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 »

Part One: Heirlooms For Everyone! A Guide to Choosing Tomato Seeds

By Kira Hamman

As much as we all love seed catalogs, they can be a touch overwhelming at times.

Seventy-four varieties of heirloom tomatoes? Really? How can anyone ever choose?

Here’s help, in the form of an annotated guide to six fantastic varieties. Grow one, grow them all, ignore this list completely – the choice is up to you. But place your seed order quick, because it’s time to get started!

1. Brandywine: The Platonic ideal of tomato. Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

Here at Tomato Casual, we’ve talked before about when you should start sowing your tomato seeds, and now the time is finally here (if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, of course).

As a reminder, the most important date you need to know is the expected date of the last frost in your area.

Your plants should be ready to be planted outside about two to three weeks after that, which means that you’ll want to start your seeds Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

Tomatomania, the world’s largest tomato seedling sale, kicked off the weekend of March 29-30 in Encinitas, California.

What started out as a once-a-year event 18 years ago has now stretched into a 6-week affair with stops in Encino, Sonoma, Beverly Hills, Arcadia, and even an East Coast trip to Litchfield, Connecticut.

This seedling-buying event has consistently offered tomato connoisseurs Read the rest of this entry »