Gardening Resources and References

• The California Backyard Orchard - http://www.homeorchard.ucanr.edu/
• Master Gardener Program Website - http://mg.ucanr.edu/
• Santa Clara Master Gardener - http://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/ 
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) - http://ipm.ucanr.edu/ 
• The Garden Web - http://cagardenweb.ucanr.edu/ 

2019 Tomato Varieties

As I do for years now, I have just purchased seeds from Tomatofest.com

This is my 2019 Tomato selection (click on the name, it will take you to the tomatofest site where you can see pictures;

San Marzano - Organic Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Our Price: $3.50 Days: 78 Size: Semi-Determinate Color: Red Season: Mid-Season Seeds Per Pack: 25 - 30 Product Code: TF-0443 From Italy. A preferred standard with Italian farmers. Compact and prolific producer of bright-red, slim, 2-3 inch, plum-type, fruit over a long season. A paste tomato with pointy end, heavy walls and little juice, so it's great for  a delicious tomato sauce. Crack resistant. Many find this variety better tasting than Roma.

San Marzano Redorta - Organic Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Our Price: $4.50 Days: 78 Size: Indeterminate Color: Red Season: Mid-Season Seeds Per Pack: 25 - 30 Product Code: TF-0444 Named for a mountain, Pizzo Redorta in Bergamo, Italy. TomatoFest preferred Italian paste tomato. A much larger tomato (8 oz., 4-inch) with much better taste than its cousin, San Marzano. Meaty, delicious enough to eat off the vine with the bonus of ending up with more tomato paste per plant. An excellent choice for a wonderful complex and flavorful choice for tomato sauce , canning or salsa. Disease resistant.

Ildi - Organic Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Our Price: $3.95 Days: 54 Size: Indeterminate Color: Cherry Season: Very Early Season Seeds Per Pack: 25 - 30 Product Code: TF-0249 The earliest, highest-yielding grape tomato in our trials. Our tomatofest organic tomato seeds produce 6-ft., indeterminate, regular-leaf, vigorous, prolific tomato plants that yield HUGE amounts of 1-inch, SWEET SWEET, bright-yellow, oval (with occasional pear-shaped fruits), 'grape' tomatoes with up to 75 Tomatoes in Every Bunch!, producing large bouquets of these delicious, yellow cherry tomatoes. Ildi is often sold commercially in farmer's markets as Yellow Grape. These yummy tomatoes usually produce till frost. A great cherry tomato choice for serving in salads or snacking off the vine, like eating candy. A Gary Ibsen personal favorite.

Sweet Pea Currant - Organic Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Our Price: $4.25 Days: 62 Size: Indeterminate. Color: Cherry Season: Early-Season Seeds Per Pack: 25 - 30 Product Code: TF-0488B The smallest tomato I've seen. Our TomatoFest organic tomato seeds produce large, wispy, regular-leaf, indeterminate tomato plants that yield thousands of 1/4-inch, deep red, currant tomatoes that have an excellent, rich, and complex sweet flavor. That's a lot of goodness for such a tiny fruit! Tomatoes resemble ruby jewels. Perfect tomato for decorating culinary dishes, snacking or mixing into a tomato salad. A wonderful novelty tomato.

Dwarf Golden Gypsy -Organic Tomato Seeds

Our Price: $4.50 Days: 75 Size: Indeterminate Color: Yellow-Orange Season: Mid Season Seeds Per Pack: 25-30 Product Code: TF-0153D6 Vigorous dwarf (tree-type) plants with potato leaf rugose foliage produce heavy yields of 8-18 oz., smooth, oblate, medium-sized, yellow fruits with pale yellow flesh. The flavor is among the very best among the new dwarfs: intense, sprightly (with a distinct refreshing tang), and simply delicious. History: Developed 2006-2015 by the members of the Dwarf Tomato Project from a cross between Golden Dwarf Champion and Elbe made by Patrina Nuske Small in 2006 and named Tipsy. It was selected and named by Wendy Montanez. Stabilization was a collaborative work Carolyn Keiper, Craig LeHoullier, Wendy Montanez, Susan Dzejachok, Dee Sackett, Susan Oliverson, and Bill Minkey. This variety is associated with the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI).

