Welcome to
Laurel's
Heirloom Tomato
Plants
We're
gonna' need a bigger basket....
Laurel holding Jaune
Flammée
"Life is short, my gardening friends.
Let' s stop awhile to rake away the
rocks and weeds,
Dig into the Earth and dream of a bountiful harvest."
In Lycopersicon Veritas. ~ Laurel
Welcome to the
astonishing world of heirloom tomatoes! We are your year-round
Southern California source for more than 130 luscious varieties of
strictly organically grown heirloom tomato plants, a
few carefully chosen great-tasting hybrids, plus a fine selection of gardening products for your home garden
and for growing
in containers and greenhouses.
My gardening career began
in 1954 when I was 4 years old. I dropped a pumpkin seed into Grandma's
bird bath in Idyllwild, California. It sprouted. Ah, germination. I was hooked.
Now we
grow and ship thousands of plants all over the country every year, year
round.
2010 marks our
10th year offering tomato plants online and here at our nursery on
occasional Sundays from 11:00 to 1:00. Sale dates are announced on the
Plant Sale page.
We are
happy to include 17 outstanding new selections this season.
Please grow organically
to help renew the soil and get the best tasting tomatoes and other
homegrown bounty from your garden. The Earth will thank you and
your harvest will be tasty indeed.
Our next Plant Sale here at
the nursery is Sunday, August 1st, 11:00 to 1:00 pm.
1725 257th St, Lomita 90717
310 534 8611
New Varieties for 2010
We have
added some delicious varieties for 2010! They include Goldman's
Italian-American, Japanese
Yellow Truffle, Cherokee Green, White Beauty, Summer Cider, Blood
Gulch, The
Dutchman, Grandfather Ashlock, Valhalla, Georgia Streak, Hartman's Yellow Gooseberry,
Purple Prince, Yellow Zebra, Big Zebra, Purple Brandywine, Rainbow
Tears and Bull's Heart.
Photographs and descriptions are in The Big List below.
Big Zac will be back
for 2010. Big
Zac will be the
biggest tomato of all in your garden, averaging 4 lbs. and up to 7 lbs. --prize
winning size and great big old-time tomatoey flavor.
Purple Haze is again available. Our premier
variety Goose Creek is also back in stock for 2009, along with my all time
favorite, Paul Robeson, and a big hit from last year,
Chocolate Amazon, a magnificent black tomato.
We will also have our 2 new
delicious and beautiful introductions from last season,
Brown Derby and Neves Azorean Red. This year I have saved a lot of
Brown Derby seeds so we will have plenty of Brown Derby plants for those who were
so disappointed to miss out last season.
Also, for 2010, we have Great Big Plants in the One
Gallon size at quite a savings and Smart Pots in 3
sizes.
Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries
Need Heirloom
Tomato Seeds?
Click
here:
https://store.TomatoFest.com/
for 600 outstanding
varieties of certified organically grown Heirloom Tomato
Seeds. You will be redirected to TomatoFest.com!
New for 2010
Our new plant selections will be designated
'New for 2010'.
Purple Haze is back in limited supply. Goose
Creek and Paul Robeson are back, along with 17 new varieties and our 2
delicious, beautiful top selling introductions from last season,
Brown Derby (in plentiful supply) and Neves Azorean Red.
We
are very exited to present our new Olive Oil blend this season
just in time for your heirloom tomato
harvest!
Golden, mellow, smooth and buttery
with a tiny touch of grass, this superb quality,
award winning
Extra Virgin Olive Oil was created for Laurel by
her friend and fellow heirloom tomato fan, Kevin
Tazelaar, Founder of California Gold Olive Oil Co. in
Oakdale, California.
Kevin gave us some of his oil blends for
Laurel to try in a blind taste test. She chose a
favorite; Kevin had it bottled and named it
Laurel's Blend.
In limited supply, for details and how to order
click:
Laurel's Blend Olive Oil
We will also have
Laurel's favorite liquid compost,
Great Big Plants, The Energy Drink
for Plants.
It's a
concentrated liquid compost to give your plants extra growing power, and is, of course, all organic.
Use it in addition to your fertilizers.
