol, CA. Way to go, Fred! Add this to your Bumble Bee collection along with Pink and Sunrise Bumble Bee! The Triad of Bumble Bee-ness! You'll see these 2 photographs I took of Purple Haze Homegrown are bathed in lavender light or 'Purple Haze'. Not a photo trick, but natural late-afternoon light from a gorgeous autumn sunset here in Los Angeles. Purple Haze Homegrown ($6.95) (E) (HG) 70 to 75 days. Presenting Purple Haze Homegrown. Our rarest plant. This exquisite deep purple fruit arose from a Purple Haze Hybrid plant growing in our home garden. The fruit was identical but the leaves were potato type. We grew it out and it stabilized for 10 generations (in 5 years). I have named this open-pollinated, potato leafed plant Purple Haze Homegrown. An elegant 2 ounce larger-cherry-type tomato with rapturous flavor, a seductive shape and sensuous color. I lowered the price because seeds are in better supply. Originally created by Keith Mueller (with stunning success) to improve the flavor of Black Cherry, its name was inspired by its beguiling color and parental lineage which combines Brandywine, Cherokee Purple and Black Cherry. Great tasting fruits are sweeter and larger than Black Cherry -- about 2-3 oz -- golf ball size. The delicate lavender tint in the photograph was a gift from the light in the western sky, a rapturous autumn sundown, naturally lit in purple, pink and gold. Golden time -- with some magic -- for a photographer. The flavor, for the lucky few who have eaten one, is lively, sweet and sparkling with a fine tanginess, deeply passionate with earthy nuances and lingering sweetness. Twice the size of its cousin, Foxy Lady, Purple Haze Homegrown does well in high heat and cool temperatures. Early ripening and growing in abundance on a huge plant in clusters of 5 to 7 fruits, Purple Haze Homegrown ripens in only 70 days from plant out and produces tomatoes right up until frost. NOTE: A portion of the proceeds from Purple Haze Homegrown will be donated to TACA, Talk About Curing Autism, to assist families of autistic children. Donations will be made in the names of a couple of very fine and winsome young fellows, Caleb and Ethan. www.talkaboutcuringautism.org. Help For Your Loved Ones Who May Wander. Do you know an autistic child or other beloved person who might become lost and need help? Here is marvelous resource to find them and get them home safe: www.ifIneedhelp.org New for 2018! A Laurel's TOP PICK for 2018! Queen of the Sea ($6.50) 80 days. This huge, luscious ruby-red jewel comes to us from the fertile fields bordering the banks of the Adriatic Sea in the northernmost region of the Mediterranean Sea. These big hearty tomatoes are heavy-in-the-hand and grow in clusters of 3 or 4, each weighing 10 oz. to 2 lbs. and have the depth of flavor and fragrance we hope for in our tomato gardens. Sweet, rich and meaty with silky texture and incredible flavors, I am tasting one as I write this--right now--true story. Sweet! Wow. This tomato is fabulous! Really heavy! Full of juice. I didn't even slice it, my 20 yr. old grandson Stevie Ray is horrified! I'm eating it like an apple, juice running down my neck and my arms. He yelled "watch out for your keyboard!" I’ve called it Queen of the Sea to honor the generations of gardeners and farmers in the countries surrounding the Adriatic Sea who have grown, and are still growing, this outstanding tomato. Seeds of this high-producing beauty are from Meri Jelenic Bijelic of Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The tomatoes in the photograph were grown by my friend who helps me grow out new varieties, 'Tomato Foster Mom' Barbara Kraus, from the same town. 54d5a57cae7fa4af4859bb45eeeebc11.jpg (736×1099) Rapunzel ($8.95) 70 days. (H) (E) Yes, I know.... but it is real. I've gotten dozens of calls and emails from gardeners searching for Rapunzel plants. Here it is! This new, awesome hybrid produces tremendously long clusters of bright red, one inch, sweet juicy tomatoes all season long. The fruits themselves have an intense, rich flavor and the ridiculously dazzling trusses will have you doing a double-take. Some of the 'strands' may hold up to 20-40 tomatoes. Pretty cool. Great for containers! Grows to 5 or 6 feet tall. Needs support. Awesome as a gift. Gold Medal Tomato A Laurel's Top Pick! Ruby Gold (Sometimes called Gold Medal) ($6.75) 85 days. A stunning beauty with thrilling, sweet tropical flavors, this was my hands-down favorite for 2016. I