Tomatoes

Tomato seed is our number one selling vegetable seed! This incredibly diverse vegetable plant group includes more than an estimated 10,000 varieties. It's no wonder tomato seeds are our most popular seed and the most requested at seed swaps! Because they have long, stable viability when stored correctly, they are easy to collect and save, making them a target among small-scale seed savers and breeders. This has led to the proliferation of diverse tomato varieties. From sweet to tangy to umami flavored tomatoes, you can find just as many colors and shapes of tomatoes as flavors! In Zones 9 and 10, tomatoes grow from seed prolifically well and are known to become perennials in mild areas.  Tomatoes can be categorized by their growing habits. Bush tomatoes or determinate tomatoes have a bushy plant habit and bear all their fruits at once. Typically, these types of tomatoes are used for canning, preserving, and sauce-making; their ability to bear a large load of fruit at once creates the need for preservation.  On the other hand, indeterminate tomatoes bear fruit over a long period (all season). Indeterminate tomatoes are often referred to as pole tomatoes since they grow long and vine-like. They are best grown with ample support. Semi-determinate tomatoes have qualities shared by both. In our collection of seeds, you will find both a wide variety of determinate and indeterminate tomatoes. We recommend determinate varieties when growing in small spaces or containers with little support since they tend to be bushier with less plant to trellis. For indeterminate tomatoes, a trellis system is needed. You can choose from a wide range of trellising systems, but we recommend using the low and lean method with Tomahooks or a similar design. This system allows indeterminate or pole tomatoes to be grown in a manageable way. It also cuts down on disease issues due to the increased pruning required.  No matter how you grow your tomatoes, planting tomato seeds in your garden or on your farm will provide you with tons of one of the most diverse fruits on the planet!