Tag Archives: tomato

Tomatoes, Warm Season Crops

New Tomato Variety Releases for 2024 — Part 4 — Heaven Oregon Tomato

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With the big cross-country eclipse coming up in April and all the exciting things happening with Space X lately, I though it might be fun to try out some space-themed tomato varieties to release this year. Two tomato varieties in particular did not disappoint. Here is the first of the two space-themed varieties Grow Your Health Gardening is releasing this growing season:

Heaven Oregon

Heaven Oregon Tomato is an open pollinated variety and a favorite in 2021 by other growers and I can see why. It is an unusually shaped tomato. It is primarily red with a globe-shape that comes to a point at its base like a tear-drop and has purple shoulders. It has a hint of orange flecking and shading on the lower half near the purple shoulder on the skin (see photo below), but the interior flesh is bright red throughout. Its flesh is watery and best for slicing. Heaven Oregon tomato is about the size of a golf ball and looks so pretty on a plate!

Heaven Oregon has a tear drop shape and is about the size of a golf ball (1.75" around)
Heaven Oregon Tomato has a tear drop shape and is about the size of a golf ball (around 1.75″ in circumference.)
Photo copyright 2024 Grow Your Health Gardening.

This is an indeterminate tomato and needs support as it grows to around 70 inches tall. I enjoyed watching it ripen on the vine. As you’ll see from the photo below, the Heaven Oregon tomato as a whole is green with dark purple shoulders while it is growing. It slowly fades to red as it ripens. She’s a no-fuss tomato with no disease issues or cracking. The hard part for you as a grower will be to be patient enough until it reaches that deep red indicating it is ready to enjoy!

One tip I want to offer is to harvest the whole cluster and keep the vine that holds the cluster attached if you want it to hold a couple of days indoors. Do not put these in the fridge. They’re best enjoyed harvest to table in my opinion. They are especially lovely roasted whole and added to any dish — especially pasta (yummmm)!

Our line of seed for sale comes from Oregon Heaven Tomato plants that were grown hydroponically / aeroponically in zone 7B Atlanta, Georgia, so unlike the line of seeds that come from the NW, we’ve adapted this variety to grow hydroponically in hot and humid conditions as well. As we have discussed in the past, research has found that plants can store 5+ years of environmental survival conditions in its DNA for future generations. Our seed will be adapted especially for hydroponic growers, but soil growers should also have no problem growing it.

Heaven Oregon hangs on the vine to ripen a little bit more.
Photo copyright 2024 Grow Your Health Gardening.

I tried to track down the back-story on this pretty tomato. One grower said it was developed by Dr. James “Jim” Ronald Baggett, a professor for 30 years who in 1973 became the head of the vegetable breeding program at Oregon State University OSU.1 I could not find anything that supported that claim. Baggett has been credited for developing Oregon Eleven tomato, Oregon Spring, and Oregon Star, so it’s quite possible Heaven Oregon might be part of his work given the similarity with naming (even though it doesn’t seem to start with Oregon?) As a side note and nod to another great variety to try, Honey Boat Squash was also bred by Baggett’s program.

For now, I am not going to attribute Heaven Oregon Tomato to him until I get confirmation. For now, Heaven Oregon Tomato’s history remains unknown to us. If you happen to have a source to show Baggett should be attributed as the breeder, please feel free to share with our community in the comments below.

This is a chef’s delight and perfect for the home grower alike. You definitely won’t find this as a seedling start at any big box retailer garden center as a start, so it’s best to grow from seed. You also won’t find it in the grocery store where produce is bred to last 10+ days from harvest (yuck old food!) Grow this beautiful tomato and enjoy it at home knowing that you get to try what most folks miss out on!

Get Heaven Oregon Tomato seed for your own garden here >
(while supplies last)

Heaven Oregon Tomato cluster in a bowl. Photo copyright 2024 Grow Your Health Gardening.

Check back here to 
continue reading Grow Your Health Gardening’s 
Part 5 of New Tomato Variety Releases for 2024 >

Footnotes:

  1. http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/baggett/index.html ↩︎
Garden Planning, Tomatoes, Warm Season Crops

New Tomato Variety Releases for 2024 — Part 2 — Chocolate Stripes Tomato

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This is part 2 of what we’ve trialed in new tomato varieties as we continue to bring you our fav’s! If you missed part 1, you can read it here, otherwise, let’s keep cruise’n and share the rest of our new tomato variety releases for 2024 highlights!

All of the varieties mentioned here can be found on our store.growyourhealthgardening.com (and if you sign-up for our newsletter on our store, you’ll get a 15% off coupon to save money on any $15 seed order. Remember, we always include a free package of seeds with every order!)