could not be without it. Ruby Gold has gigantic flavor, rivaling Cherokee Purple and Brandywine -- it may be as good as Paul Robeson. Cut it open, take a bite and prepare to have your mind blown. Awesome color, huge flavor, gorgeous and delicious. So prolific! I am getting dozens of tomatoes from one plant in a 30 gallon SmartPot. I have a special fondness for the multi-hued tomatoes because-- well, look at this thing! First offered to American gardeners in 1921 by John Lewis Childs seed company in New York, Ruby Gold was rediscovered in West Virginia in 1967 by the legendary Ben Quisenberry. Craig LeHoullier got seeds in 1987 from John Hartman of Indiana, and here it is...for you. San Marzano Redorta ($6.25) 80 days. Among the best of the Italian sauce tomatoes, this big, luscious high-producing Roma type fruit is named for Pizzo di Redorta, (Redorta Peak) one of the highest peaks in the Bergamo Alps of Lombardy, Northern Italy. At 8 to 12 ounces-- with some reaching 16 ounces-- and 4" to 6" long and almost banana shaped, it is a much larger tomato with much better flavor than its cousin, San Marzano. San Marzano Redorta is marvelously rich, extremely productive and good enough to eat fresh, right off the vine. Solar Flare Solar Flare ($6.25) 75 days Another fabulous variety from Brad Gates who brought us Berkeley Tie Dye. The 6 to 10 ounce fruits are meaty and heavy in the hand. This reliably high producer offers intensely old-time tomatoey flavors. Luscious, juicy, rich, sweet, and irresistible. The beauty of this tomato will stop you in your tracks. Gorgeous red, marbled with golden streaks. Good disease resistance and high production will make it a favorite in your garden for years to come. My seeds are from A.P. Whaley Seed Company. Thanks Aaron! Ripe in only 52 days! Stupice ($6.25) F/C (EE) (pron: Stoo-PEETS) 52 days. A great tomato! For me, this classic fruit is without doubt, the very best tasting super-early cold-or-hot weather variety and among the first one I plant each season. Big flavor, sweet and luscious. Not a cherry tomato, Stupice is a 3 to 4 oz. red round fruit, bigger than a golf ball, smaller than a handball, the very first to ripen and very high yielding. Produces quickly, heavily, reliably early and continuously throughout the season. Even when fruits are smaller as the season wanes, they maintain their marvelous flavor becoming even sweeter with colder weather. A garden staple. Summer Cider ($6.75) 80 days. (B) Oh. My. God. I had my first taste of this spectacular 1 to 2 lb. fruit when I bought one at Elser's Country Farm stand at our local farmers' market this summer in Torrance CA. I brought it home, sliced it in half and started eating. Lost my mind. Still haven't found it.... This is one of the most incredibly delicious tomatoes I have ever tasted. Refreshing, juicy, fruity, sweet, tangy, sublime. The color of perfectly ripe apricot. Meaty, full flavored, ambrosial. Love it. Summer Cider can be potato leafed or regular leafed, producing identical fruits. A Laurel's exclusive. This photograph of Summer Cider from her summer of 2014 harvest is the property of our customer Dianna Theyssen, used here with her gracious permission. Sun Gold ($6.75) F/C (EE) (H) 45-60 days. This is the one of the best cherry tomatoes I, or anyone, has ever tasted, and ready to pick in only 45 to 60 days or less. It has the huge, rich flavor of a full-size tomato, in a beautiful little deep-golden fruit growing in bountiful clusters on a big ol' plant. Sweet, rich, so beautiful...most of them won't make it into your house from the garden. If you send someone to pick them for you, keep your binoculars trained upon the picker and check for tomato breath. The tomatoes in the photograph were picked on November 25th with our Los Angeles night temperatures in the 40's; Sun Gold is a beast. Try Amish Gold, too, it's crossed with Sun Gold! Sunrise Bumble Bee ($6.50) F/C (E) 65 days. TOP SELLER! What can I say? I've never seen anything prettier in the cherry tomato world. This is a very special cherry tomato, an astounding artisan variety. Please put this plant into your garden -- but remember -- at harvest time you're going to get really popular. Sunrise Bumblebee is plump and bountiful, full of old-time-sweet-honey-pop-in-your-mouth tomato flavors and just as cute as it can be. This is the tomato you would steal from your neighbors in the middle of the night. But don't. Grow your own! Also try Pink Bumble