About tomatoes:
These perennials, grown as an annual, are easy to grow if you have full sun. They can be planted in April, May and early June in Zone 14-17. Some varieties are determinate - which means they are bushier, and need little or no staking. Others are indeterminate - they will sprawl (will need some support), and generally bear over a longer period. Tomato plants need well-draining soil, so Bay Area gardeners with clay soil may have to grow them in containers.

Plant seedlings so lowest leaves are just above soil level with SureStart. Additional roots will form and provide a stronger root system. Put the tomato cage in place at the same time, it’s difficult to coax a bushy plant into a cage once it gets large (yes, we learned the hard way!)

Tomato plants need deep regular water, in ordinary soils feed lightly every two weeks from the first blossom set until the end of harvest or use EB Stone Tomato & Veg Food when planting.

The term “F1 Hybrid” is the scientific result of crossing two different parent varieties to create a new offspring who in turn produces a new uniform seed variety that combines specific characteristics from both parents. These are only true in the first generation of seed. The process must be repeated each year by hand pollination to insure the consistent characteristic (Early Girl/Celebrity).

“Heirloom” varieties are the result of open-pollinated seeds, which are the product of natural or human selection for specific traits that are re-selected in every crop. The seed is kept true to type through selection or isolation. Bees or wind pollinate the plants. Saving the seeds from, say, the best tasting ‘Brandywine’ tomatoes year after year will create a ‘selection’ that is locally adapted to produce well in your local area. “Heirloom’ generally means that the variety has been around for 40-50 years, is no longer available in the commercial seed trade, and that it has been preserved and kept true to a particular region.