Heirloom Tomato Seed

Planting Heirloom Tomato Seed

SStart Heirloom / Open Pollinated Tomato seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date. Plant the Tomato seeds ¼” deep in sterile seed starting mix. Germination occurs in 6-14 days in soil 70-90°F. Once true leaves develop, separate Heirloom / Open Pollinated Tomato plants into 3-4″ pots, placing in full light & cooler temps (60-70°F). Set out hardened off Tomato transplants, in full sun, once soil has warmed, 18-30″ apart, in rows 3-4′ apart. Plant tall, spindly Tomato seedlings deeper, the stems will sprout roots and support and strengthen the plant. To help prevent blossom end rot, put 1 Tbs of lime, ground oyster shells, or crushed eggshells at the bottom of your planting hole. The calcium will help build strong cell walls once your heirloom tomatoes plants start producing fruit. For strong tomato plants, add 1 Tbs of aged compost and 1 Tbs of bone meal to the bottom of the hole as well.

Caring for Heirloom Tomato

Set tomato cages around each plant at planting time and be sure to stake each tomato cage down. Placing cages at planting time avoids damaging roots later in the season. Indeterminate vining heirloom tomatoes can overgrow a tomato cage later in the season causing it to flop over. An extra stake or two will keep this from happening. When the first flowers start to appear, side dress the tomato plants by watering with compost tea or dilute fish emulsion.

Heirloom Tomatoes produce new stems at each leaf node between the main stem and the leaf axils. By pinching away these new branches, it will allow the plant to put more of its energy into larger tomato fruit. Stems with fruit clusters will often keep right on growing to form new branches sapping the plant’s energy. Pinch away new branches just beyond each fruit cluster. Checking your tomatoes once a week for these new stems and pinching and pruning if need be, is best. The suckers that you pink and prune off can be rooted in seed starting mix to start a second crop.)

Harvesting Heirloom Tomato

Can harvest Heirloom / Open Pollinated Tomatoes at first blush of color, setting out in a single layer under newspapers at room temperature to ripen. To vine ripen Heirloom / Open Pollinated Tomatoes, leave on vine until firm yet beginning to soften. Cut or gently twist off fruits supporting the vine at the same time. Don’t leave overripe fruits on the vine because they decrease yield and may spread disease.

Storing and preserving Heirloom Tomato

If cool temperatures threaten in the Fall, harvest Heirloom / Open Pollinated Tomatoes, even green ones. Bring them in and place in a dark place in a box, under newspaper to develop full flavor and ripeness. Another method is to place green Heirloom / Open Pollinated Tomatoes in a single layer in a box with a lid, adding a few apples which will release ethylene gas which helps the ripening process.

Varieties of Heirloom Tomato we offer for sale: