Beefsteak Seeds
Beefsteak Seeds
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 Omars Lebanese Organic Heirloom Tomato Seeds  US $.99
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 25 Black Krim Tomato Seeds Russian Organic Heirloom US $.99
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 50 Mortgage Lifter Tomato Seeds Vegetable Heirloom US $.99
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 Tomato Seeds Brandywine Red Yellow Heirloom Mix Organic 20 30 Seeds US $1.25
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 Tomato Seeds Heirloom Brandywine Yellow Organic US $1.25
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 Beef Steak Creole Roma VF Tomato Seeds US $1.99
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 CHEROKEE PURPLE TOMATO 4 heirloom tomato plants US $5.57
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 ORGANIC HEIRLOOM BEEFSTEAK TOMATO 50 SEEDS US $.99
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 LILLIANS YELLOW TOMATO 4 tomato plants HEIRLOOM US $2.99
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 Tomato Beefsteak 25 seeds US $.79
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 1000 BEEFSTEAK TOMATO SEEDS US $3.09
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 Garden Seeds 32 packs US $5.50
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 Tomato Seeds Fruit Seeds NEW 100 mg US $2.95
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 HEIRLOOM VEGETABLE GARDEN SEED LOT 29 DIFFERENT PACKS US $14.99
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 BRANDYWINE TOMATO COMBO SEEDS US $3.75
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 BLACK TOMATO COMBO SEEDS TULA PRINCE KRIM US $4.55
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 Perilla Chinese basil 30 seeds TICK REPELLANT US $4.75
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 BeafSteak Tomato Seeds US $1.00
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 TOMATO PLANT BURPEE SUPER BEEFSTEAK BLOOMING STARTED FROM SEED ON 2 21 12 US $15.00
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 HILLBILLY TOMATO SEEDS 50 seeds US $1.80
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| cooking advice |
Growing Your Best Tomatoes
Tomatoes are arguably the most popular homegrown crop in the United States. What makes them so popular? Most tomato lovers would agree that the best-tasting tomatoes in the world are those that are homegrown in a backyard garden. Furthermore, tomatoes are an easy crop to grow, yielding fruit in almost any soil type, provided they get 5-6 hours of sunlight a day. Even if you don't have a dedicated garden, per say, most homeowners can find at least a few square feet of their landscaping where they can put a tomato plant.
If you are interested in putting a few tomato plants in your garden this year, we've got some great tips to help you grow your best tomatoes ever!
The first decision in homegrown tomatoes is whether you want to start them yourself from seed, or if you'll purchase young plants from a nursery. For the less-serious home gardener, who just wants a few of your average homegrown tomatoes to eat, the usual varieties found in a nursery will do just fine, plus you'll save the time and trouble of growing them from seed. However, if you are planting on a large scale, starting from seed can be much more economical than buying young plants. Furthermore, if you want to grow any specific varieties of tomatoes besides your average beefsteak, Better Boy, or Early Girl, you may be forced to start the plants from seed. Pear tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes and others are varieties that nurseries don't typically sell as young plants.
Proper fertilization techniques are vital for growing your best tomatoes. If starting indoors from seed, you should fertilize when the first set of leaves appear on the seedlings. In the early stages, you'll want to use a fertilizer that's high in nitrogen, because this will help the plants to grow strong. However, when the plants get large enough that they begin forming blossoms, it is recommended to switch over to a fertilizer that's higher in phosphorus and potassium. Too much nitrogen during the fruiting stages will result in plenty of vine and very little fruit.
If you do grow your tomatoes indoors from seed, it's important to harden them off before moving them outdoors. There are many ways to accomplish this. You could set up a small fan to blow gently on the plants indoors. When the daytime temperatures are warm enough, you could also begin setting the plants outdoors for several hours a day, gradually increasing their time outdoors and length of time in the sun, day by day. Eventually the plants will be ready to set outside.
When planting tomatoes, it is important to plant deeply. When planting, you should bury at least half to three quarters of the plant, so that only the top few branches are sticking out. New roots will eventually form all along the stem that you submerge in the soil, making the plant stronger.
Among tomato growers, there is wide debate about whether to pick or not to pick suckers. Suckers are secondary stems that form on all tomato plant, and they grow from the joint of the main stem and the primary branches. There are two fields of thought about this. If you allow suckers to grow, they will sap much of the energy from the plant's main stem. Allowing suckers to grow on an indeterminate plant will result in an enormous, sprawling tomato plant that, by season's end, can be difficult to manage. On the other hand, if you remove all the suckers from your tomato plant, the plant will become very spindly, without very many leaves. When you have a tomato plant that isn't bushy enough, the fruits themselves will be more susceptible to discoloration and sunspots because they don't get adequate shading from the plant itself. In general, for more home gardeners, it is recommended to allow some of your suckers to grow in the beginning, but by mid-season, to begin removing suckers and continue doing so until the plants are finished in the fall.
Lastly, be sure to keep a close eye out for any diseased plants. While many varieties of tomatoes have been hybridized to be disease resistant, there are still some plants that will be susceptible to common tomato problems such as fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt. If you notice a plant that looks unhealthy, you should attempt to diagnose the problem as quickly as possible, and potentially remove the plant all together. Many diseases affecting tomatoes will spread rapidly from one plant to another, and it's always better to sacrifice one plant than to risk your entire crop of tomatoes.
Tomatoes are not a difficult plant to grow. Even the gardener with the blackest of thumbs can usually produce a decent crop of tomatoes with very little effort. However, if you do provide them with a little extra care and nurturing, you'll be rewarded with your best tomatoes ever!
About the Author
Ellen Bell works for Home Products 'n' More, a retail website that offers free shipping on products for the home gardener such as compost tumbler bins and indoor greenhouse kits. Visit us at http://www.homeproductsnmore.com/Greenhouse_Supplies_s/2504.htm
Where on-line can I purchase Better Boy and Early Girl Organic Tomato Seed?
I'm having difficulty finding seed for these two popular tomato hybrids but have been able to find organic tomato seeds for other hybrids such as Brandywine, Beefsteak and Romas.
I see some people are saying seed is seed, but companies such as Burpee, Territorial and Park all offer organically grown seeds. What I'm looking for is organically grown Better Boy and Early Girl tomato seed. I realize even non-organic seed can be grown in an organic environment.
Of course, "seed is not seed." There's quite a few people out there that don't like the idea of a chemical fungicide coating on their seeds (and I know this is not usually on tomato seeds) or having them come from a plant that house been doused with the same.
I can't find them; but I think the problem is that they are considered hybrids while the others you note are really heirloom varieties.
Try johnnys selected seeds and seeds of change for some other organic types. They both have early varieties.
