How To Start Tomato Seeds - part 1

The next several posts will be all about starting one specific plant from seed. The tomato. The tomato is probably the most desired home vegetable garden plant. Who doesn't want to eat that fresh picked beauty. Just look at the picture below and you'll see a sample of something I grew last year. They tasted even better than they looked

In this post I'll talk about the varieties I'm going to plant this year. I change things up each year just to see whats what. I also have a couple of standards that I grow each and every year. Here's what on the list for 2007.

Big Rainbow - An heirloom variety from Burpee's. This is what's in the picture below. The first few fruits each year are huge. In the middle of the season they are smaller, followed by a couple of giants at the end of the season, if they can hold out before the frost gets them. I grow these every year. The flavor is fantastic and what is more impressive that a giant, red and yellow tomato?

Yellow Pear - My wife won't let me have a garden if I don't grow one of these plants every year. One is all you need cause you'll get hundreds of perfect bite-sized fruits from each plant. Plus they produce all season long. This year I am planting Beam's Yellow Pear from Seed Savers Exchange. It's my first time with this variety but I'm sure they will be great.

Black From Tila - This is a first timer for me. I haven't grown a black for many years, and this variety intrigues me. The package description says, "the ugliest, most delicious tomato I've grown". Ugly and delicious? I'm in. Again, from Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa.

Pineapple - An heirloom from Territorial Seed Company. This is the first time for this one. It sounds like it will be very similar to Big Rainbow, but I wanted to check it and compare the flavor.

Ananas Noire - Another heirloom from Territorial and another first timer. Skin is green, purple, orange and yellow and the flesh is bright green streaked with red. Sounds like a circus. I'm a sucker for big ugly tomatoes. What can I say.

Pink Accordion - Another heirloom from Territorial and another first timer. Deeply Scalloped like an accordion sounds great to me.

San Marzano - A Roma type Italian paste tomato. Something I seem to grow every year, but I don't know why. I love Roma's, but I just haven't found a variety that knocks my socks off. I keep looking.

I have a ton of other seed packets and I'm sure I'll come up with a few others at the last minute.