We had an exciting event on our suburban homestead yesterday.
our family was greeted by our friendly heirloom tomatoes as they poked their first leaves and stems through their warm seed-starter beds.
Our heirloom tomato seeds were started four weeks earlier this year. We hope to harvest the entire crop of ripe tomatoes before the arrival of our always too early – late September frost and snow.
In four weeks our tomato plants will be transplanted into larger pots. At the end of April the plants will be moved outside into a thermostat controlled cold frame until they can be planted in our raised garden beds at the end of May.
The countdown has begun ….
Our goal for the first picked ripe heirloom tomato is July 3rd.
Here is a list of the varieties of heirloom tomatoes that we planted this year:
- Brandywine Red Heirloom
- Caspian Pink Heirloom
- Hillbilly Heirloom
- Purple Cherokee Heirloom
- Rutgers Heirloom
You can view information on these heirloom varieties and others at www.burpee.com.
Once grown, picked and eaten from your very own vine … there is absolutely no going back to store-bought tomatoes.
Those who agree grow their own.
– Jabbear
HOMESTEADING - Downsized 
Love your countdown to the first tomatoes! I look forward to seeing how your various heirloom varieties turn out. I tried three new-to-me heirlooms last year: Large Red, Zarnitsa, and Riesentraube (a cherry tomato). They all did very well, even with the particularly wet summer we had. So this year I’m going to grow them all again, as well as a few more! Best wishes for this coming gardening season.
Thank you for your comment.
As with most tomato growers – the best days of summer are those eating fresh tomatoes. Best wishes to an abundant harvest.
I’m just starting seed today…brandywine.
Good luck – Great harvest!
Brandywine tomatoes were one of my grandfather’s favorites. He made a living selling at the farmer’s market. Every Memorial Day weekend our family would plant and double-tie to stakes nearly 5000 tomato plants. As kids, we never considered it a holiday weekend.
5000, that’s amazing. My tomatoes will be planted the end of May as well…at our summer cottage in Maine.
Happy Harvest!