Snow is covering the ground and it is cold outside, so what am I doing? I am planning my garden. There are so many wonderful plants to grow, so many choices that it can become confusing. In this year’s garden, I am going to grow my usual plants of tomatoes, carrots, peas, onions along with several hot and sweet peppers.
Unlike other years, you need to be careful of the plants you grow from seed or buy at the store. Many of our seeds are being tainted by GMO. Monsanto is altering our food at an alarming rate. They are injecting poisons into the seed to make the plant more resistant to bugs and disease. If you are growing an organic garden, do you want to include these GMO seeds in your garden? I know I do not.
This article will talk about heirloom seeds, handed down through the generations. These seeds are not hybrids either. You can collect them every year, plant them in the spring, and know that the plant will be just like its parent.
Paste tomatoes are a necessary ingredient to almost any canning recipe. They are a meaty tomato perfect in making ketchup, or added to sauces.
Anna Russian
The Anna Russian is a very early producing variety taking 65 days to maturity. .The neat thing about this tomato is the shape. When you cut it in half, it resembles a heart. What could be more meaningful than that? Anna Russian is an easy tomato to grow. It bears heavily in hot or cool weather, which makes it a plant that does well in all climates. There is one thing to note or remember when you grow Anna Russian tomatoes. The plant will look like it has wilt. The leaves will look drippy and wispy. This is a natural growing process of this tomato because it has the “wilt” gene. Do not pull them out thinking that your plant has wilt.
Black Plum
Black plum is a paste type tomato that grows well in foggy coastal areas or in full sun. The fruits take 70 days to maturity. It is another heavy producing plant. The mahogany colored fruit has a rich, sweet fruity taste. They measure 2 inches long by 1inch wide. If you decide to grow this tomato, pick the fruits while they are slightly under ripe. If they feel soft, they lose most of their flavor. You can eat the fruits fresh, or dry them. They work well in salsa or spaghetti sauce. The taste is sweet, with a touch of tartness combined with a smokey flavor. This tomato grows well in foggy coastal areas or in full sun. If you don’t have room to grow this one in the garden, grow it in a container. These tomatoes taste delicious eaten fresh, added to salads, or used in canning to make sauces.
Goldman’s Italian-American
Goldman’s Italian-American is a strange looking tomato, in my opinion. The ribbed and pleated fruit resembles a squashed pear. They take 80 days to maturity. They start out green, but as they ripen, they turn to an intense red. This is a meaty and juicy tomato used to make silky sauces and preserves. It is popular in many gardens. They can grow to a length of 8 feet. Some gardeners say that this plant is happiest when sprawling over the ground while others remain faithful at staking or caging this plant. The fruit weighs in at about 12 to 16 ounces.