Chocolate Stripes Tomato

I had first listened to expert market grower, Craig Schaaf, on a podcast where he was being interviewed by Alabama market grower and homesteading pro, Noah Sanders. (I love how Noah shares his passion and wants to help others through the Well Watered Garden Project.) In the podcast, Craig shared his experience growing warm season crops early in the season in his cold Northern climate and how epigenetics played a key role in why he saved his seeds season-after-season. What he shared really inspired me to dive deeper into epigenetics and to keep on my path of saving my own southern soil and hydroponic-adapted seeds every growing season.

Fast forward to the following year when I was bedridden with Covid… I entertained myself doing research for the upcoming growing season on my computer. It was then that I happened-upon Craig’s videos through social media and recalled his interview with Noah. I decided to reach out to him and I was thrilled when he responded! It was great to have him connect me with other like-minded growers on his social media channel. I enjoyed learning more about the Korean Farming Technique (KFT) method he uses to grow his own crops. (Craig has a heart to help others learn, so I encourage you to check out his videos on Gab @Schaafcraig which are chalk-full of experienced growing tips if you haven’t already.)

All that to say that Craig and I exchanged some seeds last year as he was interested in testing some micro-dwarf tomato varieties. I sent him my fav’s and he sent me his tomato fav’s. One of his choices he liked was Chocolate Stripes tomato. I couldn’t wait to test Chocolate Stripes Tomato in our Tower Garden aeroponic / hydroponic system and she did fantastic! I have to agree with him that it is a wonderful homegrown tomato variety. It reminds me a lot of Cherokee Purple and Paul Robeson. It looks beautiful when sliced due to its striped coloration. I enjoyed how it tasted so much that I wanted to offer the next generation from his shared seeds here (he gave his permission of course.)

But don’t just take our word that it tastes wonderful! Chocolate Stripes tomato was also voted as one of the “Top 3” “best tasting” tomatoes by TomatoFest attendees along with the event’s “tasting panel”. It was also voted on by thousands of TomatoFest customers purchasing seeds. This is a sure win as a great BLT sandwich tomato as well as to add to salsa’s and salads for full flavor.

Besides the fantastic taste and ease of growing, here’s the thing that makes this seed stock special… Craig said he would start this seed in early spring and be the first to market using his growing techniques in the northern region of Michigan where he lives. (I think he has a video on his technique on the channel I mentioned earlier in the article.) This seed stock has been adapted to grow in colder conditions according to Craig, yet it also grew beautifully for me in my hot and humid growing region of Atlanta, Georgia (zone 7b).

For those of you who have been following GYHG for awhile, you probably recall me sharing that seeds can hold 5+ years of survival traits in their seed DNA so that the next generation can thrive all the more. That means that our seed from this variety will be especially suited in either soil northern conditions all the way to the south where it gots hot and humid. Furthermore, if you grow hydroponically, your seed will be right at home and produce better for you than the first generation — that’s why we call this seed “hydroponic adapted”.

When I was doing some research online to find out more about its history, it appears that it has come from the Seed Saver Exchange (SSE). I did find some detailed information from a European blogger:

The ‘Chocolate Stripes’ tomato variety was bred by Ohio American John Siegel and was created in the early 2000s by crossing ‘Shimmeig Creg’ with a pink beefsteak tomato. Between 2006 and 2007, the new variety entered the seed bank Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) via Al Anderson, an association for the transmission and preservation of seed-resistant varieties. ˈChocolate Stripesˈ promptly won the award for one of the top three flavors at the Carmel TomatoFest event that same year and the following year. 1

— Jardin-Planète, European Blog

My plants were grown in an aeroponic / hydroponic Tower Garden and I had no problems with cracking or fungal diseases. If you see this in photos online on other pages or videos, it’s either the seed stock is not strong and/or growing methods. This tomato grew beautifully for me and I will grow it again.

Again, you can’t find this variety as a seedling in most big box garden centers or definitely in the produce aisle of your grocery store. This variety is best started from seed and harvested going from garden to table. It’ll keep a little while inside once harvested, but I really think it’s best enjoyed straight from the vine as you’ll get all those good nutrients it offers the closer to harvest you eat it.

Just looking at these pics from last year’s harvest makes my mouth water! I can’t hardly wait for tomato season to be here again!

Get Chocolate Stripes Tomato seed for your own garden here >
(while supplies last)

Chocolate Stripes Tomato variety, seed stock comes from Craig Schaaf.
Chocolate Stripes Tomato seed stock comes compliments of Craig Schaaf. Photo copyright 2024 Grow Your Health Gardening.

