Organic Tomato Starts

We've got a huge selection of organic tomato starts in our Ferry Building shop right now. There are cherry/early varieties to enjoy in a warm, single bite right off the vine, paste tomatoes excellent for hearty Italian cooking and large beefsteak starts that will pair perfectly with crips greens and a dollop of creamy mayo sandwiched between your favorite all American white bread. Our selection includes: determinate-bush varietes that need no pruning and may be grown with or without support; fruit ripens within a concentrated time period indeterminate-climbing varieties should be stalked, trellised or caged and pruned for best results; fruit ripens over an extended period To help you sift through all the choices, here is some background on what we're offering: CHERRY/EARLY TOMATOES

• Black Cherry- rich, complex flavor and a blackish, dark red color; plant produces an abundant yield of cherry-sized, garnet-colored fruits; ripens in 85-90 days; indeterminate
• Green Grape- Very short compact plants yield 3/4 to 1-inch yellow-green fruit; easy to harvest; full-flavor, sweet and juicy; 80 days to ripen; determinate
• Sun Gold -Small, orange hybrid; arguably the sweetest tomato; vigorous plants start yielding early and bear right through the season; 57 days to ripen; indeterminate
• Sweet'n'Bright (Hellfrucht) - A small salad tomato, slightly larger than a cherry; great disease resistance for early and mid-season harvest; heavy producer with a long season; 80 days to fruiting; indeterminate

PASTE TOMATOES

• Canestrino- high yield variety that produces 4-6 ounce red pear shaped fruit with good flavor; sweet, intense tomato flavor, with rich notes of minerals and earth; originally from Italy and excellent for tomato sauce; 90 days until fruit; indeterminate
• Costoluto Genovese- Italian heirloom variety with large, deep red, ribbed fruit; juicy, delicious flavor; hearty and heat-tolerant, but also handles cooler weather; 78 days ; indeterminate
• Black Plum Paste - small, elongated oval fruits with deep mahogany color; sweet and fruity; 82 days; indeterminate
• La Roma II - high yielding fruit on a large, vigorous plant with excellent disease resistance; larger fruit and healthier plant than standard Roma tomato; 76 days; determinate
• San Marzano - excellent canning tomato; mild flavor, meaty texture; medium to small-sized red fruit that grows in clusters; 75-85 days; indeterminate

LARGE TOMATOES

• Arkansas Traveler - very flavorful, round, rose-pink fruit that ripens to 8 ounces; great for hotter climates; late season ripening; 85 days; indeterminate
• Brandywine - large pink-red beefsteak up to 2 pounds in size; rich, succulent flavor; Amish heirloom since 1889; this medium-tall, potato leaf plant is best staked or caged; 80 days; indeterminate
• Canadian Stuffing - resembles a rounded, medium-sized red bell pepper in shape and size; firm flesh, with hollow interior; ideal for stuffing; 75 days; indeterminate
• Cherokee Chocolate - mahogany-colored variety with excellent flavor and beautiful, large fruit; very productive plant, vigorous plant that yields a large harvest of chocolate-colored tomatoes; 75 days; indeterminate
• Copia- beautiful fruit; stunning combination of fine-lined golden-yellow and red stripes; gold flesh, streaked with red and very juicy, flavorful and sweet; stabilitzed cross between Green Zebra and Marvel Stripe, named in honor of Copia, The American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts in Napa, California; 85 days; indeterminate
• German Green - large green beefsteak that ripens to a pale green with a tint of yellow and pink blush on the underside; sweet, spicy flavor; 80 days; indeterminate
• German Queen - Luscious, sweet pink beefsteak heirloom with incredible flavor and large, meaty fruit; tall, vigorous, potato-leaved plants
• Green Zebra - yellow-gold skinned fruit with dark green, zebra-like stripes; 2-inch fruit have lime-emerald flesh with invigorating tangy flavor; productive over a long season; 75-85 days; indeterminate
• Marvel Stripe - delicious heirloom from the Zapotec people; sweet and juicy, with few seeds; large, yellow-orange fruit streaked with ruby red; sweet and fruity flavor; 85 days; indeterminate
• Persimmon - Vigorous, beefsteak variety with beautiful red-gold persimmon color and a very fine color; meaty, with few seeds; 80-90 days; indeterminate
• Pineapple - large beefsteak style heirloom weighing up to two pounds; ripens to a beautiful bright yellow, often with red stripes; mild flavor, meaty flesh, few seeds; strong vines bear an abundant crop; 85 days; indeterminate

Organic starts are $4/each and going fast! Visit us on Tuesday and Friday afternoons for the biggest selection. Enjoy!