Tomato
Spring Garden Market - Tomatoes for 2011
New information for 2012 Coming Soon
Tomato Information
- Looking for tomato information for this year's market?
- Need help deciding what varieties will be best for you?
- Want to know what to do if you can't find the exact one you are looking for?
Tomato descriptions
What good is a list of varieties without descriptions of what they're like? This list will help you decide which types will be best for you.
Tomato Guide (PDF)
If you’re looking for a particular color or type of tomato, or if the tomato you want is not available, this guide may help you find what you need.
Saving Tomato Seeds (PDF)
Want to get more than one year's enjoyment from your purchases? This document describes the ins and outs of saving your own seeds.
Growing Great Tomatoes (PDF)
The 18th Annual Spring Garden Market
See you at the Spring Garden Market!
Saturday, March 31, 2012 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Join us at beautiful History San Jose for our premier plant sale, sustainable gardening showcase and fair (Directions | Parking Map)
Our plant sale features unique heirloom varieties you won't find elsewhere
Loyal fans have been coming for years for the 75+ varieties of tomatoes and 100+ varieties of peppers, and now you can pick up beans, eggplant, collards, Chinese broccoli, amaranthus and kohlrabi - and strawberries.
But wait there's more! We've also expanded our offerings to include herbs and flowers.
Itching to start planning the garden? The descriptions of plants we sold in 2011 are tantalizing! The selections this year are mostly the same but we'll post soon the updated lists. One special new tomato: the hybrid purple tomato, Indigo Rose, bred for even higher levels of antioxidants.
Tomatoes
Types of tomatoes
- Classic – Generally round & smooth, ranging from medium-small to medium-large in size. Sometimes called main crop or slicing tomatoes
- Beefsteak – Generally large to very large, usually somewhat irregular in shape, often later to mature
- Cherry – Small, bite-size tomatoes
- Paste – Generally elongated shapes and often meatier with less seed gel, hence good for processing as sauce & paste. Also good for salsa and salads.
Size of plants
- Determinates – Short, about 2-4 feet high. Standard tomato cages will work.
- Indeterminates – Will continue growing until frost kills them, easily 6 feet or more, need tall cages
- Semi-determinate – Indeterminates that don’t get very tall, 4-5 feet
How to grow
- If starting from seed, plant seeds in pots about 6-8 weeks in advance, February - May, and pot up into larger containers as needed.
- Stems can be buried, both when potting up and when planting in the ground. Roots will develop where the leaves were attached.
- Plant out in April through June, when soil has warmed up, 2-3 feet apart.
- Don’t use a high nitrogen fertilizer. It encourages too much leafy growth.
- Support vines with cages to keep fruit off the ground.
- Don’t overwater tomatoes once they’re established. They’ll develop better flavor with less water.
Additional links
Spring Garden Market tomato varieties, PDF list of excellent varieties for Santa Clara County
