Our tomato plant sale is scheduled to open on Saturday, March 17, 2012, at our new retail greenhouse. Again, we've got a new location! We listened to you long-term customers who missed seeing gorgeous gardens while shopping for and learning about tomatoes. So we have moved to Ivy's Porch, a pretty garden space in Scotts Valley. Love Apple is going to be maintaining and expanding the display gardens there and show you how to incorporate edible plants into an ornamental landscape.
Jeannie will be back with her glorious jams - so don't miss that!
We will have over 100 varieties of tomato seedlings for sale from March through June. The new location is at 5311 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, CA. We'll be open seven days a week: Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you'd like updates on varieties, business hours, and our grand-opening event.
As always, we showcase the new and unusual (in addition to the tried and true). This year we've got 30 new varieties and for the first time ever: GRAFTED heirloom tomato plants! Grafted heirlooms means that the roostock is extra hearty, disease resistant, and your heirloom plants will produce like crazy!
If you'd like a PDF copy of our 2012 variety sheet WITH DESCRIPTIONS, Download our 2012 Plant Sale Variety List
Start planning now! Here's our 2012 Variety List!
- Amana Orange
- Amish Gold
- Ananas Noir
- Anna Russian
- Arkansas Traveler
- Big Rainbow
- Black Bear
- Black Cherry
- Black Ethiopian
- Black from Tula
- Black Krim
- Black Plum
- Black Prince
- Blondkopfchen
- Bloody Butcher
- Boar's Hoof
- Brandysweet Plum
- Brandywine Black
- Brandywine Sudduth's
- Brown Berry
- Camp Joy Cherry
- Casey's Pure Yellow
- Caspian Pink
- Cherokee Green
- Cherokee Purple (normal & grafted versions)
- Chocolate Vintage
- Costoluto Florentino
- Coustralee
- Dana's Dusty Rose
- Early Girl (normal & grafted versions)
- Elfie
- Emerald Evergreen
- Enrico
- Gajo de Melon
- German Red Strawberry
- Gold Medal
- Golden Jubilee
- Goldie Cape Gooseberry
- Grandma Viney's Yellow & Pink
- Great White
- Green Giant
- Green Zebra
- Green Zebra Cherry
- Hawaiian Pineapple
- Henderson's Pink Ponderosa
- Hillbilly
- Indigo Rose
- Indira Gandhi
- Hippie Zebra
- Japanese Black Trifele
- Japanese Oxheart
- Jaune Flamme
- JD’s Special C-Tex
- Jet Star
- Kellogg's Breakfast
- Kiwi
- Lemon Boy
- Love Apple
- Ludmilla's Pink Heart
- Marmande
- Matina
- Michael Pollan
- Money Maker
- Northern Lights
- Nyagous
- Orange Blossom
- Orange Russian 117
- Paul Robeson
- Pineapple (grafted)
- Pink Beauty
- Pink Berkeley Tie Dye
- Plum Regal
- Purple Brandy
- Quali T 23
- Reba
- Red Pear
- Riesentraube
- Rose
- Rutgers Red
- San Marzano 3
- Sicilian Saucer
- Siletz
- Spudakee
- Stupice
- Sungold
- Sunsugar (grafted)
- Super Marzano
- Sweet Horizon
- Sweet Million
- Taxi
- TC Jones
- Texas Star
- Thessaloniki
- Tigerella
- White Cherry
- White Oxheart
- Wild Stripes Mix
- Yellow Brandywine
- Yellow Pear
Hi Lynda. What you probably had last year was Late Blight. I put out a newsletter blast about it and tutored folks on how to combat it so as not to lose their tomato patches. That's a good reason to sign up for our email newsletter! I'll add you to it!
Posted by: Love Apple FArm | May 04, 2012 at 09:59 PM
I always have at least 20 tomatoe plants, heirloom, each year for baking. Last year all went well, the tomatoes set and when they started to ripen all my vines turned brown, wilted and died. What can I do to not have this happen again We live in Corralitos.
Posted by: lynda haller | May 04, 2012 at 08:29 PM
Hi Anton. You can add some bone meal and dry organic fertilizer to the top of the soil and try to dig it into the pot. You can also add soil on top of those amendments, to top off the pot. I would also water every week, without fail, with worm casting tea.
Posted by: Love Apple FArm | April 26, 2012 at 11:00 PM
I planted my tomatoes in pots before reading your article on container tomatoes. What fertilizer or amendments can I add to the surface of the soil to help my tomatoes?
Posted by: Anton | April 24, 2012 at 08:30 AM
Hi Vicky. We use Gardner & Bloom's Organic Tomato, Vegetable and Herb fertilizer in addition to our biodynamic compost and worm castings. We also throw some bone meal, eggshells and a fish head in our tomato planting holes.
Posted by: Love Apple Farms | March 18, 2012 at 09:09 PM
What does Love Apple use as Tomatoe Fertilizer and do yo have this posted on your website for us to read?
Posted by: Vicky Matisi | March 12, 2012 at 12:08 PM
Michael: There are lots of reasons for tomato leaves curling: too much nitrogen, varietal predilection, bright sunlight after extended period of low light or overcast days, or a virus of some sort. If you can rule out all the other possibilities, you may want to send a plant sample in for diagnosis to a reputable lab, like Plant Disease Diagnosis in Walnut Creek. But if your plants are otherwise doing well, you may want to ignore it.
Posted by: Love Apple Farms | July 20, 2011 at 03:29 PM
So my wife and I picked up both an OSU Purple (which she won by way of a guessing game with the young gent running the stand that day) and a Great White.