Continue reading Grow Your Health Gardening’s 
Part 3 of New Tomato Variety Releases for 2024 >

Footnotes:

  1. https://en.jardin-planet.com/17827544-chocolate-stripes-tomato-things-to-know-about-the-striped-tomato ↩︎
Garden Planning, hydroponics, Tomatoes, Warm Season Crops

New Tomato Variety Releases for 2024 — Part 1

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We’ve trialed new tomato varieties and are bringing you our seven fav’s over the course of a week we will release more information about each one. So much of why I grow the food I do is because I cannot find these amazing tasting varieties at the grocery store. They are just best enjoyed from garden to table and so worth the time and little effort involved in growing them at home.

All of the varieties mentioned here can be found on our store.growyourhealthgardening.com (and if you sign-up for our newsletter on our store, you’ll get a 15% off coupon to save money on any $15 seed order. Remember, we always include a free package of seeds with every order!)

Without further adieu, here are our new tomato seed varieties we have home grown and offer to our customers:

Aunt Ruby's German Green Tomato
Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato. Photo copyright 2024 Grow Your Health Gardening

Aunt Ruby’s Green German Tomato

My husband loves to try out barbecue places across the southeast and whenever we go to any barbecue restaurant there are two things we always try if they are on the menu: banana pudding and fried green tomatoes. So, for the past 20+ years we have taste-tested our way across the southeast and I wanted to pair that knowledge with testing varieties at home to find the perfect green tomato variety to make our southern favorite, Fried Green Tomatoes! And I am officially declaring that Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomato did not disappoint! (It’s also a great addition to any salsa verde!)

Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato variety has been listed in the top 10 tomatoes by many chefs and home growers alike as well as won several taste tests.1 Slow Food USA ( slowfoodusa.org ) nominated this tomato to the Ark of Taste Program. This is also one of the 100 varieties described in Carolyn J. Male’s book “100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden“. In fact, Chuck Wyatt, Seedsmen Hall of Fame and long-time grower and fan of vintage tomato varieties had this to say about Aunt Ruby’s German Green;

“Excellent flavor and texture, good slicer, or for salads. THE OUTSTANDING GREEN VARIETY. If you have never tried a tomato that stays green when ripe, you should try this one, This is the biggest surprise I have ever experienced in tomatoes,”2

— Charles Atwood ‘Chuck’ Wyatt, “A Grower of Vintage Tomatoes” and Seedmen Hall of Fame Recipient

According to my research, Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato is a family heirloom from Germany. It purportedly was first introduced in the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) 1993 Yearbook by Bill Minkey of Darien, Wisconsin. According to Tatiana’s TOMATObase, Minkey received the seed from Nita Hofstrom of Clinton, Wisconsin. Hofstrom’s Aunt Ruby E. Arnold (1915-1997) lived in Greeneville, Tennessee, and had grown it for years and according to Aunt Ruby, the seed originally came to the United States with her German immigrant grandfather. Aunt Ruby had simply called it ‘German Green’. Minkey asked Aunt Ruby for permission to rename this variety and he called it ‘Aunt Ruby’s German Green‘ after Ruby Arnold.3 You should know that I couldn’t find anything on the SSE’s web site to confirm or deny this account, but we have reached out to them for comment as it contradicts another account given by Victory Seeds Co.

We have not tested the pH level on this particular tomato, but according to tomatoabout.com, green tomatoes tend to have a high acidity level with a pH range of 3.5 – 4.2 pH.4 If you’re not sensitive to the acidity in tomatoes, this one will help support healthy stomach acid which you want to break down food easily in your stomach.

One of the advantages of growing your own homegrown green tomatoes is how you can control when to harvest tomatoes. By allowing them to fully ripen on the vine, you can increase sweetness and reduce tart green flavors while also getting the most nutritional benefit from your homegrown tomatoes, because it is not sitting on a store shelf somewhere aging. You also get THE BEST green tomatoes to make Fried Green Tomatoes or salsa verde and this variety is worth growing if you like either of those sides.

The seed stock we sell comes from plants grown hydroponically on a Tower Garden. They are open-pollinated and our parent plant produced multiple large beefsteak green tomatoes (see photo below) weighing 10-16 oz or more each. With proper pruning and timed fertilizing, you could reach 1 pound or more.

Plants do vine, so you will need a strong support cage. It typically ripens late in the season taking around 85 days to be ready for harvest after transplanting outdoors when overnight temps are a consistent 64ºF. This variety you’ll want to start from seed as it is typically difficult to find starts of this tomato from local greenhouses or big box stores.

You can find and purchase Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato here
(and if you sign-up for our newsletter on our store, you’ll get a 15% off coupon to save money on any $15 seed order. Remember, we always include a free package of seeds with every order!)

