Grow and Sell Heirloom Tomatoes

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Pat Kennedy, aka the
Pat Kennedy, aka the "Tomato Lady," grows and sells unique heirloom tomatoes from her home.
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A selection of colorful heirloom tomato varieties.
A selection of colorful heirloom tomato varieties.
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Kennedy supports her heirloom tomatoes with homemade cages constructed of concrete-reinforcing wire. She says tomatoes grown in cages ripen sooner than those grown on the ground, and are easier to harvest.
Kennedy supports her heirloom tomatoes with homemade cages constructed of concrete-reinforcing wire. She says tomatoes grown in cages ripen sooner than those grown on the ground, and are easier to harvest.
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Kennedy starts tomato seeds using light stands in front of sunny, south-facing windows. Each stand holds up to 200 seedlings. Her husband, Bruce, made the stands using 4-foot shop lights. The lights are adjustable, allowing her to position them about 1 inch above the seedlings’ topmost leaves. Automatic timers turn on the lights for 18 hours daily.
Kennedy starts tomato seeds using light stands in front of sunny, south-facing windows. Each stand holds up to 200 seedlings. Her husband, Bruce, made the stands using 4-foot shop lights. The lights are adjustable, allowing her to position them about 1 inch above the seedlings’ topmost leaves. Automatic timers turn on the lights for 18 hours daily.
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Pat Kennedy, aka the
Pat Kennedy, aka the "Tomato Lady," sells heirloom tomato seedlings to wholesalers, as well as to home gardeners, from her front porch. She charges $2 to $5 per plant, depending on its size.

Pat Kennedy, better known to her customers as the “Tomato Lady,” specializes in growing heirloom tomatoes, which she sells from her front porch. It started simply enough. Like many gardeners, she generously gave seedlings to her gardening friends. But when friends of friends also wanted plants, she was obliged to charge them a nominal fee. As the news of Kennedy’s heirloom tomato plants spread throughout Franklin Township, N.J. (her home at the time), she decided to try to make a business of it.

In 1999, the year she started her tomato business, Kennedy grew 500 tomato plants and sold them all. Five years later, she was growing and selling more than 4,000 per year. In addition to home gardeners, Kennedy also sold to chefs and wholesalers, charging $2 to $5 for each plant depending on its size. Satisfied customers who spread the word were the secret of her success. And as a gardener hooked on heirloom tomatoes herself, Kennedy says it’s immensely satisfying to help preserve the heritage of these varieties by introducing them to others. Recently, she and her family moved from New Jersey to Ohio, where Kennedy has resumed the seedling business, calling it “The Culinary Gardener.” Initially she plans to sell to nurseries and market gardeners.

A Taste for Old-Time Tomatoes

Some of the first people to buy Kennedy’s plants were dinner guests. A number of her signature Italian dishes, such as her homemade garden marinara sauce, are prepared with heirloom tomatoes. Friends not only wanted her recipes, but seedlings of specific varieties as well.

Kennedy fondly describes her heirloom tomatoes, which hold a variety of succulent flavors, such as sweet with overtones of tartness. “They’re juicy yet meaty. Some are tiny clusters like grapes, others are the size of plums, or shaped like pears or hearts, still others are frequent winners in ‘giant tomato’ contests,” she says.

  • Published on Dec 1, 2006
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