I grow a slew of heirloom tomato plants, as well as some hot pepper and basil plants to sell each spring.  These are large plants, organically grown, with deep, well-developed root systems.  The number of days noted after each variety are the approximate number of days (according to the seed catalogs) it takes to get a ripe tomato after you set the plant in your garden.  My large plants will often produce ripe fruit a little sooner in your garden.  

Tomato plants will be available by early April.  I will have them at both farmers markets.  You can also come out to the farm for plants by appointment  (email me at wildonionfarms@yahoo.com.)  Plants are usually sold out by late April or early May.
Tomato plants are $4 each; pepper and basil plants are $3 each.

The varieties below will be spring (2010)'s offerings; the list is roughly sorted by color.  Chile pepper and basil varieties are listed at the bottom of the page.  This is where I indulge my love for the weird and unusual and revel in nature's diversity.  You want 'Better Boys,' you can find those just about anywhere.  I also went a little nuts with the cherry tomatoes this year.  I have to admit, I'm a sucker for a catchy name.  Really, how can you not want to grow lollipops, jujubes, and snowberries?  And there's a new "sauce & canning" category - these beauties are perfect for transforming into sauce and hold up well to canning.

Red Tomatoes
Royal Hillbilly (80)  Huge drippy juicy red fruits make the perfect summer tomato sandwich.  Need I say more?
Millionaire (85) Great eaten fresh or canned, good sweet/tart balanced flavor.  From Missouri, 1930s.
Fireworks (65) An early, mid-sized, all-purpose, red tomato.  Productive; real tomato flavor that's unusual for an early tomato - far better tasting than 'Early Girl' hybrids.
Old Italian  (85) Very large red beefsteak type. Italian origin, 1940s.
Brandywine (85) Large tomatoes with legendary flavor that some feel sets the standard for all other tomatoes.  Juicy, few seeds, a perfect balance of sugars and acid.  Up to 1 1/2 pounds each.  Old heirloom variety from Pennsylvania.  These are more productive in northern growing areas, but the flavor makes them worth the trouble in the south.
Principe Borghese (75) Italian heirloom bred for sun-drying.  Small fruits with low moisture & intense flavor.

Pink Tomatoes
German Johnson (80)  The famous North Carolina heirloom tomato.  Large pink fruits grow 1-2 pounds each.  Sweet, low-acid, very few seeds.  German Johnsons tend to have green shoulders, even when fully ripe.
Rose (75)  Amazing flavor is similar to Brandywine, but the plants are earlier, more productive and better suited to southern climates.  The rose-colored fruits weigh about one pound each.
Pink Firefly (80) One-pound fruits are deep pink, sweet & tangy, full-flavored.  Potato-leaved foliage is fairly disease-resistant.  Iridescent skin said to sparkle like a firefly.  From Kentucky, @1890.

Purple Tomatoes
Cherokee Purple (80) Another famous North Carolina heirloom, said to have originated with the Cherokee tribe in western NC, refined by Craig LeHoullier of Raleigh.  Fruits have a fabulous sweet, smoky flavor, and can grow up to one pound each.  These are the ugliest, but best-tasting tomatoes you'll ever grow.
 Southern Night (85)  deep dark maroon color, sweet, juicy, and luscious as a warm southern summer night.

Orange/Yellow Tomatoes
Kellogg's Breakfast (80) Deep brilliant orange one-pound tomatoes have a fabulous flavor.  Very meaty but still juicy, not too many seeds, sweet but still tangy.  Wildly productive.  I tried growing these for the first time last summer, and they instantly became my new favorite!
 Persimmon (80) Beautiful golden-orange tomatoes are sweet and low-acid.  Fruits are very meaty with few seeds, averaging 1-2 pounds each.  The seed catalogs claim these aren't very productive, but mine have always produced mountains every summer.
Hugh's (85) huge 21/2 pound fruits, very pale yellow with a blush of pink on the blossom end.  Mild, low-acid.  Very meaty, few seeds.