Both are happily potted (~15-20Gal) basking in the sun on a deck in Burlingame getting approximately ≥10 hrs of sun daily... The OSU is starting some small fruit and the Great White is thinking hard.
Question:
Why would either of these plants have curly leaves? They are certainly getting enough water and I've pretty much run by the book you've prescribed sans fish head. ;-)
Thoughts?
Posted by: Michael | July 19, 2011 at 06:50 PM
I would LOVE to give my husband this week's contest prize, Tomato Goodness, because I am SO proud of all he has learned and done in our garden these past few years. He has built 7 raised beds out of recycled lumber and is trying to convince me to let him take over the rest of the lawn. We weren't very successful with our tomatoes last year but we bought 8 more seedlings from you a few weeks ago and intend to try again. I know he'd love to have 8 more! And, his birthday is coming up (5/25)!!
Posted by: Hillary Schalit | May 17, 2011 at 09:08 PM
My current fav color is chocolate-purple! Love your website and newsletter :)
Posted by: Anita | April 30, 2011 at 11:09 AM
My favorite tomato color is deep, brilliant red.
Posted by: Susie | April 27, 2011 at 11:12 AM
Hi Asinsigalli: I'm going to suggest for top of the summit (higher elevations): Elfie, Siletz, Jetsetter, Jet Star, Marmande, Black Ethiopian, Juane Flamme, Matina, and Taxi. Those are all available at our tomato plant sale at 46 El Pueblo Road in Scotts Valley. Come on over!
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | April 27, 2011 at 10:43 AM
My favorite tomato color is orange! Tobolsk was one of my best-tasting and most productive tomatoes last year. Every time I went to the garden and saw new ones coloring up, I was thrilled.
Hmm, but Tobolsk tied with Purple Brandy last year for taste and productivity, so I also love purple/black tomatoes.
But my favorite tomato color to let other people taste is green. Green is the only color I let vine-ripen, because the critters usually don't taste it. It's fun to hand someone a piece of Aunt Ruby's German Green, warm from the garden, and watch the surprise on their face as they eat it.
Posted by: tanya | April 27, 2011 at 10:39 AM
I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains (off of Summit). Any suggestions for when and what type of tomato I should plant? I have battled goats, frost and gophers the last three years. I think that I finally have all of them under control. Help if you can. Thank you!
Posted by: Asinsigalli | April 25, 2011 at 09:09 PM
Went to tomato sale yesterday & brought 3 friends. So impressed with how well organized & easy it was to "find" these tomato treasures :) Thanks for so much for offering this. Came home and told 2 others they HAD to go!
My chickens are laying away again, and seem happier in this warming weather.
Hope to take a class this summer/fall at your new location....Looks great!
Posted by: Kerry | April 13, 2011 at 12:01 PM
I'm also curious about whether you can over fertilize with worm castings. It'll be my first year using them and I have a lot!
Posted by: Donna | April 11, 2011 at 12:53 PM
Martin: There is no evidence that the eggs can exist on wire like that. They need a host plant on which to feed, and as long as you haven't over-wintered tomatoes, eggplants, peppers or morning glories in your yard, you are good to go!
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | April 05, 2011 at 06:16 PM
I know you've said that the Tomato Russet mite doesn't overwinter well here, but I have a question. I got hit pretty badly last year. I'm taking precautions this time, and I got to wondering; could there be any surviving eggs on my tomato cages? Do I need to wash them down with bleach, or something?
Posted by: Martin Knutson | April 04, 2011 at 09:37 PM
Also in San Jose, CA. This is my second year growing tomatoes and first year utilizing vermicompost. Can you overfertilize with worm castings during transplating...ie too much Nitrogen and hence lower blooms later.
Posted by: Sam | April 04, 2011 at 01:02 PM
Hi Seth: The best time to plant tomatoes in San Jose in containers is mid April. It does not matter the variety.
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | March 29, 2011 at 06:36 PM
Living in San Jose, CA when is the best time to plant tomatoes in containers? Will it vary by varietal?
Posted by: Seth | March 29, 2011 at 04:18 PM
Stephen: You can grow any of our tomatoes in a half wine barrel...two in fact per barrel. But you'll need to follow our instructions on Container Tomato Growing found on the right side panel of this page. Correct potting soil, staking, and fertilizing are essential for container grown tomatoes. Happy growing!
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | March 22, 2011 at 07:17 PM
I'll be at the plant sale looking for the tastiest tomatoes I can grow in half wine barrels. Any recommendations?
Posted by: Stephen Williams | March 22, 2011 at 10:48 AM
Hi Jerry: You've got a tough growing condition with only 3 to 5 hours of sun and having to put them in containers. Only choose cherry tomatoes or smaller fruiting types (2 ounces at maturity or less). Some of those are the same as what I recommended for Nancy for the coast (also low-light believe it or not because of the fog). So what works well on the coast will also work well in lower light. Then closely follow the instructions on the right hand bar, here, which states: Growing Tomatoes in Pots. Those instructions will get you excellent results, but only if you don't deviate from them!
As far as where you're going to find good stock heirloom tomato varieties, my recommendation is to have them shipped to you from www.heirloomtomatoplants.com My buddy, Laurel, will set you up.
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | March 15, 2011 at 04:27 PM
Hi Nancy. I always select lots of varieties that will do well on the coast. When you download the pdf of the variety list as noted above, on the right hand description column it will specify if the tomato is "C" (meaning good for the coast). A few that come to immediate mind: Matina, Bloody Butcher, Juane Flamme, Tigerella, Black Ethiopian, Siletz, and all of the cherry tomatoes.
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | March 15, 2011 at 04:20 PM