Home gardeners, it’s your time to shine. Spring is here and our annual tomato seedling sale has begun. Orders can be placed via our website for pick up from the farm in the Dandenong Ranges Monday through Thursday. Alternatively, from September 10 seedlings will also be available from selected retail outlets including The Leaf Stores, Morning Market, Toscano’s and CIBI. We have 13 varieties of large and cherry tomatoes of all different shapes and colours and the plants are looking incredibly healthy.
This year we’ve selected heirloom tomato seeds from local seed heroes Robin and Peter of Transition Farm on the Mornington Peninsula. Their seeds are certified organic and biodynamic and have been selected over many years to ensure resilient plants and proven results in local conditions. For sale are old favourites like Costoluto Genovese and Black Cherry as well as yellow and green varieties. Lucid Gem is an early producing purple and orange sweet tomato with low acidity. While Solar Flare is a late producing vibrant red and orange striped tomato with a bold tangy flavour that will look gorgeous on the plate. No matter the colour or shape, all varieties have been bred for flavour! Mass produced tomatoes are bred for their long shelf life, ease of packing or their ability to pass through machinery. We only select seeds that have been specifically bred with taste and texture in mind.
Perhaps the star of this tomato season is Midnight Roma. Developed by chef Dan Barber’s Row 7 Seed Co. The acclaimed New York chef’s philosophy aligns with our own: that we should be eating seasonally, and that great taste comes from healthy soil, flavour-driven seed genetics, and diverse farming. The outcome is food that isn’t grown at the expense of taste, nutrition or the environment. Transition Farm has produced Midnight Roma seeds right here in Victoria and for that we are ever so grateful! Midnight Roma is a dramatic looking dark skinned take on the classic Roma tomato. So it looks great and tastes great but the purple colour means it’s also packed with powerful antioxidants. This tomato is going to be all over restaurant menus this summer. It could just be the most sought after tomato in Australia, so grab yours before we sell out!
You might be asking, is it too early to plant tomatoes? Not if you live in Melbourne. The city and suburban heat bank means we’re unlikely to experience further frosts and with the BOM predicting a warmer than average spring and summer, it’s a good idea to get your tomato seedlings in the soil now so you can enjoy the fruit in December and January in case the plants are fried by hot February temperatures. The pots also have a great amount of nutrition within them, so if you live near us in the Hills or perhaps out in the Yarra Valley and are worried about the temperature dipping, they can stay as they are for a time in a protected place.
Our first tomato salad of the season is something we look forward to every year – it really is the taste of summer. Our seedlings are available ONLY until stock sells out, so get your friends or family together, place your orders and simply reply to the confirmation email to let us know if you plan to pick up orders for other people too.
See you at the farm!
Until next time … eat well.
Lisa, Oliver and the Ramarro Farm team.