Green Tomatoes
Green Zebra (70) One of my favorites.  Small to mid-sized fruits are green-and-gold striped when ripe.  Excellent yields, the plants are robust but not too big, and one of the hardiest, most disease-resistant tomatoes I've ever grown.  The tomatoes have a sweet flavor that's well balanced by a zippy tang - the perfect salad tomato.
Aunt Ruby's German Green (80) Large one-pound beefsteak type w/ strong sweet fruity flavor. Neon green when ripe.  German origin.

Striped/Bicolor Tomatoes
Big Rainbow (85) average two-pound fruits, flesh is yellow streaked w/ red, very striking in a platter or salad of sliced tomatoes.  Sweet & juicy.

Small-Fruited/Cherry Tomatoes
Green Grape (70) cherry tomato about the size of a green grape, color & flavor similar to Green Zebra.
Mini Orange (75) tiny tangerine-orange 2-oz tomatoes, perfect for snacking & salads
Lollipop (75) lemon-yellow sweet mild cherry tomatoes in clusters; high yielding
Snowberry (75) creamy pale yellow, almost white small cherry in long trusses. Fruity; great eaten out of hand, in fruit salads,
Black Cherry (70) dusky purple cherry tomatoes, sweet rich flavor
Chadwick Cherry (70) huge yields, disease-resistant plants, sweet red 1-oz cherry tomatoes
Jujube Cherry (70) red grape type.  Of German origin.
Red Fig (70) small sweet red pear-shaped fruits
Matt's Wild Cherry (60) small currant-sized red sweet tomatoes.  From eastern Mexico, near Hidalgo.
Tess' Land Race Currant (75) red, pink, yellow & gold currant tomatoes all one one plant in long tresses.  Bred by Brett Grosghal of Even'Star Farm in Maryland.

Sauce & Canning
Goldman's Italian-American (80) Large red pear-shaped fruits grow up to one pound.  Exceptional flavor and few seeds.  Featured in Amy Goldman's gorgeous book The Heirloom Tomato.  Makes fabulous tomato sauce, but also good eaten fresh.
Orange Banana (80) unique orange roma-type tomato.  Good for drying, canning, sauce.  Fruity & sweet.
Jersey Devil (75) a Jersey classic.  Large, six-inch long pepper or banana shaped fruit.  Thick rich flesh better tasting than most roma types.  Easy to grow, great for canning.
 Reif Red Heart (80) Red heart-shaped tomatoes with an intense, concentrated flavor and overpowering aroma.  Meaty, dense flesh has few seeds.  Tomatoes average about one pound.  Of Italian origin; my favorite tomatoes for cooking.

Hot Pepper Plants
You can't live off of them, but life wouldn't be the same without them.
(roughly in order from mildest to hottest)
Spanish Spice for the tender-hearted, barely a hint of heat
Pepperoncini the mildly spicy Greek pepper you see pickled in jars in the store
Anaheim long green mild chiles from New Mexico are good in almost anything; not very spicy, you can even eat them raw.
Pasilla lovely flavorful chile, not too hot, from Mexico, traditionally used to make mole sauces.  Also great in chili.  Dries well.
Padron novelty pepper from Spain, where they're often grilled or roasted & served as tapas.  Picked small, most are quite mild, maybe 1 in 10 will be hotter than h^%#$&^.  For those who like to play Russian Roulette with their food.
Jalapeno you know what they are…
Leutschauer Paprika a sweet-&-hot pepper from Hungary, great for drying
Thai Hot (red or yellow) tiny firey chiles from Thailand frequently used in SE Asian cooking.  Dries well.
Tabasco  hot, hot, hot pepper from Louisiana, traditionally used to make tabasco sauce.  Put them in a blender with vinegar & a little salt to make your own; this will last forever in the fridge.
Fatalii  As hot as hot gets, very much like Scotch bonnets or habaneras, but far earlier to mature


Basil Plants
    Genovese (Italian sweet) Basil  ~  Thai Basil  ~  Lemon Basil