And if you have a favorite Fried Green Tomato or Salsa Verde Recipe, feel free to share with the GYHG community in the comments below!

Here's a look at how abundant Aunt Ruby's German Green Tomato is on the vine. The darker yellowish green is how you know when the fruit is ready to pick and enjoy.
Here’s a look at how abundant Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato is on the vine.
The darker yellowish green is how you know when the fruit is ready to pick and enjoy.
Photo copyright 2024 Grow Your Health Gardening

Continue reading Grow Your Health Gardening’s
New Tomato Variety Releases for 2024 >

Footnotes:
  1. https://fafard.com/americas-10-best-tasting-tomatoes/ ↩︎
  2. http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/wyatt/index.html ↩︎
  3. https://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Aunt_Ruby%27s_German_Green ↩︎
  4. https://tomatoabout.com/are-tomatoes-acidic-or-alkaline/ ↩︎
Warm Season Crops

Grow a Record Breaking Tomato: 28 Tomato Cultivars that Produce Really Big Tomatoes

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If you’re looking to grow really big — I mean REALLY BIG — tomatoes… the kind you might even break a state record size of tomato, you’ll need to start with good seed DNA. There are certain tomato varieties that tend to grow to a larger size when given proper nutrients, pH, and pruning.

Pomodoro Farina Gigante is a great tasting BIG tomato slicer that is reputed to break records from Italy.

At the time of publication, the current 2021 Guinness Book of World Records for the heaviest tomato was grown by Dan Sutherland (USA). His monster tomato was of the “Domingo” variety and weighed 10 lb 12.7 oz (4.896 kg) when measured in Walla Walla, Washington, USA, on 15 July 2020. The achievement was authenticated by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC).

It had a circumference of 33 in (83.8 cm), contributed to by a number of outgrowths on the fruit known as “dingleberries” — something that can be common among giant tomatoes. This is the second time that Sullivan has held this Guinness record. He grew a 3.906-kg (8.61-lb) tomato in August 2016. According to Guinness, “the mother seed for this new record-breaker was derived from the previous record plant.”

No matter if you’re wanting to grow a record breaking monster-size tomato to win titles or simply wanting a nice big tasty slicer for your summer time BLTs, these are the varieties that typically grow larger in girth.

Pomodoro Farina Gigante heirloom tomato is a variety known to be record breaking in Italy. You can find seed in our seed shop here.
Pineapple heirloom tomato is a beautiful bi-color slicer.
Goatbag Tomato is a large oxheart tomato full on meaty tomato flesh with very few seeds. It makes a good slicer but also fantastic tomato paste.
VarietyWeight
Domingo10 pounds
Big-Zac (hybrid)8 pounds
Daho8 pounds
Delicious7 pounds
MegaZac6 pounds
Clementz5 pounds
MegaDom5 pounds
6-Pound Giant4 pounds
Phil’s Fantastic4 pounds
Slankard’s4 pounds
Spaziani4 pounds
Cuostraleé4 pounds
Big Wixom4 pounds
Monster3 pounds
Italian Sweet3 pounds
Mong3 pounds
Beef Steak, Old Fashioned3 pounds
Florida Pink3 pounds
Orenberg Giant3 pounds
Verna Orange3 pounds
Chocolate Stripes3 pounds
Burpee Supersteak (hybrid)3 pounds
Big Rosy3 pounds
Pomodoro Farina Gigante2 pounds
Big Red2 pounds
Lithuanian2 pounds
Omar’s Lebanese2 pounds
Zogalo2 pounds
Brianna2 pounds
Todd County Amish2 pounds
Pineapple2 pounds
Believe It or Not2 pounds
Giant Belgium2 pounds
Neve’s Azorean Red2 pounds
Dinner Plate2 pounds
Champs of New Jersey2 pounds
Persimmon2 pounds
Garden Monster Leader2 pounds
Jerry’s German Giant2 pounds
Brandywine, Sudduth Strain2 pounds
Mortgage Lifter, Red2 pounds
18842 pounds
Mexico2 pounds
Aussie2 pounds
Provenzano2 pounds
Great White2 pounds
Large Pink Bulgarian2 pounds
Watermelon Beefsteak2 pounds
Polish Giant2 pounds
Ponderosa Pink2 pounds
Goatbag2 pounds
German Red2 pounds
Big Rainbow2 pounds
Hillbilly2 pounds
Big Rainbow Heirloom Tomato is a great producing bi-color slicer. As you can see, she produces thick stems to easily handle the weight of big fruit in clusters of 4-6 buds.
Great White Heirloom Tomato is a low-acid tomato that produces big slicers almost 5″ wide.
Apricot Brandywine Tomato is a large slicer producing not only great tasting tomatoes but a good crop of them. This particular variety produced the most weight overall when compared to our other cultivars.
Eggplant, Hot Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Tower Garden Tips