Great Big Plants has really impressed us
in out garden with heartier, stronger
stems, healthier lush foliage, bigger, better, yummier tomatoes and extremely healthy
soil and our customers concur! You will find it on the
Growing Tips and Garden Product page.
Quarts and Gallon!
Get the most
from your tomato plants with Great Big Plants!
Now in two
sizes, one quart and one gallon!
Growing in Containers?
Try our Smart Pots!
New for 2010!
Also new this
season due to many requests, we have added 25 gallon SmartPots
along with the enormously popular 20 gallon size. Just add a tomato cage
or other support. These are inexpensive but durable heavy fabric pots
used by professional nursery growers. Folks went crazy for these at our on-site
sales here at the nursery. Perfect for growing tomatoes or any other
crop for container gardening. Lightweight and durable enough for
several years of growing, they fold flat for easy shipping.
Growing Tips and Garden Products
-2T.jpg)
Back for 2010!
Early-Start Plant Protectors. So many
of you have asked for these 18" tall water-filled teepees to
insulate your plants against frost and cold temperatures. Start
tomato plants and all your warm weather plants weeks earlier than
usual.
Growing Tips and Garden Products
Here's How to Order
Plants!
Order By
Telephone. Easy as 1, 2, 3.
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Click here:
Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order
to choose your plants
and shipping period
Click here:
Growing Tips and Garden Products
to choose
your fertilizers and garden products.
Shipping
begins in late March.
Shipping windows fill up quickly.
NOTE: Please order early to reserve your plants and shipping time.
Questions? Call
Laurel:
Summer and fall office hours
are :
Monday through Wednesday, 10am 2
pm, Pacific
Time.
(310) 534-8611
(We usually have
tomato plants
available all year, including
late fall and throughout the winter for warm winter areas, greenhouse
gardeners and student science projects, please call for availability.)
¡Hablamos Español!
Mas o menos....
Fax: 310 494 0518 Email:
Tomatoplants@pacbell.net
Tomato plants are
available beginning approximately March 30th for shipping to US destinations throughout the year to suit your climate.
Local
gardeners are welcome to pick up their plants by appointment only at our nursery in the Torrance/Lomita
area of Southern California, 30 minutes south of LAX, near Western Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.
You will also find a great selection here at our occasional Sunday sales, 11:00 to
1:00 during
spring, summer and fall. Sale dates will be announced on the Plant Sale
page.
Our customers begin
ordering on September 8th at 10:00 am (Pacific Time) for their spring
and summer gardens for 2010. You can grow delicious heirloom
tomatoes right in your home garden and in containers.
Plants will be
shipped when the weather is just right for planting in your town.
Minimum order is one
plant if paying
by check. For credit card or PayPal orders, 4 plants. Orders of more
than 64 plants receive a volume discount.
We do not sell wholesale.
Gift Certificates are
available year round.
Our tomato plants are
lovingly grown from seed, using careful organic methods and shipped to
you in their large 4" nursery pots.
Brown Derby,
Persimmon and Big Beef
"The federal government has sponsored
research that has produced a tomato that
is perfect in every respect, except that
you can't eat it. We should make every
effort to make sure this disease, often
referred to as 'progress', doesn't
spread."
~ Andy Rooney
Paul Robeson,
Laurel's Favorite, in its 4" shipping pot, ready for packaging, along with a
photograph of the fruit.
Site
Navigation
Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order - See all
of our 130 tomato plant varieties.
What is an Heirloom Tomato?
Growing Tips and Garden Products
Are Tomatoes Really
an Aphrodisiac?
Heirloom Tomato Seeds
(This will redirect you to TomatoFest.com for more than 600 varieties of
organically grown heirloom tomato seeds)
What Our
Customers Say
Payment
Information
Shipping Costs and Privacy Policy
(Please read before you order.)
New Varieties for 2010
Gift
Certificates
Big Red
Tomatoes
Medium Sized Red Tomatoes
The
Biggest Tomatoes
Small
Fruited/Cherry Tomatoes
Early
Ripening Tomatoes
Pink
and Purple Tomatoes
The Black
Tomatoes
The Green
Tomatoes
The Yellow, Gold & Orange Tomatoes
Multi
Colored Tomatoes
Other Colors
Sauce and Paste Tomatoes
Laurel's
Favorites
Smaller Plants for Containers
Growing Tips and Garden Products
Our 2010 Plant Sale Dates
Favorite Tomato Recipes
Great Recipes for your heirloom tomatoes!
