They love full sun and minimal watering, and thrive in poor soils. This makes them a great choice for a low-maintenance garden. The low-growing ones make excellent ground cover or bank planting, and the taller ones can make excellent plantings for a dry hillside.

Some of the older broom varieties will tend to reseed themselves and can get out of the garden. You can control this tendency by being sure to prune off the spent flowers after the bloom cycle. But many of the new hybrids have been bred to be non-invasive. Check with one of our salespersons if you have any questions.

Over the past twenty years, commercial growers have produced tomato varieties that valued shelf-life and unblemished prettiness over taste — and the result has been an almost tasteless tomato at your local supermarket (the baskets might taste as good). Put taste back on top with heirloom varieties — some can even flourish on your patio in a 7-gallon-sized container!

Heirlooms vary in their production time, so you can sequence your varieties over the summer. A vine-ripened tomato salad can be yours for the picking! These tomatoes may not look as pretty as the ones in the local supermarket — but the taste more than makes up for it.

Planting and growing directions:

The one disadvantage to heirloom varieties is that they tend to be less disease-resistant than the hybrids. Choose the healthiest plants you can find, buy a few extras in case, and especially keep any cigarettes far away (if you smoke yourself, don't even think about tending them with a cigarette in your mouth — that's asking for mosaic virus, even with a resistant hybrid). If you've grown a few extra, and they all stay healthy, your non-gardening neighbors will probably be happy to take some of your great-tasting tomatoes off your hands.

Once you get your plants, if they are greenhouse-grown, harden them off for a week or so before transplanting (leave them outside for just a couple of hours the first day, then gradually increase the length of time, watering as needed). Before you transplant, amend your soil with a good planting mix., If you are planting in pots, use a potting mix — don't use garden soil. Plant them in the evening or on a cloudy day, and they will be less likely to droop. To make for a stronger plant, bury tomato stems up to the plant's second true set of leaves (they'll develop roots all along the buried stem).

Stake or cage as needed (depending on the variety), water as necessary, and fertilize regularly — and you'll have a tomato crop that can't be beat!

A note to those growing tomatoes in pots on a narrow patio: you can espalier tomatoes! They won't produce as well but if it's the only way you'll have the room to grow them at all, try it — half a crop is better than being stuck with the tasteless 'tomatoes' sold in the supermarkets.

Looking around at the choices available in tomato plants, it's easy to get confused. What do they mean by determinate and indeterminate — not to mention semi-determinate? Should one buy an heirloom or a hybrid? Everyone knows what a cherry tomato is — but what is the difference between a beefsteak and a salad tomato?

Determinate, Indeterminate, and Semi-determinate

Determinate varieties are also known as bush tomatoes. They stop growing when fruit sets on the top bud, ripen most of their fruit in a short period, usually about 2 weeks, and then die. They generally require no staking or caging and are usually early-maturing. Pruning is not recommended. The plants and their fruit are generally smaller than indeterminate sorts. Most varieties that do well in pots are determinate.

Indeterminate varieties are also called "vining" tomatoes. They grow, bloom, and produce fruit until the end of the growing season (generally first frost). These almost always require staking or caging for support, and pruning may be required.

Semi-indeterminate varieties are basically indeterminate in nature, but have some determinate qualities, such as earlier yield and less need for staking.

Non-hybrid, Heirloom and Hybrid

Tomatoes are usually self-fertilizing. A non-hybrid tomato is one that has been allowed to self-fertilize to produce non-hybrid seed. Growers can save seed of non-hybrid tomatoes to plant the next season's crop. Non-hybrid tomatoes will grow true from seed. Old, non-hybrid, cultivated varieties are often known as heirloom varieties.

Hybrid tomatoes have two genetically different parents that are crossed each year to produce the hybrid tomato seed. Although hybrid tomatoes do produce seed, the seeds will not have the characteristics of the hybrid — though it can be fun to plant them just to see what you get!

General Types

Beefsteak Tomatoes

Beefsteak tomatoes are known for large size and thick, meaty flesh. The pulp cavity of this type is small and may resemble a 'marbled' steak — hence the name. This meatiness makes them hold together well when sliced, and the large size makes them great for sandwiches. One slice does the trick!

Salad Tomatoes

Also referred to as globe or slicing tomatoes, this variety is medium-sized, meaty enough to hold together well, and juicy. The smaller size makes them popular for salad wedges (bite-sized), or sliced to accompany a meal.

Cherry Tomatoes

Measuring less than an inch in diameter, these tomatoes make excellent bite-sized nibbles or tasty additions to salads. Cherry tomatoes are also great for grilling on skewers. Sub-types include grape and currant tomatoes, which are smaller in size but slightly sweeter than regular cherry tomatoes.

Plum Tomatoes

Also known as Roma, these are egg-shaped tomatoes that have thick skin and flesh. They are less juicy than most other varieties, which makes them good candidates for baking, canning, and broiling. They also do well for sauces and paste.

Paste Tomatoes

These are dryer than other varieties; many plum tomatoes are also 'paste tomatoes.' They are good for making tomato paste and dried tomatoes.

With a name like Sluggo, this product sounds like it either will make a slug go faster or go away.

Fortunately, it does the latter - without harming pets or the environment.

Its active ingredient is iron phosphate, which is actually a plant nutrient.

This completely organic product attracts snails and slugs and, once eaten, immediately stops them from feeding on your plants. Sluggo kills snails and slugs within 3-6 days; this is a nice feature because snails go back into hiding before they die. No mess!

Snails and slugs feed mostly at night, so evening is the best time to administer the product. Apply the bait evenly using about one teaspoon per square yard. For potted plants, sprinkle one half teaspoon for a common nine-inch diameter container.

Sluggo remains potent even after rainfall or watering. If not eaten, it will break down in the soil and become fertilizer for your plants.

Use this organic product to protect ornamental plantings, groundcovers, fruit trees, berries, lawn areas, greenhouses and vegetable gardens even up to the day of harvest.