How to ensure you have Germinated Seed Every Time whether Growing in Soil or Hydroponics

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I like to know if a seed has germinated before it ever goes into soil or a piece of hydroponic Rockwool. There’s an easy way to know if you have viable seed and that is through a technique that simply requires a sheet of paper towel, a container with a lid, water and a consistently warm location 72ºF-76ºF. You can learn more about how to set up these pre-germination conditions on our blog here, but if you’re already familiar with this method, here is a quick visual of what you’re looking for with pepper seeds and when to transfer them to either soil or Rockwool (Rockwool is used for soilless hydroponic / aeroponic growing systems).

Example of seed that is ready to transfer to Rockwool or soil

The seed that is circled in green is ready to gently transfer to soil or Rockwool using a sanitized tweezer. (To sanitize your tweezer, simply clean with rubbing alcohol.) The seed circled in yellow shows swelling and indicates that you should probably check it the next day as the root is getting ready to emerge.

The other seeds are slightly swollen showing that they are still in the process of germinating. Do not give up on seeds that are slower to germinate — sometimes they can take up to 10 days even when you are providing ideal conditions. Check moisture daily and if paper towel smells funky, swap out for a new paper towel and rewet and put back into germination chamber container.

Below is a photo showing germinated seed that has been placed into Rockwool (see number one below). If you are growing in a hydroponic growing system such as a Tower Garden or Aerogarden, you’ll want to place your seed in Rockwool instead of soil. (Coco Coir is also a good alternative growing medium for hydroponics or aeroponics assuming it has support to hold material together such as in a mesh net.)

I like to cover my seeds with vermiculite. Some hydroponic growers insist that this step isn’t necessary, but I like to make sure my seeds receive adequate moisture throughout these early stages of growth especially. Strong healthy seedlings, make for strong healthy plants. I use this process for pepper, tomato, and eggplant seeds and any seeds that are not super small. Remember, some seeds need light to germinate (like lettuce), so be sure to reference our cheat sheet before starting seeds to know if your seed needs light, no light, or if it doesn’t matter.

How to transfer pre-germinated Seed to Rockwool or Soil

Rockwool is a fantastic growing medium as it has air pockets and is good at holding water. Keep moist, but not sitting in water.

Hope that helps! Remember, we have a great assortment of hydroponic-adapted tomato and pepper seed available in the seed store. Be sure to check it out!

Happy growing,

Erin

watering can
Plant Nutrient Deficiencies, Plant This Now, Teaching Children to Grow Food

Which one will perform the best? 1) Worm castings, 2) Activated Charcoal, 3) Both 4) Neither?

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I’m scheduled to give a “Tomato Talk” to a local group of community members who are interested in growing their own tomatoes from seed in the next 10 days and in the process for preparing for this talk, I thought I’d do a little soil test for what makes for a strong seedling and share it with y’all as things grow so that you can grow your health through gardening and learn tips for what I learn along the way. 😉

I took four (4) 4-pack planting trays and used the same batch of sifted soil for all four packs. The control 4-pack is straight up soil only. The second 4-pack I amended the soil with worm castings only. The third 4-pack I amended the soil with activated charcoal from a company I heard about and am trialing their product before bringing it to sell in our store and online. The fourth 4-pack soil is amended with the same ratio of worm castings as the second 4-pack as well as the same ration of the third 4-pack of soil with activated charcoal (so this final 4-pack has both amendments in it.)

A glimpse of our current seedling test subjects.

I then repeated the same amendments in another batch of similar soil, but put it in a soil block and amended certain soil blocks with worm castings only and activated charcoal castings only and a mix of both worm castings and activated charcoal. I also included rock wool just to compare growth of seed in this substrate as well. The rock wool will need to have kelp diluted and added to it as the seedlings grow as the rock wool is pH neutral and is devoid of nutrients.

For plants, I chose seed that was from the same lot, same harvest, same parent plant. All seed is our homegrown line of seed that we’ve saved and developed season after season, so I am confident that we have good strong seed stock to run the test. I chose to plant microdwarf tomatoes, because we are in the middle of winter here in Atlanta, Georgia and I can grow micro-dwarf tomatoes indoors under lights and evaluate results before our busy season of the summer harvest begins. We selected different micro dwarf tomato cultivars including Florida Petite Microdwarf Cherry Tomato, Rosy Finch Microdwarf Cherry Tomato, Aztek Microdwarf Cherry Tomato and Venus Microdwarf Cherry Tomato.