The Best
Tomato Sandwich
Great sandwich recipes from our customers!
Laurel's Blend Olive Oil, My Favorite!
NEW!
More Olive Oil:
www.californiagoldoliveoil.com
Favorite Links
...some
excellent resources!
Green Zebra
Do you live or work in Southern
California?
Remember, if you live here in
Southern California, in most areas you can plant right up to late
August or early September for fresh homegrown fall and winter
tomatoes!
You can also call to reserve plants
and arrange to pick them up. (By appointment only.)
We do not have a retail store, no
walk-ins, please. Please call for information. 310 534 8611
Heirloom Beefsteak
A Map to Our Website
Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order
Click
the link to see The Big List for 2010 with prices, descriptions and photographs of
our more than 130 varieties of tomatoes for spring and summer, and the
varieties we have available for fall and into December, January and February for gardeners who can plant during those seasons, along with detailed
information for placing your order.
Payment Information,
Shipping Costs and Privacy Policy
Because plant prices do not include shipping and handling, please take a moment to familiarize
yourself with shipping costs before ordering. This important payment & shipping
information includes a detailed explanation of shipping and packaging costs and
techniques and
our guarantee.
Growing Tips
and Garden Products Laurel's best growing
tips, organic gardening products, organic plant food, coco
peat, and favorite tomato books. Plus, learn how to
easily and successfully grow even the largest tomato plants in containers.
Gift Certificates
Will This Be a Gift?
Laurel's
Heirloom Tomato Plants offers several different styles of personalized and
customized gift
certificates for all occasions. Our gift
certificates are themselves an elegant gift. You may choose certain
varieties, or a certain number of plants or a dollar amount for your
recipient's certificate.
What
is an Heirloom Tomato?
Discover why
heirloom tomatoes have the
fabulous old-time tomato
taste you remember or may have never experienced.
Are Tomatoes Really
an Aphrodisiac?
A definitive
answer to this age old question.
Persimmon
My Personal Favorites
A Photo Gallery of some 'Stranded on a Deserted Island' choices ...a few
of Laurel's favorites.
What
Our Customers Say...and
photographs of their gardens
Black Krim
When Should You Plant?
First, check your region's
average temperatures:
To find your average
temperatures click here www.weather.com Type your zip code into the
Local Weather box on top and click GO.
Scroll down to
the row of 4 peach colored boxes and click on 'Averages' where you can explore
the temperature graph for your city's month-by-month highs and lows, and
determine your optimal planting time when the average low temps stay steadily above
48º. That is your best planting time.
About Frost
Dates. Please oh please don't plant in cold soil!
Tomatoes are a hot
weather crop. You can usually plant safely about
2 to 3 weeks after your last predicted frost date.
Most new gardeners plant too early. When the soil is cold, the plants go
dormant. Dormancy weakens your plants forever--they never ever catch up
or recover completely and often do not produce well or ripen properly.
Be sure the
nighttime air temperature is 48º or above and the soil is
reliably warmed up to above 50º or your plants will go dormant and just sit there in the cold soil, staring at you and not
growing until the weather warms up. This dormancy stage makes your plants
very susceptible
to disease and insect damage, delays fruit set and reduces yield. You can warm
the soil for a few weeks before planting with clear plastic placed over the garden bed to absorb solar heat
from the sun or use our Wall 'O' Water plant protectors and plant safely 3
weeks earlier than usual!
Be patient; wait until it's warmer and you will be rewarded with robust
happy tomato plants and a good harvest.
The most important thing to keep
in mind is that night temperatures and soil temperatures should be steadily above
48º
before planting tomatoes.
About
Blossom Drop During High Temperatures
Remember that pollen becomes sterile at daytime temperatures over about
96º and nighttime temperatures above 72º, so don't expect fruit to set
during those times. The plant knows that the pollen is not viable and
drops the blossoms. When the weather settles down, the blossoms will
stay on your plants and produce fruits. We do have a few varieties
that produce at higher temperatures.
