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Catalpa Ridge Farm
located in rural Wantage, NJ
Webmaster: Sometime Farmer Sue
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Heirloom Tomato Plants
| We have been growing heirloom tomato transplants for years and pride ourselves on producing quality plants. We originally grew the plants for ourselves to harvest for our CSF members. From there developed alot of interest in heirloom varieties because of their incredible taste and uniqueness. We having been holding tomato tasting events for the past 9 years and the interest developed with many customers asking how they could grow their own plants in their gardens. Thus the Heirloom Tomato Plants Sales were born 8 years ago. |
Pre-Order - using our online shopping cart
Pick up at 3 sales or may be shipped
for Tomato Planting Instructions click here |
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The key to having a good transplant that will take well when you go home & plant it, is having a good root system.
This photo shows good root development. A plant with too many roots is not good as it becomes pot bound and the roots wrap around themselves and will not spread into the soil. A plant having few roots may develop slower with the sometimes unpredictable spring planting season with low soil & air temperatures. |
The photo on the right shows good root development on a plug that is ready to be planted into a 3" pot. This plant will be about 6-8" in height within 2 weeks |
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Choosing a good transplant:Very often growers will grow their plants in heated greenhouses. The plants grow well, but when it comes time for you to plant them in May, the plants are used to being hot and when placed outside in cool soil they will often die shortly after tranplanting them, especially if they are not "hardened" off.
Our approach is to "hardened" off the plants so they will take well when you plant them in the cool May soil. The photo below illustrates the difference between the two. |
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The plant on the left (grown by another grower) is leggy. The plant is taller but there is alot of distance between the branches. This plant was grown in a heated greenhouse, not hardened off and will not do well when planted outside in the spring. |
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The plant on the right has been hardened off. It is shorter, but notice the branches are closer together and since it is used to being cold, it will perform better when planted in early spring conditions. |
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