Chocolate Stripes - Organic Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Our Price: $4.25 Days: 79 Size: Indeterminate. Color: Bi-Colored Season: Mid-Season Seeds Per Pack: 25 - 30 Product Code: TF-0115A One of the "Top 3" "best tasting" tomatoes in several years of TomatoFest events by attendees and the event's "tasting panel," and voted on by thousands of TomatoFest customers purchasing seeds. Large, indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that yield a plentiful crop of 3-4 inch, mahogany colored with dark, olive green-striping (similar to black zebra).  Fruits have delicious, complex, rich, sweet, earthy tomato flavors. Chocolate Stripe, another desirable 'black tomato,"  is an excellent tomato and a fine choice for your tomato garden. Produces well into the autumn. A great sandwich tomato and salad tomato.

Amana Orange - Organic Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Our Price: $4.25 Days: 90 Size: Indeterminate Color: Yellow-Orange Season: Late-Season Seeds Per Pack: 25 - 30 Product Code: TF-0012 Huge heirloom beefsteak tomato named for the Amana Colonies in Iowa. These organic tomato seeds produce big, regular leaf plants that produce above average amounts of beautiful light-orange, irregular shaped (fluted) heirloom tomatoes that can grow to 2 pounds or more, with an average diameter of 5 inches. Excellent sweet, almost  tropical fruit flavors. This tomato variety has been included in my tomato garden for more than 20 years. A winner!

Persimmon - Organic Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Our Price: $3.95 Days: 79 Size: Indeterminate Color: Yellow-Orange Season: Mid-Season Seeds Per Pack: 25 - 30 Product Code: TF-0379 Heirloom grown by Thomas Jefferson in 1781. Indeterminate, regular leaf plant produces large amounts of beautiful orange (persimmon colored) 14-18 oz., meaty, tomatoes with few seeds and sweet fruity flavors and juicy flesh. One of the better flavors of all the orange tomatoes. Great for eating fresh, slicing for salads and sandwiches or making a delicious soup. A very popular variety for growing for the marketplace.

2018 Tomato Varieties

2018 Tomato Varieties

Below are the tomato varieties I got from Tomatofest in 2018! (description  are from their original web page) I am adding some comments in brackets near the name, I will try to do a better log this year!)


Brown's Yellow Giant (good tomatoes but planted to late to enjoy a late season)
A Kentucky family heirloom. Seeds originated from Claude Brown of Pike County, Kentucky around 1980. This tomato is known under the name of Brown's Yellow Giant, but in 2010 it was also offered in the SSE Yearbook as Claude Brown's Yellow Giant. Regular leaf plant producing heavy yield of 10-16 oz, 3x5" tomatoes with mild, tropical fruity flavors.
Days: 90
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Yellow-Orange
Season: Late-Season
Type: Heirloom



Aunt Ruby's Yellow Cherry-Tomato Seeds (I was not impressed by those)
First offered in the Seed Savers 1993 Yearbook by Bill Minkey of Darien, Wisconsin who received the seed from Ruby Arnold of Greeneville, Tennessee in 1992. Our TomatoFest organic tomato seeds produce indeterminate, regular-leaf, vigorous and tall tomato plants that yield copious amounts of 3/4-inch, round, yellow cherry tomatoes that are loaded with delicious, fruity, sweet/tart flavors. Rare tomato seeds. The perfect snacking tomato that is wonderful in salads or culinary dishes. Children will love the sweetness of these snacks.
Days: 75
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Cherry
Season: Mid-Season
Type: Heirloom


Persimmon (always enjoy those, every year!)
Heirloom grown by Thomas Jefferson in 1781. Indeterminate, regular leaf plant produces large amounts of beautiful orange (persimmon colored) 14-18 oz., meaty, tomatoes with few seeds and sweet fruity flavors and juicy flesh. One of the better flavors of all the orange tomatoes. Great for eating fresh, slicing for salads and sandwiches or making a delicious soup. A very popular variety for growing for the marketplace.
Days: 79
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Yellow-Orange
Season: Mid-Season
Type: Heirloom

Dagma's Perfection Tomato Seeds (not sure) 
A vigorous and abundant producer of medium-sized (3", 12 oz.), slightly flattened, pale-yellow fruits with delicate, light red striping. Deliciously flavorful with overtones of tropical fruit and subtle hints of lime. Firm, juicy and elegant in the mouth, and jewel-like in appearance.
Days: 73
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Bi-Colored
Season: Mid-Season

Oaxacan Jewel (not sure)
Oaxacan Jewel AKA Joya de Oaxaca. A pre-Columbian Mexican heirloom tomato. Indeterminate, regular leaf plant that produces beautiful 1-2 pound, yellow beefsteak tomato with red streaks throughout the fruit with brilliant red marbling inside the flesh. Wonderfully rich, sweet, fruity flavors with a well-balanced acidic finish. A respected tomato to grow for the marketplace.
Days: 85
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Bi-Colored
Season: Late-Season