Bee and Purple Bumble, the Triad of Bumble Bee-ness! And watch out for middle-of-the-night tomato fiends. Sunset's Red Horizon ($6.25) F/C (B) (E) 72 days. This big, red, ambrosial and glorious fruit is hugely popular in the heirloom tomato world -- one of the best tasting tomatoes in existence. Producing like a champ in cool and hot weather, resistant to frost and heat, it is a splendid producer of big red Oxheart shaped, 5" fruits with fabulous old-time intense tomato flavors and silky texture. From 10 to about 16 ounces it produces early and continues bearing lots of yummy fruit into November and December. Introduced to the west by Nik Peplenov, who immigrated to the US in 1999 and brought with him his favorite heirloom seeds from the Rostov Don region of Russia, it was named by Tomato Man, Gary Ibsen, in 2003 after his favorite publication, Sunset Magazine. The fruit in the photograph was picked in our garden on January 27th, 2007, and eaten immediately. :) High heat specialist! Super Sioux ($6.25) (E) 70 days. Here's a superior hot-weather tomato for you! This delicious round, red 4 to 6 oz extra heat tolerant variety is an improvement of the Sioux tomato developed in 1944. Grand flavor, sweet and tangy, rich and complex, along with its ability to continue producing in very hot temperatures have made Super Sioux one of the most reliable hot weather producers in existence. Super Snow White ($6.25) 70 days. F/C (E) A gourmet's delight. I can't say enough about this exquisite 1½" white cherry tomato which ripens from white to ivory to palest yellow with a bright, rich and sweet juicy flavor. Luscious. There are some ripening right now in my garden, just 12 feet from my desk.... These angels add charm, beauty and flavor to your cherry collection. Very prolific, easy to grow even in foggy coastal climates. Pretty as starlight and a top seller. (An improvement of 'Snow White'.) New for 2018! Sweet Leilani ($6.50) 65 days. This precious little sweetie is a cousin of Purple Haze, yet this one grows tomatoes that are twice the size. Not a cherry, tomatoes this size, 2", are called saladette. A very heavy producer with clusters of 6 to 10 tomatoes. It surprised me in my garden as a cross of Foxy Lady and I'm not sure what! Maybe Amy's Sugar Gem? Showing up in shades of deep mahogany, purple and brick red, Sweet Leilani lives up to its name. Sweet! Growing to 2" on a hearty plant, it produces loads of yummy tomatoes with that tropical, smoky sweet flavor we love in the purple and black varieties. I am happy to name it for my granddaughter Leilani who is beautiful, dusky, sweet (usually) and a sassy little thing. My seeds and the photo are from Heritage Seed Market. Sweet Scarlet, Dwarf ($6.75) 78 days. F/C (VSM) This vigorous dwarf plant produces a heavy yield of 10 to 16 ounce smooth, sweet and tangy, red tomatoes with a superb, intense concentrated tomato flavor. One of the best of the Dwarf Tomato Project varieties, it may surprise you by producing and occasional yellow or orange tomato on the same plant. Be sure to try them, they taste fantastic, one of the thrills of growing in the heirloom world! IMPORTANT NOTE!: Remember to water sparingly or moderately when your tomatoes start to ripen. Otherwise you'll have a waterlogged mushy tomato! This goes for ALL of your heirlooms! Laurel's Top Pick! My absolute favorite discovery of 2017! Tati's Wedding (TAH-tees) ($6.75) 80 days. Tati is short for Tatiana. This big luscious beauty -- the most flavorful variety I've come across this season and my top pick for 2017, was discovered by my customer Dan Stein of New York as he drove through the Kazbek mountains in the Caucasus of Georgia, south of Russia. He was there on a special day, his friend Tatiana's wedding, when he stopped at a roadside produce stand and discovered this fabulous tomato. The farmer had not named it, so Dan called it Kazbegi Red. After hearing this beautiful story, I couldn't resist naming it for beautiful Tatiana, whose nickname is Tati. These tomatoes are luscious, meaty and silky with big sweetness and just enough tang to make it the perfect all purpose tomato and one of the juiciest I've ever eaten. So productive, you'll get dozens of delicious tomatoes in varying sizes and shapes on the same plant, from 5 oz. up to 16 oz. or more. This is one of the most delightful traits of the heirloom tomatoes. The tomato in the photograph weighed 16 ounces and was grown this season by my customer and