Heirloom Tomato Seeds - and Kids

Starting heirloom tomato seeds is like having a child.  You tend to them daily, watch them grow, caring for them ever so lovingly.  Making sure they get the right nutrients, sun, and enough time outside.  You move them ever so gently and then, let them flourish on their own outside.  You give them the room to grow and bear their own fruit.  You are proud and happy to see them do well.

Yes, this is a bit excessive, but I am obsessed with tomatoes and my children.  We got started on both about the same time, so having my children involved in the process is even more dear to my heart.  I started 4 years ago with my oldest daughter, and yesterday with my second.  I love sharing this activity with them.  It's been a joy to see them as excited and interested and also developing a pallet for the varied and gorgeous tomatoes out there.

This year I did not buy new seeds from Tomatofest.  I love the huge variety they have the 90%  or more yield from the seeds.  It is a bit more work than going and picking up plants from the nursery, but it's so worth it. 

I look forward to updating and sharing how this years crop will do.  As I mentioned in my previous post, last years heat was disheartening for the tomato crop.  There is nothing remotely OCD about me, but when it comes to my tomato seeds, I'm over the top!

This year (so far) the varieties are:
Evergreen
Black from Tula
Cherokee Purple
Eva Purple Ball
Black Cherry (the most popular so far)
Candy's Old Yellow
Blondkopfchen
Belii Naliv
Moskovich
Golden Grape
Big Rainbow

Shared on: wildcrafting wednesday, simple lives thursdays, small footprint family, Mums make Lists,  Back to Basics, fresh eggs daily, Fresh Bites Friday, Wednesday Fresh Food,  Sunday Parenting Party, hip homeschool moms,  Living Green Tuesday, HomeAcre Hop,  Food Renegade, Eat Make Grow,
 

Watching them Grow.

The last two weeks have been spent planting the rest of our purchased potted plants, and starting some of our own seeds.  The best part about starting from seed is to watch them grow- obsessively.  I know, a watched pot doesn't boil, etc, etc, but watching seeds grow into plants is just amazing!

We started some seeds of corn, sunflowers, yellow beans, and scalloped squash.  The tomatoes and padron peppers along with the Marconi, and Purple Beauty peppers have been started indoors in the Jiffy "green house" with my heating pad under it.  So far only the Padrons have been sprouting.

 This year we dug up about 2 feet from the fence and all along it. 

 The cabbage that Paul had put in back in January and my little tomato plants.  I'm keeping room for a few more that are still inside.

 This bed is ready and as of yesterday, growing rapidly.

 I transplanted my heirloom melon and squash plants and used homemade hot caps to help them out and prevent them from the raccoon and skunk that have taken into our garden.

 The two varieties of cucumbers, with space for the Persian. I started the lemon cucumber in the back.

 Here are the melon or squash plants, not sure anymore.

 Zucchini on the left and yellow squash on the right. 

 The beans sprouting up next to the corn.  I'm trying out the "three sisters" method.

 I caged the eggplant hoping that they won't vanish in the middle of the night as they did last year. 

 Bean sprouts emerging.  It was neat to see them sprout up from morning to evening.

Our never ending rainbow swiss chard.  It made me chuckle when Richard Louv talked about the summer of the chard at his talk.  I was all too familiar with this one.

 

Giving away some tomato seedlings to the neighbors and taking some over to a friend's house for our "guerrilla gardening". 

Here's a list of what's growing:  (this is mostly for myself as well)

Swiss chard

Kale

Lettuce

strawberries

blueberries

Hero of Lockinge - heirloom melon

Amarillo de Oro - heirloom melon

Butternut squash- heirloom and regular 

Naples squash - heirloom

Zucchini

Yellow crooked neck squash

yellow sweet corn

purple inca corn

yellow butter beans

scalloped squash

sunflowers

purple beauty- egplant

2 other heirloom egplats

3 cucumbers

A variety of peppers 

 herbs-rosemary, parsley, sage, cilanto, dill, lemon balm, catnip, thyme

echinacia 

chamomile

chocolate mint, mojito mint, and spearmint

Tomatoes: All heirloom seeds from tomato fest

Zhefen

Amana orange

Beefsteak

Golden Grape 

Belii Naliv

Cherokee Purple

Moskovich

Black Ethiopian

Still in seedling

Peche Jaune

Big Rainbow

Great White

Ceylon