03/17/2024
Oh yes I did!
I planted cool season tomato varietal seeds in my germination chamber, an upcycled 3 door freezer, in mid-January.
They have already been repotted and are ready to sell.
$20 each. Cash. Please don't give me any grief about the price. The grow lights suck a lot from the PG&E teat. Plus the soil, pots, and labor. I had to pay for the labor because I'm still waiting for my knee replacements (That's another story).
And I'd like to pay some bills.
Also compare them to the $6.99/lb price per pound of heirloom tomatoes at Harvest Market. That comes to $14 for two tomatoes.
Just bask in the glow of being the first one in your neighborhood to have tomatoes on the vine. 😀
If the smaller ones don't sell I'll probably put them back in the germination chamber but they will cost more later. Right now I have 3 days of beautiful sunshine on my very warm spot here in Cleone. You can always tend them inside a bit longer before you plant them outside if you like.
If you plant outside, crop cover cloth can be helpful.
The descriptions in quotes are copied directly from the TomatoFest website:
"These "cold climate" tomatoes are tomato varieties that are better suited to colder growing climates. Many of these tomato varieties originate from the cooler growing areas in Russia and other northern growing areas. Many of these tomato varieties can flourish within these cooler weather conditions regardless of whether they are early, mid-season or late maturing varieties, but most are early maturing tomato varieties suited for shorter growing seasons."
For fun, enter the varietal names in Chat GPT. Here is its response for Aurora. You can ask it more detailed questions such as soil pH, watering, etc.:
"The 'Aurora' tomato is a variety known for its adaptability to a range of growing conditions and climates. It's appreciated by gardeners for several key features:
Size and Shape: Aurora tomatoes are typically medium-sized and round, making them versatile for both fresh eating and preserving.
Flavor: They offer a well-balanced taste that's both sweet and tangy, characteristic of many heirloom varieties.
Color: The fruits are usually a deep red when fully ripe, indicative of their rich flavor profile.
Growth Habit: This variety is often described as a determinate plant, meaning it tends to grow to a compact size and produces most of its fruit within a short period. This makes it a good choice for gardeners with limited space or who prefer to harvest their tomatoes around the same time.
Climate Adaptability: Aurora tomatoes are noted for their ability to thrive in different temperature ranges and soil types, making them suitable for cultivation in various regions.
While specific details about disease resistance or origin might not be as widely documented as for some other varieties, the Aurora tomato's reputation for reliable production and good flavor makes it a favored choice among both home and professional growers."
Aurora
Days: 59
Size: Determinate
Color: Red
Season: Early Season
“Aurora Tomato Seeds from Siberia is named for the Aurora Borealis. Compact, bushy, determinate plants produce impressively heavy crops of 4-6 oz., red, round, blemish-free, oblate tomatoes with acidic but delicious tomatoey flavors. Produces well in cooler climates, coastal climates or high altitudes, in the field, in the greenhouse or containers. An excellent choice for a heavy producing early tomato for market. A great canning tomato!”
Black Pear
Days: 75
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Purple-Black
Season: Mid-Season
“Truly a unique black Russian tomato of Siberian origin. (Similar to Japanese Black Trifele.) TomatoFest organic heirloom tomato seeds produce big, indeterminate, potato-leaf plants that yield plentiful crops of 6-8 oz., dark, mahogany-brown tomatoes with dark green shoulders. Fruits are shaped like miniature pears and are loaded with excellent, complex, sweet, well-balanced flavors. These are not only very decorative but a perfect choice for cutting up into salads or used in a tomato sauce. A good, dependable, cooler climate variety. Disease resistant.”
Gigantesque
Days: 78
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Red
Season: Mid-Season
“I obtained these rare Ukrainian tomato seeds (originally from the Ukraine) from Lisa Von Saunder from Amishland, who obtained Gigantesque seeds from her Russian friend Sergey. Our TomatoFest organic heirloom tomato seeds produce very bushy, indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that give a heavy yield of BIG, 2 lb., orange-red, beefsteak tomatoes with a meaty, pink flesh inside that carries deliciously robust flavors and very few seeds. Although my fruit never quite got to 5" across, this was common for Sergey who claims this variety yields largest tomatoes he has ever seen. If you slice a big slice of the tomato for a sandwich you better have some BIG bread slices to hold it. A good choice for cooler growing regions as well as moderate to hot areas. Disease resistant.”
Ilse's Yellow Latvian
Days: 78
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Yellow-Orange
Season: Mid-Season
“A terrific yellow-orange heirloom tomato. Our Tomatofest organic tomato seeds produce large, indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants with wispy leaves that yield lots of 10-ounce, 2 to 3-inch, slightly-elongated, yellow-orange tomatoes with very well balanced sweet flavors. A cooks treat! Meaty walls makes this a very good sauce tomato. Also a fine salsa tomato. Suited for cooler growing regions.”
Quedlinburger Fruehe Liebe
Days: 70
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Red
Season: Mid-Season
“Old German potato-leaf variety means "Early love of Qued Linburg". Small spindly vines produce 1 1/2-inch, round, 4-lobed fruit in clusters of 4. These tomatoes have great flavor with good acidity. Developed for cool rainy nights. Prolific even during colder summers.”
Sasha's Altai
Days: 57
Size: Determinate
Color: Red
Season: Early-Season
“An excellent variety from Russia. Seeds were given to Bill McDorman when in Irkutsk, Siberia in 1989, by his dear Siberian friend Sasha who claimed this variety that he grew in his garden in the Altai Shan mountain range was the "best tomato in all of Siberia." Sasha's Altai was selected by Organic Garden Magazine as one of the 10 best early producing tomatoes in the world.
Sasha's Altai is a hearty tomato plant that produces very good yields of 4-6 oz., thinned-skinned, bright-red, slightly flattened, round tomatoes with an award-winning complex flavor. Fruit sets well in cooler coastal climates and high altitudes. Excellent for canning, salads and making tomato juice.”
Stupice
Days: 52
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Red
Season: Very Early Season
“Seeds sent to the U.S. from the former Czechoslovakia by Milan Sodomka. Stupice is a cold-tolerant tomato popular with those who have short growing seasons. Indeterminate, compact, potato leaf plants produce an abundance of very sweet, tangy, flavorful 2 to 3-inch, deep red tomatoes. A 1988 comparative tasting in the San Francisco area gave it first place for its wonderful sweet/acid, tomatoey flavors and production. Produces well in northern climates.”