friend Barbara Kraus of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. After our Tati's Wedding plants were demolished by rampaging raccoons, Barb came to my rescue and grew out some plants in her garden. Without Barb we would not have any photographs or seeds or plants of this incredible for you! Yay, Barb! Todd County Amish ($6.25) 82 days. (One of Laurel's Favorites) A genuine Amish family heirloom tomato. Last season I had a chat with my old friend Lisa Von Saunder of Amishland Seeds. I asked, "So, Lisa, what's the very best big Amish tomato? The most awesome flavored one -- I mean the one that makes your eyes roll back in your head?" She said, "Laurel, you have got to try Todd County Amish, it is incredible!" So I did and she's right. Oh. My. God. We went crazy for them! Huge, beautiful, luscious, deep pink, 1 to 2 pound slightly fluted beefsteaks. Delicious, elaborate, sweet, rich, old time tomatoey flavors. Todd County Amish produces scads of fruit all season right up to frost. Unforgettable. When you bite into one of these you won't want to share it--but go ahead, it produces huge harvests; there will be enough bounty for everyone. Lisa knows what she's talkin' about when it comes to things Amish. New for 2018! Tomatoberry ($6.75) 55 days (H) A real showshopper in your tomato garden! These perfectly charming deep-red strawberry or heart shaped fruits average 1" x 1" with very sweet flavors, very tender flesh and more juice than most cherry tomatoes. The flavor is divine and the appearance is stunning, the production is huge. Ripening in only 50 to 60 days, Tomatoberry is an outstanding addition to your garden. A heavy producer, hearty vines, a beautiful fruit with the flavor to match! Yellow Gooseberry, See Hartman's Yellow Gooseberry above. 12.5 oz Todd County Amish © Photograph courtesy of Damon Webber. Yellow Pear, See Yellow Submarine, below. Yellow Submarine ($6.25) 70 days. (Ch) (E) A Laurel's exclusive. A wonderful little tomato! Similar in appearance to Yellow Pear but with a deep, rich, very sweet flavor and excellent texture, Yellow Submarine is replacing Yellow Pear for many gardeners who long for that beguiling shape and color but with big, scrumptious old-time tomatoey taste. Now the cutest little tomato also has great big flavor! Shown growing in a 25 gallon tan SmartPot in our garden. Photo by Adrienne Park-Tucker. Having trouble deciding? Ask for Laurel's Choice or choose a Gift Certificate! Laurel will personally select varieties especially suited to your climate and tomato preferences. Just provide some guidelines for flavor, color, size, etc. and let us know your zip code to help determine your perfect planting time. On your shipping day Laurel will choose among the finest plants in our nursery and create a magnificently luscious tomato garden just for you. Gift Certificate information is below. Minimum order for Laurel's Choice is 4 plants. 310 534-8611 California Gold Olive Oil Presents: California Gold Olive Oil Company is Proud to Present Laurel's Blend We are delighted to present our Laurel's Blend Olive Oil blend again for 2017. The new pressing is lovely. Golden, mellow, smooth and buttery with a discreet touch of earthiness to complement your heirloom tomato harvest, this superb quality, award-winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil was created by our friend and fellow heirloom tomato fan, Kevin Tazelaar, Founder of California Gold Olive Oil Co. in Oakdale, California. Kevin presented an array of oil blends for Laurel and the Tomato Elves to sample in a blind taste test. They chose a unanimous favorite; Kevin bottled it and named it Laurel's Blend. We are delighted to present this tasty treat to drizzle lovingly onto your heirloom tomatoes as the harvest comes in. Each 8 ounce bottle is $12.50. To order, please include with your plant order. A welcome and delicious gift! More Information here: Laurel's Blend Olive Oil, My Favorite! Consultations Do you need advice about planting tips, soil preparation, trellising, fertilizers, etcetera? We know how important it is to get good advice and we want to be able to continue offering expert advice about choosing plants and gardening tips. For all customers: when you place your order we are happy to offer basic consultations at no charge whatsoever when we take your order and throughout your growing season. If you do not plan to order, consultations are $120.00 per hour. Have your credit card handy. Specialized