Rosy Finch Micro Dwarf Tomato Seedlings pop out of the soil ready to reach for the light.
This is a Fiskars Soil Block that is a plunger style and easy to use. You can make soil blocks of four or one larger soil block.
Setting the first soil block with the other four 4-pack trays already finished and planted.
Small bits of Activated Charcoal in equal parts and mixed thoroughly in each 4-pack of soil as well as equal parts of worm castings mixed well in 4-packs of soil keeping things as consistent as possible. We are testing to see if the activated charcoal makes any significant difference before carrying a product in our store. Stay tuned!

To gauge results, we will weigh all produced fruit and count the number of blossoms and the number of final fruit set by each tomato plant. I will do my absolute best to give equal amounts of water by first measuring what each plant is given and offering the same amount to each plant.

My hypothesis is that the air pruning action of the soil blocked starts will produce stronger seedlings for transplanting in the long run because when that root hits the air, it will signal to the plant to produce roots on the interior of the soil elsewhere. More roots will mean the plant has more opportunities to take up moisture and nutrients in the long run. I also think the soil block with BOTH worm castings and activated charcoal will perform the best because the worm castings will further any biological activity that may be happening within the soil and “cling” to the activated charcoal which the plant can tap as it needs.

That’s my best guess, but I could be wrong! We shall see what plays out in our little science experiment. What do you think will perform the best and why? Tell us in the comments below!

Happy Growing!
Erin

Garden Planning, Warm Season Crops

Erin’s Top 9 Tomato Varieties to Grow

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Happy New Year! As we look forward to the year ahead, it’s time to start thinking about what kind of nutritious food can be grown!

We’ve wrapped up our trials from 2021 and data and out of all the many cultivars grown of tomatoes, I’ve settled on these being my favorites to try in 2022.

When growing tomatoes, it’s always a good idea to think about HOW you plant to consume and use them. It will be a big help to you to evaluate this as it will determine what kind of tomato you should grow. And the BEST part of growing tomatoes is you can enjoy great taste as well that surpass anything that can be found at your local grocery store!

Here’s Erin’s tried and tested picks:

