Tomato Nostalgia

Summer of 1979
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We arrived on the family farm on Crandall Hill on a hot April day in 1976,  our "Living The Good Life" dreams of making our way as homesteaders packed into a U-Haul truck, taking us from the busy Lehigh Valley back to our mutual roots in north central Pennsylvania.
Key to the back-to-the-land dream was growing a big garden. In the metropolitan area near Allentown, we had claimed a community garden space with high voltage electrical lines arching overhead. The weeds soon overtook our first efforts at growing our own as we couldn't find the time to adequately tend our little shared space. But our move back to the gardens Arthur fondly remembered  from his childhood offered a new start and we planted our first garden that spring.
I don't remember much about those first gardens. Instead, my memories take me back to sunny summer afternoons in the tomato patch while my toddler daughter took her afternoon nap in the nearby house.  Always a creature of habit, the little girl welcomed her afternoon respite, and so did I. It was the summer I canned more than 100 quarts of our own tomatoes.
Coming across this photo on a cold winter day in 2019 transported me back to that halcyon summer, setting my standard of tomato success.
It's time to start the seeds that will become the tomatoes of 2019. For the past several years, I have offered USDA Certified Organic tomato and pepper plants for sale. This year I will grow vegetable starts only if customers make arrangements with me in advance. And that means you will need to get in touch with me (email: metzgerfarm@gmail.com) before March 20 to place your order. We can work together to select varieties and plan for the best time for you to take custody of your plants when the danger of frost has passed in your garden patch. We'll both be disappointed if you wait until May to begin looking for organic plant starts.

Now Available In Potter County!

All of the certified organic plants we’re offering for sale are grown the same way we grow seedlings  for our certified organic farm.

Years ago when we were just beginning our transition to organic, we set out to find organic plants. We thought it would be easy but discovered that there were no local sources. That first year we went all the way to Ithaca, N.Y. to buy plants that were “grown organically” but were not USDA certified organic.
Later we made the acquaintance of Bridget and Dennis Reynolds of Quest Farm in Almond, N.Y. , a USDA certified organic farm, and purchased our plant starts from them for several years. At the same time, we began to work on a system to begin to grow our own organic seedlings.

Beginning in March, the carefully selected USDA certified organic seeds are sown in seeding trays with Organic Mechanics seed starting mix. The seedlings are transitioned to their individual pots after the grow true leaves. We’ve chosen OMRI listed peat pots for this step and the soil is Vermont Compost Company’s Fort Vee.
The plants are tended daily and spend time in the sunshine behind the glass of our heated greenhouse as well as under grow lights.
Let us grow for you! Call 814-274-8004 or email us at metzgerfarm@gmail.com for details.

Certified Organic Garden Plants For Sale

Certified Organic Tomato Plants

As advertised, Metzger Heritage Farm has USDA Certified Organic Tomato and Pepper Plants available for sale. Some varieties could be ready to go this week while others will benefit from another week or two in the protected greenhouse.

And, as of last evening (Tuesday, May 10), Verizon has repaired our telephone line. The answering machine is ready to take your calls if we're out in the greenhouse. Also, email is good at metzgerfarm@gmail.com

These tomatoes are about four inches high this morning

They have been grown in organic seed starting mix and organic compost potting soil in individual peat pots. These plants are raised in a heated greenhouse space with supplemental lighting. They are healthy and sturdy. We have taken care to selected varieties with a short growing season to help ensure success in your home garden. We are offering discount for the purchase of six or more plants.

We planted the first of our tomatoes in the high tunnel on Wednesday. They have great root systems and have already begun their ascent up the twine.

It's All In The Seeds

The USDA Certified Organic tomato and pepper plants we are offering for sale this spring began their lives as certified organic seed. Each seed was nestled in Organic Mechanics Seed Starting Mix and transitioned to OMRI certified peat pots filled with Vermont Compost Fort Vee Potting Soil.

Photo taken April 22,
just after transplant 

We've been growing a garden for many years and began growing for market relatively recently. While we always followed "organic" techniques, it wasn't until we joined the Path To Organic program from Pa. Department of Agriculture that we began to understand how this way of farming begins with the seeds.

When faced with certified organic and conventional seeds in the colorful displays that spring up everywhere just after the Christmas decorations come down, a look at the price difference often makes your buying decision more difficult.

