By Kira Hamman

Believe it or not, it’s already time to think about next year - if you’re a seed-saver, that is.

Saving tomato seeds is not difficult, but it is more complicated than saving seeds from most other garden plants and does require some planning.

Just remember that saving seeds from hybrid varieties is risky – although they will probably produce fruit-bearing plants, those plants are unlikely to be much like their parents. Heirloom varieties, on the other hand, will produce plants just like the ones from which they came.

First of all, Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

What if I told you that for $35, you could have all the fresh produce you could want, and tons of free education to boot?

Would you be intrigued? Overwhelmed? Interested?

I thought so, and while the headline is just a bit misleading, it isn’t far off from the truth. Enter the Seed Savers Exchange, an organization founded in 1975 and dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of heirloom plant varieties around the world. With a $35 annual membership, members receive a Read the rest of this entry »

Part Three: A Working Person’s Guide to Hardening Off (See Part One)

By Kira Haman

So you’ve successfully gotten those tiny little seeds to grow into strong, healthy plants.

This always seems like a miracle (and, in fact, it is), but now they’re getting cramped in their little pots, and it’s time to get them into the garden.

But wait!

You can’t just plunk them out there – they’ll wilt dramatically and die before you can say “sun-worshipping prima donna.”

No, you have to perform the gardening ritual known as hardening off, in which you Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

There’s a magical time in late winter when the new seed catalogs arrive.

As you peruse the glossy pages looking for tomatoes to grow, you may notice some abbreviations throughout the descriptions.

Just what are they trying to tell you?

The most common abbreviation you will see is VFN, or a combination of those letters. A plant with these designations has been shown to be resistant to some very common tomato problems.

V stands for Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

As of last month, the Arctic Ocean is home to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the world’s first deep-frozen collection of seeds of hundreds of thousands of plants, including our beloved tomatoes.

According to its website, the seed vault, owned and administered by Norway’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food, was created to “provide insurance against both incremental and catastrophic loss of crop diversity held in traditional seed banks around the world.”

The vault’s construction was funded by the Norwegian government ($9 million) and is also financially Read the rest of this entry »

Part Two: Sowing the Seeds of Love (See Part One)

By Kira Hamman

Now that you’ve ordered your seeds, it’s time to get ready to plant.

First, assemble the things you’ll need:
• A flat of teeny pots for starting the seeds. Get one that comes with a tray to sit in that will catch drips.
• Larger (2”) pots for transplanting.
• If you live in a cold region, even larger (4”) pots for transplanting again (if you ever have snow in April, then you live in a cold region).
• Sterile seed-starting mix.
• Good-quality potting soil.
• A spray bottle for water.
• A supplementary light source – this does not have to be an official grow light, but has to be adjustable so you can keep it about 4 – 5 inches above the seedlings as they grow.

Once the seeds actually arrive, Read the rest of this entry »