  • Casady’s Folly Paste Tomato (Sauce or Slicing)
    Why Erin chose it:
    “This variety is from tomato and potato breeder, Tom Wagner, of Washington State. It is a fantastic producer and beautiful on and off the vine. It is super versatile as well… you can slice it and add to any recipe that asks for a chopped tomato. It excels for making sauce. When compared to equal number of plants, it even out-performed 3.65x times the popular similar Speckled Roman paste variety. Casady’s Folly had more bud production and peaked in mid-July, but just kept pumping out the tomatoes until the end of September earning its spot as my top pick this growing season.”
Casady's Folly Open Source Tomato Paste Variety bred and developed by Tom Wagner Tomato breeder. Seed for Sale Hydroponic Adapted
  • Cancelmo Family Heirloom Paste Tomato (Sauce or Slicing)
    Why Erin chose it:
    “Cancelmo Family Heirloom Paste Tomato is a wonderful oxheart-type tomato variety. It steadily produces good size meaty fruit making it a wonderful option for great tasting sauce, but can also make a nice slicer for BLT sandwiches as the size fits a slice of bread well and has low seed/pulp ratio. Because doesn’t produce as many seeds, we may swap in another variety once we sell out of our inventory with another variety that also performed well, so grab it while it’s part of the collection while you can.”
Cancelmo Family Paste Heirloom Tomato Oxheart Type good for Sauces Seed for Sale Hydroponic Adapted
  • Charlie Chapman Heirloom Tomato (Slicing or Stuffer)
    Why Erin chose it:
    “I was originally attracted to Charlie Chapman Heirloom Tomato for it’s ruffled mid-size appearance and that it was touted as a good stuffing cultivar. I think part of the fun of growing food you can’t find in the store is using it in new ways in the kitchen. It’s a great way to add interest to what you’re eating and delights younger children as well. It did not disappoint and actually produced well throughout the growing season. This is a red tomato, but an orange-tinted red. I love how they look like miniature pumpkins.“
Charlie Chapman Heirloom Tomato Seed for Sale Hydroponic adapted
  • Cherokee Purple Tomato or Paul Robeson Tomato ((Sauce or Slicing)
    Why Erin chose it:
    “Cherokee Purple is one of our favorite tasting tomatoes. It’s not our biggest producer, but I chose this variety based on its flavor profile. Our seed comes from local stock and has been adapted over several generations. In fact, when I compared my seed to other seed providers, our seed was larger and more plump — these are traits that World Guinness Book Record holder, Charles Wilber, recommends looking for in seed with good DNA.“
Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomato Seed for Sale Hydroponic Adapted
  • Wagners Salad Green Tomato (aka: Green Elf) (Sauce or Slicing)
    Why Erin chose it:
    “We love fried green tomatoes and this determinate variety just pumped out nice firm green tomatoes much to our delight. The multiple buds it produced and actually set was amazing. I did have to prune it a bit for the Southern climate and for airflow, but I loved the thick sturdy stalk it had and the amount of production we got out of it. It’s a versatile tomato that looks pretty when added to red varieties in diced salsas or topping tacos or salads as well. “
Green Elf (aka: Wagner's Salad Green Tomato) developed by Tom Wagner tomato breeder. Hydroponic adapted. Grown using organic method.
  • Nostrano Grasso Italian Tomato (Sauce or Slicing)
    Why Erin chose it:
    “I was drawn to this variety because of the rariety of it in the United States as an Italian variety. I also thought the slight ruffled look of it was pretty and it did not disappoint. The production was wonderful and the tomato taste true Italian tomato flavors rang through checking all the boxes for me for a fantastic cultivar to grow. “
Nostrano Grasso Italian Heirloom Tomato Hydroponic adapted seed for sale Rare variety in the United States
  • Blue Cream Berries Cherry Tomato (Salad Topper or Snacking)
    Why Erin chose it:
    “This is a most unusual tomato. It looks unimpressive on the vine, but I always love to share it with my guests that come to the garden, just to see their look of surprise when they taste it. Your mind thinks it’s going to tart, but it’s not. It’s unlike any other tomato I have tried to date and the fact that it is known to also have those purple shoulders containing anthocyanans, well, it’s a tomato we should all be enjoying on salads or for snacking. What’s interesting is that the second year of adapting this variety the first fruits that came on where actually bigger than the previous year. This will be one I continue to grow out and adapt through hydroponics in the Southeast.“
Blue Cream Berries Cherry Tomato hydroponic adapted grown with organic methods seed for sale
  • Black Cherry Tomato (Salad Topper or Snacking)
    Why Erin chose it:
    “Our entire family loves the Black Cherry Tomato variety. Cherry Tomatoes are also easier to grow in the Southeast, so it’s a good starter tomato for anyone who hasn’t grown tomatoes before from seed. Like our other cultivars that have been adapted through hydroponic growing conditions, Black Cherry Tomatoes were larger and super tasty — especially early on in the season. These can be used for snacking, salads, sliced for tacos, or even sun-dried. “
Black Cherry Tomato hydroponic adapted grown using organic methods seed for sale
  • + Bonus: Naughty Marietta French Marigold (Co-planting and other beneficial uses)
    Why Erin chose it:
    “I wanted to include a marigold to encourage new growers to think of co-planting beneficial plants near one another. The marigold is fantastic for keeping some pest pressure down. You can grow and place in-between and around your plants that are growing, but the real benefit will be if you harvest some leaves and petals and make a biological tea and spray on your tomato plants once a week as a pro-active pest deterrent. “
Naughty Marietta French Marigold beneficial flower seed for sale

If you want to learn more about this collection, feel free to click here. We wish you the best and a wonderful 2022 Growing Season! Be sure to let us know in the comments below what your favorite tomato variety was from your last growing season. We all learn from each other through sharing!

Erin's Top Picks Tomato Seed Collection
Warm Season Crops

Beauty Lottringa — stunning on the vine and on the plate

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Beauty Lottringa growing on the vine. Such a pretty tomato!

We are loving eating BLTs (Bacon, Lettuce + Tomato with Mayo on a slice of bread) fresh from the garden with tasty hydroponically-grown heirloom tomatoes! (So juicy!)

And this rare variety from Russia called Beauty Lottringa makes a tasty AND beautiful plating! Can you believe that each tomato has less than five seeds in it?! WOW! I personally love how each slice looks like a red flower.

Slice of Beauty Lottringa on a BLT Sandwich.
This variety only has about 5 seeds or less on average in each tomato!
BLT Sandwich with Black Passion and Beauty Lottringa featured in photo above. To shop all our hydroponic-adapted exclusive line of seeds visit store.growyourhealthgardening.com

I’m still debating on whether to sell this variety because of the low seed count, but I may end up doing a giveaway, so be sure to visit store.growyourhealthgardening.com and sign-up for our email updates and tips to be the first to hear when our new hydroponically-adapted line of seeds release or if we do a give-away on this particular variety.

Do you love BLTs as well? What is your favorite slicer variety?

Happy Growing!

