I order my tomato plants from a company only 80 miles or so away. I don’t start them from seed because I don’t really have a place indoors to do it, and because I have room for only one or two of each of five or six varieties.
I used to buy them at local nurseries, but one too many times I got tomatoes that obviously weren’t the variety labeled. I don’t know if it’s the fault of the nursery, or the wholesaler, or careless customers, but it made me crazy.
Anyway, Natural Gardening Company has a wonderful selection of varieties and strong, healthy plants. They arrive at my house just one day after they’re shipped, in beautiful condition.
This year I planted 4 Carmellos, 2 Sungold, 2 Sugar Snack, 2 Big Beef, 1 Pruden’s Purple, and 1 Persimmon. I planted them two to a cage on April 29, almost three weeks later than normal, because of our cold rainy spring. In my experience, it works better to wait than to set plants out too early — they really don’t like the cold.
I know most people would tell me that it’s a terrible mistake to plant them two to a cage, but I tried it several years ago with one cage and had wonderful results, so I’ve been doing it successfully ever since. I also don’t prune suckers from my plants. With Sacramento’s hot sun, I think the extra leaves help protect the fruits from sunburn.
I usually get my first ripe tomatoes (a few sungolds or other cherry size) by June 1. This year I think I’ll be lucky to have any by mid-June.
I’m glad you’re happy with your plants, Nancy! I bet they’ll do well for you.
Mine have really taken off, in spite of the weather. It looks like we may finally be finished with the cold, rainy weather just in time to head straight into the hot summer days. It’s kind of an abrupt transition from the 60s to the high 80s with nothing in between!
Chris, I am really enjoying reading about your garden’s progress. You are ahead of us with the tomatoes – we got a frost a month or so ago and lost the tomatoes we had planted.
I checked out Natural Gardening Company, per your recommendation, and ordered 24 plants – 14 tomatoes and a variety of other veggies (squash, eggplant, melon, cucumber, peppers). They arrived a couple of days ago in beautiful condition and packed very nicely. Bill is in the process of getting them into the ground. Instructions were sent too.
Thank you for mentioning this nursery – I am very impressed by how they do business.
We still haven’t planted. Today is the first day when it has felt warm enough to think about putting plants in the ground. Walt has dozens of tomato plants and others that are growing in a cold frame and now are ready to be set out.
I wish that I could get a nice variety like that. I have a small space yet whenever I buy plants I have to get six of each and I really enjoy a variety! Perhaps I will have to visit my friend Google to see what I can find nearby.