You’ve been thinking of growing heirloom tomatoes for the first time.?Last season you grew some beefsteak tomatoes right up against the foundation of your house.?It was?nice to get fresh ripe tomatoes instead of the tough skinned supermarket unripened kind you normally buy during the winter.?/p>

Your decision??Yes, you are going to plant a garden?full of tomatoes, beefsteak and cherry tomatoes.?But, it’s April and you are wondering if it is too late.?You also are interested in growing heirloom tomatoes because you know that there are hundreds of varieties, in all shapes and color.?Some are even striped.?There are purple ones, green tomatoes, orange and yellow heirloom tomatoes…what a wide variety.

Heirloom tomatoes are available in hundreds of varieties when you buy seed.?If you want to start off with plants or seedlings, you are much more limited as to variety.

If you want to start with seeds you should start the seed germination process now.?You might have a window of about a month, but that is cutting it close since the plants will not bear fruit (tomatoes) for at least?two and a half months.

What to do to start growing heirloom tomatoes from seeds

In a flat or seed tray, which you have filled with a compost-peat mixture, place your seeds.

Cover?with vermiculite to help maintain sufficient moisture for your seeds to germinate.

Keep indoors in a warm place…such as by a window where you have sufficient sunlight.

In about 6 to 8 weeks you will have seedlings that you can plant outside in your garden bed.?Plant in deep holes to which you’ve added about a cup of organic fertilizer ( such as bonemeal).?Make sure your soil is warm…at least 50 degrees.