PRICING:
Tomato Plants are $8 each and the more rare varieties $10 because the seeds were $$. The plants come in extra deep pots (3.5 x 3.5 x 5" deep) which encourages deeper and more prolific root growth and a better start to your plants.
These plants are grown from seed and are given the absolute best of everything from day one. Grown in organic soils and fed organic fertilizers and natural concoctions, most of which have been made here by me.
FERTILIZER:
For the past few years I have been studying and implementing Jadam Organic Farming methods in my seed starting and gardening endeavors. This year I made my own fish fertilizers and compost tea to give your seedlings and plants a great boost and start to life. If you have never heard of Jadam, check it out!! This method is a low cost, Do-It-Yourself way of making fertilizers, natural pesticides and so many other garden inputs. I like to call it Nature Farming!
Check out Nate at the Garden Like A Viking YouTube channel for sooo many Jadam recipes and gardening knowledge https://www.youtube.com/@gardenlikeaviking/videos and here is a link to the Jadam website: https://en.jadam.kr/
For those of you who do not want to make your own fertilizers (haaa...most of you I'm sure) here are links to some good fertilizers that I use: https://www.espoma.com/product/plant-tone/ https://www.pennington.com/all-products/fertilizer/alaska-fish-fertilizer
Almost all heirloom and open-pollinated tomato varieties are INDETERMINATE...meaning they get VERY, VERY TALL and will need to be staked and tied up as they grow. One advantage of this is that they continue to produce tomatoes all summer long, right up until our last frost date. A disadvantage is that it takes a bit more work. The reward of these tomatoes though is all worth it!! I use cattle panels, t-posts and tomato clips now. Trying out the string method this year.
PRUNING your indeterminate tomato plants is very important. This keeps air flowing to keep disease and pests down, and production up. Take all leaves off the bottom foot or so of the plant and thin leaves throughout plant if they are too crowded. I grow intensively, which means I space plants closer than the general recommendations, so I prune fairly aggressively. Use your instincts here. Here is a great article with diagrams to show you exactly how and where to prune.
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/tomato-pruning/
Tomatoes are VERY, VERY HUNGRY plants. When I plant my tomatoes in the ground I add, at the very least, Espoma Plant Tone to the hole, mix it into the dirt then plant my tomato. Feed regularly throughout the season, every 3-4 weeks, with a fish fertilizer like the Alaska brand or one of your homemade Jadam fertilizers. Here is a good link on the basics of organic fertilizers.
https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1064
When PLANTING, dig the deepest hole that you can, cut all leaves off up to the top 4 leaves and bury the stem all the way up to the bottom of your top leaves. Tomatoes get new roots all along the stem which makes for a healthier, more robust plant. If your soil is less than ideal, you can lay your plant into the ground lengthwise and cover all of the root ball and stem with soil leaving only the top 4 leaves sticking out of the ground.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS WHEN GROWING IN POTS:
When growing tomatoes in POTS there are several factors to keep in mind:
#1--Make sure you use a large enough pot (at least 5 gallon but a bit bigger is better).
#2--Use a quality potting soil. You can add some topsoil or native soil from your property as well, but including a good potting will help ensure that your plants will receive adequate drainage and a head start on nutrition. Many potting soils have some amendments included in the mix. I prefer the Coast of Maine "Raised Bed" or "Seed Starting" products. Organic and amended with some wonderful ingredients like compost, lobster meal, kelp meal, worm castings and mycorrhizae (a fungus that works to form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the plants and helps facilitate the uptake of nutrients).
#3--Tomatoes are very, very hungry plants so you need to fertilize OFTEN and add some slow release fertilizer to the soil in your pots.
#4--Water! Water! Water!...pots dry out more quickly than garden soil and it is important to keep the moisture level even for beautiful tomatoes. I add a product called "Soil Moist" to all of my planting containers...I call it "baby diaper goo", haha. It's a granular product that sucks up water and holds it to slow release as the plant starts to dry out. It cuts the time between watering down and will protect your plants from experiencing drought like conditions, which they do not like, especially when in containers.
PAYMENT INFORMATION:
Payment accepted through Venmo @mackensie-coldspringsmama or you may pay at time of pickup (preferred). Please enter the form of payment you choose in the box provided at the end of this form.
PICKUP INFORMATION:
Pickup will be at Taylor's Farm Market 4287 Lycoming Creek Road, Cogan Station. Your order will be separated out and ready for pickup. Our last frost date here is around May 15th, so there is no need to have your plants any earlier than this. Better to keep them here and happy than allow them to get caught outside on a frosty morning. Please indicate in the box if that date will not work for you and you can pick up here at the house at your convenience. We are located in Cogan Station as well.
SPECIAL REQUESTS:
Please let us know in the box at the bottom of the form if there are any special instructions, questions or if you need to schedule an alternate pickup time.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Feel free to email or text me if you have any question as well, I would love to hear from you.
Like my new page on Facebook..."Cold Springs Mama Heirlooms"...copy and paste...
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091127975125
Email: coldspringsmama@gmail.com
Text: 570-419-7909
It has been such a joy growing these plants for you!
Thank you so much for your support and your interest!
Sincerely,
Mackensie