Japanese Black Trifele
Shipping Dates
Shipping
is normally timed for when your nighttime temperatures stay reliably above 48º, or earlier if you desire.
We have Plant Protectors, water filled teepees, which absorb solar heat
during the day and release it all night to keep the air around
your plants warm. This means you can plant a few weeks earlier than
usual.
Click
here:
Growing Tips
and Garden Products for detailed
information on planting.
Tomato planting here in Southern
California, and in many areas of USDA zones 10 and 11, or Sunset Magazine zones
22-24, begins in latest March depending on our night temperatures. If the
ground is below 48º, we use season extenders or wait until April.
Yes, I know the garden
centers have plants for sale here in February. Why do they do this? To
get your money. Twice. You plant in February; of course the little plants
don't make it so you go back in April for more plants. Sucked in.
If you can't wait to plant, order our Early Season Wall O' Water Season
Extenders and plant in 4 to 5 weeks earlier than normal.
For fall tomatoes and winter
tomatoes we continue to plant seedlings of the quick-maturing varieties right
through mid September and, if the weather holds,
enjoy
fresh, luscious, homegrown tomatoes for Thanksgiving, Christmas and into the new year.
Yellow
Brandywine
Choose Your Shipping
Time
We
ship your plants during a 2 week period of your choice. Each period begins on a Monday.
For instance, if you choose April 12th as your shipping period your plants will
ship between April 12th and April 24th. Orders are shipped first in, first
out, so order early!
We will help you choose the week when your
climate is perfect for tomato planting. For example, if you order in January for
your Minnesota garden, we ship your plants at the end of May. If you wish
to experiment with growing in cooler temperatures we will ship them earlier, as
you wish.
Consultations
Do
you need advice about planting
tips, soil preparation, trellising, fertilizers, etcetera? We know how
important it is to get good advice and we want to be able to continue
offering free expert advice about choosing plants and gardening tips.
For all
customers, when you call to place your order, we are happy to offer consultations of up to
15 minutes at no
charge whatsoever. (Of
course this does not include the time it takes to
place your order.)
If you are simply chatting with Laurel about
gardening, life in general, etc., and the time goes
over, no charge!
For more than 15
minutes of serious consultation, let Laurel know you would like a consultation and
fees will for as follows:
For Laurel to
advise you on creating your perfect garden with your input including
answering your questions about climate, fertilization and tomato variety ideas,
etc., $15.00 per 15 minutes.
If you are
not
ready to place your order but calling for consultation with Laurel, the
first 10 minutes are at no cost.
For consultations of more than 10 minutes, including
ideas
regarding
the best varieties for
your growing conditions or climate, or about soil improvement, trellising
and critter problems, our fee is $15.00 per 15 minutes.
If, after
placing your order, you would like extended consultation with Laurel
of more than 10
minutes duration regarding
your plants and garden, our fee is $15.00 per 15 minutes.
Specialized
Consultation
For a
specialized consultation which requires detailed research into your
climate conditions and advice in creating a garden in your particular
climate, including soil conditioning, the best time to plant, season
extenders, landscaping ideas, plant lay-out, detailed variety selection,
fertilization techniques, or how to grow for market, etc., our fee is
$60.00 per hour.
Black Krim
Contact
Us
Phone: 310-534-8611
Fax: 310 494 0518
Hablamos Español
Summer and fall office hours
are :
Monday through Wednesday, 10 am to
2 pm, Pacific
Time.
To Order By telephone, email or fax, see
Here's How to Order
above.
Tomatoplants@pacbell.net
Mailing
address:
Please,
folks....
We do not have a
retail store or walk-in hours.
Please don't drop by
without an appointment or come to
one of our Sunday Sales.
Mailing address:
Heirloom
Tomato Plants
1725
W. 257th St
Lomita
CA 90717
Please call
to schedule an appointment. Absolutely no drop-ins.
310 534 8611
Black Sara , Chuck's Yellow, Gary
Ibsen's Gold, The Dutchman
Gift Certificates
Will This Be a Gift?
Laurel's
Heirloom Tomato Plants offers several different styles of personalized and
customized gift
certificates for all occasions. Our gift
certificates are themselves an elegant gift. You may choose certain
varieties, or a certain number of plants or a dollar amount for your
recipient's certificate.