Consultation For a specialized consultation which requires detailed research into your climate conditions and advice in creating a garden in your particular climate, including soil conditioning, the best time to plant, season extenders, landscaping ideas, plant lay-out, detailed variety selection, fertilization techniques, or how to grow for market, etc. our fee is $120.00 per hour. We do not to on-site consults or landscaping. Gift Certificates Our certificates are printed on beautiful full sheet ivory parchment featuring 16 gorgeous full color photographs of our most popular heirloom tomato varieties. They are mailed unfolded in a handsome, white 9" x 12" presentation envelope. You may also have your certificate emailed to you to print for your recipient, or sent directly to their email address. Your credit will not expire and can be redeemed for all future plant and product orders. Black Sara, Chuck's Yellow, Gary Ibsen's Gold and The Dutchman "©copyright photo courtesy TomatoFest.com I love to make personalized and customized gift certificates for all occasions. Our gift certificates are themselves an elegant gift. You can choose certain varieties, or a certain number of plants or a dollar amount for your recipient's certificate. I will personally create and send a beautiful full-sheet antiqued parchment gift certificate for any occasion: All holidays, birthday, wedding, anniversary, graduation, promotion, house or garden warming, sympathy, congratulations, remembrance, or just pure tomato love, in the style and wording you choose. Will This Be a Gift? The Personalized Gift Certificate Your recipient's Personalized Gift Certificate will feature a full-color array of 12 beautiful heirloom tomato photographs printed on full sheet parchment, along with your personal greeting of any length. $7.50. The Personalized Gift Certificate with Detailed Descriptions and Photos If you will be selecting specific varieties for your recipient, Laurel will add additional full sheet parchments printed with detailed descriptions and full color photographs of each tomato you choose. This stunning certificate is a spectacular gift in itself, $12.50. Each page should accommodate 10 varieties. For more than 3 pages of photographs, additional cost is $2.00 per page. Details Shipping charges for the plants will be included, so your recipient will be free to relax and choose from more than 100 varieties of heirloom tomato plants and garden products. For customer's choice certificates, plant cost will be averaged at $6.95 each so your recipient, or Laurel if you select Laurel's Choice, can choose from among our more expensive plants. You may also select a dollar amount beginning at $35.00. These elegant full sheet certificates add a heartwarming touch to your gift. Your recipient and Laurel will get together and determine the perfect shipping week when the weather is just right for planting in their garden. Each certificate is cased back and front with sheets of white paper to prevent peeking, then slipped into a 9" x 11" heavyweight white craft envelope with a 2" by 4" 'To: From:' label already printed with your name and your recipient's name in an elegant cursive font and mailed in an 11" x 13" sturdy white craft envelope and for Christmas Certificates, with a Do Not Open Until Christmas label sealing the envelope. :) I am happy to personally assist your recipients in choosing plants for their climates and preferences when they call to redeem their certificates. Price List: The Personalized Gift Certificate on full sheet parchment, sheathed in a white presentation envelope and then mailed in an 11" x 15" white craft envelope, $7.50, plus postage of $4.85. The Emailed Gift Certificate, $7.50. Designed to be printed by you on white or ivory parchment or vellum or another elegant paper. The Personalized Gift Certificate on Parchment with Detailed Descriptions and Full Color Photographs of the tomatoes, $12.50. For more than 3 pages of photographs, additional cost is $2.00 per page. Add postage of $5.80. This can also be emailed at a lower cost. Just call or email to tell me what you have in mind. I'll make it for you. ~ Laurel Telephone hours: Monday-Friday 9 to 5 Pacific Time. Need seeds? Click: Go to Tomatofest.com Grandma Oliver's Green Black "©copyright photo courtesy Go to Tomatofest.com Personal Favorites A Photo Gallery, see photos of some of Laurel's Favorite tomatoes. Growing Tips For Fine Organic Gardening Products