—Erin

Garden Planning, Indoor Gardening, Outdoor Gardening, Warm Season Crops

Announcing our 2021 Tomato Seed Line Up

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We have been busy seeding tomatoes this week inside in preparation for the 2021 growing season and we look forward to bringing you hydroponic adapted seeds once our trials have completed. I search far and wide for unique varieties that cannot be found at the grocery store or big box gardening centers and even from large seed producers. We even have some rare varieties we are excited to try and share with you if they do well in our trials.

Every season, I feel it’s important to have FUN while you grow food for you and your family, so here are some of my personal FUN goals…

In particular, this year, I think I’m going to try and tackle growing the largest tomato I’ve ever grown. I’m thinking like, state fair size. My seed stock for this challenge comes from a private grower in Italy and we shall see how it adapts to our growing region.

I’m also focusing on more plum varieties this year, so we can make some amazing sauce and preserve it for the winter to feed our family of seven. I did some extra research and selected varieties that were favored by other tomato connoisseurs.

I’m also particularly excited about our new line-up of micro-dwarf tomatoes that don’t require a trellis and have usually one or two flushes of tomatoes before they complete their growing cycle. Because of their compact habit, they are ideal for growing in the vertical Tower Garden and for those who want to grow in small spaces like in the Aerogarden, Farm Stand, or even in a pot on your back patio or deck.

Our seed is adapted to hydroponic growing conditions in Zone 7 just west of Atlanta, Georgia. I share this info not because tomatoes are a perennial (which is typically the reason for looking at growing zones), but instead to help our home growers know where their seed is grown, so they can match it to their own growing conditions for success. Our tomatoes are all grown outdoors in heat and humidity and hand-pollinated with the exception of our micro-dwarfs which are grown indoors to limit cross-pollination.

We give our mature tomatoes a PPM range of 1400-2000 and a pH of 6.0-6.5 for maximum nutrient uptake. We recommend using the Tower Garden Mineral Blend for healthy plants and maximum growth. If you’re wondering what grows well with tomatoes in a hydroponic system, we encourage you to visit this page on our Grow Your Health Gardening Web site for more information.

If you wonder why tomato seeds can cost more than other seeds, know that tomatoes are very time-and-labor intensive to grow and require a lot of personal management with seed starting, pruning, scouting for any pest pressure, or any efforts to boost immune system through foliar application of comfrey tea and molasses tea (which helps to bring out flavor).

15 Slicer Tomato Variaties:

  • Apricot Brandywine Tomato
  • Black Passion Tomato
  • Big Rainbow Tomato
  • Delice De Nevilly Tomato (Rare)
  • Genovese Tomato (Rare)
  • Great White Heirloom Tomato (Low-Acid)
  • Green Elf (Tom Wagner Variety)
  • Merveille Des Marches Tomato (Rare)
  • Nostrano Grasso Tomato (Rare)
  • Orange Orangutan Tomato
  • Paul Robeson
  • Pineapple Tomato
  • Pomodoro Gigante Farina Tomato (Rare)
  • Thornburn’s Terra Cotta Tomato (Rare)
  • Wagner Blue Green Tomato (Tom Wagner Variety)

8 Paste Tomato Variaties:

  • Black Plum Paste Tomato
  • Cancelmo Family Ox Heart Tomato
  • Cassidy’s Folly Plum Tomato (Tom Wagner Variety)
  • Cream Sausage Plum Tomato (Tom Wagner Variety)
  • Dwarf Sneaky Sauce Micro-Dwarf Plum Tomato
  • Goatbag Plum Tomato
  • San Marzano Plum Tomato
  • Speckled Roman Plum Tomato

8 Cherry Tomato Variaties:

  • Black Cherry Tomato
  • Blue Cream Berries Cherry Tomato
  • Brad’s Atomic Grape Cherry Tomato
  • Green Doctor’s Frosted Tomato
  • Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomato
  • Red Pear Cherry Tomato
  • Sweetheart Cherry Tomato
  • Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato (Low Acid)

24 Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomatoes:

  • Annie’s Singapore Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Bonsai Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Dwarf Suzy’s Beauty Tomato
  • Gold Pearl Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Fat Frog Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Florida Petite Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Hahms Gelbe Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Hardins Miniature Micro-Dwarf Tomato
  • Inkspot Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Kookaburra Cackle Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Little Red Riding Hood Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Mo Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Monetka Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Olga’s Round Chicken Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Peachy Keen Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Pigmy Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Purple Reign Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Regina Red Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Regina Yellow Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Snegirjok Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Vilma Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Wherokowhai Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato
  • Willa’s Cariboo Rose Micro-Dwarf Tomato
  • Yellow Canary Micro-Dwarf Cherry Tomato

What do you look for in a tomato? What are your tomato aspirations for the upcoming growing season? Drop us a line in the comment section below!

Happy Growing!
— Erin