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Order Heirloom Tomato Plants
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What’s
an Heirloom?
Modern supermarket “hybrids,” are bred for their long shelf-life,
but classic “heirloom” varieties are picked for their superior
flavors.  There are hundreds of varieties of heirlooms that gardeners around
the world have carefully selected and preserved for
generations, so you’ll find much more than just red
tomatoes – you’ll
discover green,
yellow,
orange,
purple,
and even black
ones (man say these tastes best). Some will be sweet, some spicy and others
smokey; they’ll range in size from tiny cherries to giant fruit that
weigh over two pounds. |
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How
Do I Pick?
With so many heirloom varieties, nurseries and chain stores are only able
to carry a limited selection, so small gardeners have been stuck with
just a few options. Recently though, specialty
farms have begun shipping sturdy young plants direct to gardeners.
Some even offer themed
collections made up of popular varieties, so picking which plants
to grow is easy. You can find these collections and a huge selection of
individual
varieties through websites like the online gardening center, They offer a range of packs, each with a different theme, including: high-yield
plants, container
growers, great
flavors, cherry
tomatoes, American
favorites, and more.
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From
UPS to BLT
Once you’ve got the right plants for you, it’s just a matter of
raising them. Thankfully, heirlooms are hardy (they have to be to have lasted
so long), and they’re easy to grow. Most heirlooms are “indeterminate,”
which means they grow like a vine, and they’ll produce fruit all season
long – until the first frost. “Determinate” plants are more
like a bush, and they typically produce all their tomatoes in one batch.
Depending on which you’ve selected, they’ll require slightly different
care. Basically though, with sun, water, a little fertilizer
and pruning, you’ll be enjoying delicious tomatoes all summer long.
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Where
Do I get Help?
Many tomato growers share their knowledge on the web, and this increased
communication has helped the heirloom community expand significantly.
Many sites feature growing hints and tips as well as discussion forums.
Windowbox.com offers a detailed
tomato growing
guide (download here)
that is a great help throughout the season, and if that’s not enough,
their group of online experts
shares basic growing tips and answers specific questions.
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