Mail Order Tomato Seedlings

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You can now order a wide variety of tomato seedlings by mail to grow delicious heirloom varieties in your garden. Most companies that specialize in mail-order tomato seedlings also practice organic growing techniques.
You can now order a wide variety of tomato seedlings by mail to grow delicious heirloom varieties in your garden. Most companies that specialize in mail-order tomato seedlings also practice organic growing techniques.
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You can have a variety of hard-to-find tomato seedlings mailed to you.
You can have a variety of hard-to-find tomato seedlings mailed to you.
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Mail-order companies offer unique tomato varieties, such as ‘Marvel Striped.’
Mail-order companies offer unique tomato varieties, such as ‘Marvel Striped.’
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Mail-order companies offer unique tomato varieties, such as ‘Cherokee Purple,’ that deliver superior flavor in uncommon colors.
Mail-order companies offer unique tomato varieties, such as ‘Cherokee Purple,’ that deliver superior flavor in uncommon colors.
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Mail-order companies offer unique tomato varieties, such as ‘Green Zebra.'
Mail-order companies offer unique tomato varieties, such as ‘Green Zebra.'
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Before you turn to the mail-order sources discussed here, be sure to check with your local Extension office and at your farmer’s market to see if any nearby growers are offering tomato transplants. If not, order from the nearest company listed in “Tomato Plants by Mail” in this article.
Before you turn to the mail-order sources discussed here, be sure to check with your local Extension office and at your farmer’s market to see if any nearby growers are offering tomato transplants. If not, order from the nearest company listed in “Tomato Plants by Mail” in this article.

You can explore the wonderful world of great-tasting heirloom tomatoes by purchasing tomato seedlings from a mail-order company. Several companies now offer varieties that pair superior flavor with unique shapes and colors that probably aren’t available at your local garden center. You can choose from hundreds of varieties — usually grown organically — and have them shipped directly to your garden gate.

Thanks in part to the utter tastelessness of most supermarket tomatoes, interest in great-tasting homegrown tomatoes is booming. But before you turn to the mail-order sources discussed here, be sure to check with your local Extension office and at your farmer’s market to see if any nearby growers are offering tomato transplants. If not, order from the nearest company listed in “Tomato Plants by Mail” later in this article.

All in Good Taste

“We want tomatoes that taste so good that when you bite into them, you hum,” says Cindy Martin, co-owner of The Tasteful Garden in Heflin, Ala., a pioneer in the mail-order tomato seedling business. Cindy and her husband, George, grow and ship 30,000 tomato seedlings each year, from February through July. Like many other mail-order companies, The Tasteful Garden always ships plants early in the week so they never spend a weekend in transit, thus minimizing trauma to the plants.

Waiting until late spring to buy and plant tomatoes also can lead to better crops, according to David Baldwin, owner of The Natural Gardening Co. in Petaluma, Calif. “I never advise customers to be early birds,” Baldwin says, “because seedlings grown in intense sunlight during April and May have a denser cell structure that makes them sturdy and strong. A perfect plant for shipping stands 8 to 10 inches tall, but the best readiness indicator is the thickness and strength of the stem.”

  • Published on Apr 1, 2006
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