Laurel will personally create and send a
beautiful
full-sheet antiqued parchment gift certificate for any occasion: All
holidays, Valentines Day, birthday, wedding, anniversary, graduation,
promotion, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, house or garden warming, sympathy,
congratulations, remembrance, or just pure tomato love, in the style and
wording you choose.
The Personalized Gift Certificate
Your recipient's Personalized Gift Certificate
will feature a full-color array of 12 beautiful heirloom tomato
photographs printed on full sheet parchment, along with your personal greeting of any
length. $5.50
for flat format.
The Personalized Gift Certificate with Detailed
Descriptions and Photos
If you will be selecting specific varieties
for your recipient,
Laurel will add additional
full sheet antiqued parchments printed with
detailed descriptions and full color photographs of
each tomato you choose. This stunning certificate is a spectacular gift in
itself.
$10.50 for flat format.
For more than 3 pages of photographs,
additional cost is $2.00 per page.
The Custom
Created Gift Certificate
These
very special certificates are custom created for you by Laurel with the
design style you select, depicting your recipient's hobbies or travel
destinations or favorite memories, poems, color scheme, garden plants,
quotes or photographs you provide for reproduction. Just let Laurel know
what you would like. $18.50
and up.
Shipping charges will be included, so your recipient
will be free to relax and choose from more than 130 varieties of heirloom
tomato plants, basil plants and garden products. Plant
cost will be averaged at $5.50 each so your recipient can choose
from among our more expensive plants.
You may also select a dollar
amount in $10.00 increments beginning at $30.00.
These elegant full sheet certificates add a heartwarming touch to your gift. Your recipient and Laurel
will get together and determine the perfect shipping week when the weather is
just right for planting in their garden.
Laurel
will be
happy to personally assist your recipients in choosing plants for their
climates and preferences when they call to redeem their certificates.
Price
List:
The Personalized
Gift Certificate on Parchment,
$5.50 plus postage of $2.85.
The Personalized Gift Certificate on Parchment with Detailed
Descriptions and Full Color Photographs, $10.50.
The Custom Created Gift Certificates, $18.50 and up.
The Emailed certificate. You can print this one
yourself. Please use beautiful paper; our certificates are specifically
designed for elegant papers including parchment, vellum or rag in a bright white or creamy color. $5.50
"Just
call or email to tell me what you have in mind. I'll make it for
you." ~
Laurel
310 534-8611
Need Heirloom Tomato Seeds?
We're feeding the world
with Heirloom Tomatoes
- Gary Ibsen & Dagma Lacey
Click for 600 varieties
of heirloom tomato seeds!
Click:
https://store.TomatoFest.com/
Visit Carmel TomatoFest® for TomatoFest Garden Seeds ~
the world's
largest and finest selection of more than 600 varieties of certified organic
heirloom tomato seeds, gorgeous photos of luscious heirloom tomatoes for
your garden, the very best in gardening supplies and organic gardening
information.
Tomato
Health Facts:
http://www.TomatoFest.com/tomato_health_facts.html
Tomato Growing Help
Questions?
Disease or Insect Problems? Need advice about cultivation? Everything
you need to know about growing tomatoes, from my friend and tomato expert, Keith
Mueller.
Click here to visit The Online Tomato
Vine:
http://www.kdcomm.net/~tomato/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laurel's Favorite Olive Oil
Folks, this award winning olive
oil is the best I've
ever tasted. I gave bottles of California Gold to many family members
and friends for Christmas -- it was a huge hit!
California Gold Olive Oil Co.
"We
are located in the beautiful Foothills of Oakdale California. We
are a small family run operation, and 2007 was our first
bottling year.
Our proprietor’s blend olive oil is made exclusively from
handpicked olives from Italian and Spanish varietals; primarily manzanilla, Coratina, and Picual.
We are also
Certified Extra
Virgin by the California Olive Oil Council. Please
visit their
web site for more information on the certification process.
Our site is currently under construction, so if you would
like to order our olive oil, please see our contact information
below."
To contact California Gold Olive Oil Co., please
call or email Kevin:
Phone: 209/847-1852
To Order Olive Oil Email Kevin at
sales@californiagoldoliveoil.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do You Like Fried Green Tomatoes?