As with any certified organic product, certified organic seeds are grown without synthetic fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides. What I hadn't realized was that seed producers in conventional settings are permitted to use more of those harmful substances because the plant is not intended for the food supply.

The Organic Seeds Growers and Trade Alliance reports that conventional seed production allows for heavier application of chemical pesticides as the crops intended for seed are in the ground for much longer periods.

Seeds bearing the USDA Certified Organic label must be grown at an organic-certified farm with inputs (fertilizer, pest controls, etc.) approved for certified organic production. Those seeds must then be packaged and handled by a certified facility.

We are excited to be offering to our community the choice of USDA Certified Organic vegetable starts. Remember that we have selected tomato and pepper varieties  best suited to our northern climate. Call (814-274-8004) or email (metzgerfarm@gmail.com) to reserve your plants as soon as possible as quantities are limited (especially sweet peppers).

Aren't they gorgeous?

Here are a couple of links with more information about the differences between organic and conventional seeds.

http://www.organicitsworthit.org/learn/organic-seed-expert-phil-winteregg

http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/organic-vocabulary

Certified Organic Tomato Plants

Here is a listing of the certified organic tomato plants that we are growing to sell for the 2016 season.  These varieties were selected from several different seed companies to provide a good selection of the determinate (or bush type) organic varieties. The descriptions and photographys below come from the seed catalogs.
Please note that we also grow many varieties of indeterminate tomatoes for our own use and we would be willing to plant addition seeds from our supply if customers are looking for an indeterminate variety. Please contact us as soon as possible to see if we have seeds for your favorites.
If you are interested in reserving tomato plants, please call us at 814-274-8004 or send an email to metzgerfarm@gmail.com to place your orders. Quantities are limited and by reserving your plants now, you are offered a better selection.
I will also be listing the sweet and hot peppers in a separate blog post.

Photo From
Seed Savers Exchange

Silvery Fir Tree Tomato
Traditional Russian variety with distinctive carrot-like silvery-gray foliage on compact 24” p;lants Heavy crops of round, slightly flattened 3”-3 1/2” red fruit. Does well in hanging baskets or on patios. Determinate. 60 days from transplant.
$4.00 per plant in 3-inch peat pot.

Photo From High Mowing
Organic Seeds

Roma VF Paste
Productive plum tomato with great disease resistance! Vigorous and strong, producing heavy yields of picture-perfect, thick-walled fruits with deep red color and mild flavor. Open pollinated. 65 days from transplant
$3.75 per plant in 3” peat pot.

Photo From High
Mowing Organic Seeds

Iron Lady F1 Hybrid

Fight the blight with this disease-resistant red slicer! Impressive resistance to late blight, early blight, septoria and more. Fine-textured fruit is both dense and juicy with good tomato flavor. Determinate. 75 days from transplant.

$4.25 per plant in 3” peat pot.

Photo From Southern
Exposure Organic Seeds

Mountain Princess

Perfectly round fruits with crowd-pleasing mild sweet flavor. Very productive and early, great for short, cool seasons. A customer favorite for containers. Grown for generations in the Monongahela National Forest region of West Virginia. Determinate. 68 days from transplant.

$4 per plant in 3” peat pot.

Photo From Southern
Exposure Organic Seeds

Rutgers Tomato

Hearty tomato flavor and meaty texture. Bright red fruit with a small seed cavity and good color throughout. Good for slicing or canning. Resists cracking. Open pollinated. Determinate. 75 days from transplant.

$4 per plant in 3” peat pot.

Photo From Johnny's
Selected Seeds

Gold Nugget Cherry Tomato

An early prolific golden cherry tomato. Deep yellow color. Compact plants with concentrated early set.  Determinate. 56 days from transplant.

$3.75 per plant in 3” peat pot.

Photo From Johnny's
Selected Seeds

Oregon Spring Tomato

Medium sized, early cold tolerant. First early harvest for cool northern locations. Compact plants bearing 6-7 oz. fruit.  Determinate. 60 days from transplant.

$3.75 per plant in 3” peat pot.

Photo From High Mowing
Organic Seeds

Heinz 1350 VF

A productive garden variety with concentrated fruit set and an excellent processing tomato for canning or cooking. Widely 

adapted and good for salad use too. Round 4 - 6” fruits. Determinate. 75 days from transplant. 

$4.00 per plant in 3” peat pot.