Adopt a heritage tomato variety this year. All the varieties are selected by Celt for good taste and solid performance in our tricky maritime climate.
It is time to grow out the stored tomato seeds. We are pleased to have more involvement from the gardening community this year. You adopt a variety and grow it out. We will support you with advice and help with the seed saving.
We will start the tomato plants around March 1. They will be ready for adoption in mid April. We will give you two to six plants of one variety to grow for seed. When the tomatoes are ripe, bring them back and we will help to process the seed. You can also save the seed yourself. Directions will be posted on the web. We also offer a tomato seed class in September.
To grow your tomato starts, you will need garden space, or room for several large pots, with full sun. Tomatoes need to be staked or trellised.
The first big grow out was at the Chuckanut Center in 2015 and 2016. Many wonderful volunteers helped Larry Williams and Celt to grow out a hundred tomato plants each year. We had so many extra starts that Chuckanut Center had rocking plant sales.
Tomato seed has a good shelf life. Seed that is processed at home often has a longer shelf life than purchased seed, because the commercial seed may have been stored for years before it was purchased. It is time to grow the seed out again.
Sign up to adopt a tomato variety at the Seed Swap, February 18 at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, or join this project by signing up below.
Save the world, one tomato at a time.
Look forward to working with you,
Celt