Click the link for the world's best (and my favorite) breading mix.
www.timfishbreading.com
It's from Iowa.
Favorite Links
~
click
for some great resources!
"You
need more tomatoes."©
...Laurel
Copyright Information
All original materials,
tomato
descriptions, photographs and
original copy
contained herein are protected by copyright and are the sole property of
Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants, www.heirloomtomatoplants.com
or of Gary Ibsen and Carmel
TomatoFest® -- www.TomatoFest.com
or of the following people, companies or entities:
*
Description by Gary Ibsen, Owner of TomatoFest.com
Purple Haze,
sliced Laurel's California Gold and Laurel's California Gold blossom-end
photographs are the property of Keith Mueller and used herein with his kind
permission. All rights reserved.
Green Giant
and Green Sausage photographs are the sole property of Cynthia Sandberg, owner, Love
Apple Farm www.loveapplefarm.biz
used here with her kind permission. All
rights reserved.
Earl's Faux photograph is the sole property of Earl Cadenhead and is used herein with his
gracious permission. All rights reserved.
Black Ruffles, Summer
Cider, Hartman's Yellow Gooseberry and Chocolate Amazon photographs are the
exclusive property of Lisa VonSaunder
and are used herein with her gracious
permission. www.amishlandseeds.com
All rights reserved.
Bragger photograph is the
sole property of Gene Steinman and
used herein with his kind
permission. All rights reserved.
Blood Gulch, Rainbow
Tears, Zebra Collection and Valhalla photographs are the sole property of
Krystal Elser of Elser's Country Farm and used herein with her very kind
permission. www.elserscountryfarm.com
The following
photographs, and any other photographs on this website are the sole property of Laurel Garza and Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants
or the property of other persons and entities as noted and attributed herein.
and may not be used without the express written permission of the persons
and entities named here. All rights
reserved. The following photographs may not be used without the express written
permission of Laurel Garza.
310-534 8611:
Big Beef, Black Cherry, Brown Derby, Isis Candy, Eva Purple Ball, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Cherokee Purple
single fruit, Dona, Black Krim, Rutgers, Japanese Black Trifele 3 fruit
portrait, Black Plum grouped in bowl, Sara Black, Striped German,
Matina, Valencia single fruit, Beiju, Bloody Butcher, Sweet Baby Girl, Grape, Sun Gold, Sun Sugar, Green Zebra, Black Zebra,
Stupice, Lemon Boy, Beefsteak, Carmello, Momotaro, Goose Creek, Kellogg's
Breakfast, Tangella, Traveler, Super Sioux, Stupice, Flammée, Old German,
Paul Robeson-single fruit, Persimmon, Twin Carmello, Yellow
Brandywine, Laurel Holding Jaune Flammee, Sliced Brandywine OTV, Basket Next To Heirlooms On Table, and Heirloom Tomato Montage,
Laurel holding Paul Robeson plant.
www.heirloomtomatoplants.com
All rights reserved.
The
phrase "You need more tomatoes" is the intellectual
property of Laurel Garza and subject to copyright law.
All other photographs
of tomatoes are the sole property of Gary Ibsen and TomatoFest.com® and used with the gracious permission of TomatoFest.com®.
www.TomatoFest.com All
rights reserved. Photos belonging to Gary Ibsen may not be copied or used in any
way without his express written permission.
Goose Creek tomato plant,
its fruits, its seeds and its name are protected by copyright and US patent, and
are the sole property of Jimmy
Williams and Hayground Organic Gardening. Under patent and copyright law, Goose Creek tomato seeds may not be
sold, saved to sell, or donated or traded with knowledge of intent to sell, or with
intent to grow and sell plants or fruits or any part thereof, in any way,
without the express written
permission of Jimmy Williams.
All
rights reserved. 2009
'Two Heirloom
Tomatoes' watercolor painting is the sole property of artist Tom Hapgood and used
herein with his gracious permission. www.tomhapgood.com
All rights reserved.
All
rights are reserved. Any unauthorized use of any photograph or description
contained herein will result in prosecution and
penalties to
the full extent of US copyright laws. 2000 - 2009