including Great Big Plants Liquid Compost "The Energy Drink for Plants'. What Our Customers Say Payment Information Click for detailed information about shipping and packaging costs. Please familiarize yourself with our shipping and payment policies and our guarantee before ordering. For PayPal Payments, click on this PayPal Verified Seal Contact Laurel: Telephone hours: August through October 31st : Monday-Thursday 9 to 4 Pacific Time. November through June 20th: Monday-Friday 9 to 5 Phone 310 534-8611 Email: tomatoplants@pacbell.net Please call for an appointment if you would like to pick up plants. "In Lycopersicon Veritas." ~ Laurel Homepage: www.heirloomtomatoplants.com Copyright Information All original materials, tomato descriptions, photographs and original copy contained herein are protected by copyright and are the sole property of Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants, www.heirloomtomatoplants.com or of Gary Ibsen and Carmel TomatoFest® -- www.TomatoFest.com or of the following people, companies or entities: * Description by Gary Ibsen, Owner of TomatoFest.com All rights reserved. Purple Haze plant and Purple Haze grouping are the property of Dana Ferrin and used here with his gracious permission. Photo of 3 parents of Purple Haze Original are the property of Keith Mueller. Green Giant photographs are the sole property of Cynthia Sandberg, owner, Love Apple Farm www.loveapplefarm.biz used here with her kind permission. All rights reserved. Summer Cider, Hartman's Yellow Gooseberry and Chocolate Amazon photographs are the exclusive property of Lisa VonSaunder and are used herein with her gracious permission. www.amishlandseeds.com All rights reserved. The following photographs, and any other photographs on this website are the sole property of Laurel Garza and Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants or the property of other persons and entities as noted and attributed herein. and may not be used without the express written permission of the persons and entities named here. All rights reserved. The following photographs may not be used without the express written permission of Laurel Garza. 310-534 8611: Big Beef, Black Cherry, Brown Derby, Isis Candy, Eva Purple Ball, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Cherokee Purple single fruit, Dona, Black Krim, Rutgers, Goose Creek, Japanese Black Trifele 3 fruit portrait, Japanese Yellow Truffle, Julia Child, Black Plum grouped in bowl, Sara Black, Purple Haze Homegrown, Striped German, Matina, Valencia single fruit, Beiju, Bloody Butcher, Sweet Baby Girl, Grape, Sun Gold, Sun Sugar, Green Zebra, Black Zebra, Stupice, Lemon Boy, Beefsteak, Carmello, Momotaro, Goose Creek, Kellogg's Breakfast, Tangella, Traveler, Super Sioux, Stupice, Flammée, Old German, Paul Robeson-single fruit, Persimmon, Twin Carmello, Yellow Brandywine, Laurel Holding Jaune Flammee, Sliced Brandywine OTV, Basket Next To Heirlooms On Table, Table With Heirloom Tomatoes against Yellow Background" and Heirloom Tomato Montage, Laurel holding Paul Robeson plant. www.heirloomtomatoplants.com All rights reserved. All other photographs of tomatoes are the sole property of Gary Ibsen and TomatoFest.com® and used with the gracious permission of TomatoFest.com®. www.TomatoFest.com All rights reserved. Photos belonging to Gary Ibsen may not be copied or used in any way without his express written permission. Goose Creek tomato plant, its fruits, its seeds and its name are protected by copyright and US patent, and are the sole property of Jimmy Williams and Hayground Organic Gardening. Under patent and copyright law, Goose Creek tomato seeds may not be sold, saved to sell, or donated or traded with knowledge of intent to sell, or with intent to grow and sell plants or fruits or any part thereof, in any way, without the express written permission of Jimmy Williams. All rights reserved. 2009 - 2014 'Two Heirloom Tomatoes' watercolor painting is the sole property of artist Tom Hapgood and used herein with his gracious permission. www.tomhapgood.com All rights reserved. All rights are reserved. Any unauthorized use of any photograph or description contained herein will result in prosecution and penalties to the full extent of US copyright laws. 1999 - 2017 Under no circumstances will be held liable for crop failure. We guarantee the plants will arrive in excellent condition. Beyond that, it is up to each individual gardener to maintain your plants.