Welcome to Laurel's 

   Heirloom Tomato Plants

        We're gonna' need a bigger basket....

        Laurel holding a Flammée 

          "Life is short, my gardening friends. 

      Let' s stop awhile to rake away the rocks and weeds,

        Dig into the Earth and dream of a bountiful harvest."

  In Lycopersicon Veritas. ~ Laurel

Welcome to the astonishing world of heirloom tomatoes! We are your year-round Southern California source for 100 luscious varieties of strictly organically grown heirloom tomato plants, a couple of carefully chosen great-tasting hybrids, plus a fine selection of gardening products for your home garden and for growing in containers and greenhouses.

My gardening career began in 1954 when I was 4 years old. I dropped a pumpkin seed into Grandma's bird bath in Idyllwild, California. It sprouted. Ah, germination. I swooned. 

Now we grow and ship thousands of plants all over the country every year, year round.

2012 marks our 12th year offering tomato plants online and here at our nursery on occasional Sundays from 11:00 to 1:00. Sale dates are announced on the Plant Sale page.

Please grow organically to help renew the soil and get the best tasting tomatoes and other homegrown bounty from your garden. The Earth will thank you and your harvest will be tasty indeed.

 

 

Ordering Your Plants for 2012

Shipping periods and the new Big List for spring and summer 2012 shipping have been posted. Scroll down to our Site Map for 'Our Tomato Varieties' link below.

 

 

PLANT SALES

NOTE:

PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK THE STREET OR OUR NEIGHBORS' DRIVEWAYS, EVEN BRIEFLY.

There will be no plant sale on Mother's Day -- May 13th -- this year. 

The following Sunday, May 20th, plants will be buy 8, get one free!

 

Sunday May 20th, 11:00 to 1:00

...and almost every Sunday in April and May,

and every other Sunday in June and July, throughout Spring and Summer.

Address and further info, click here:   Our 2012 Plant Sale Dates

Address and further info, click here:   Our 2012 Plant Sale Dates

 

Please bring a box for your plants. Cash only.

For more info please call Laurel : 310 534-8611

 

     Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

 

 

    A Map to Our Website

     Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order

Click the link to see The Big List for 2012 with prices, descriptions and photographs of our varieties of tomatoes for spring and summer along with detailed information for placing your order.

 

Payment Information, Shipping Costs and Privacy Policy

Because plant prices do not include shipping and handling, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with shipping costs before ordering. This important payment & shipping information includes a detailed explanation of shipping and packaging costs and techniques and our guarantee. 

 

NOTE:  We ship Post Office Priority Mail. If you cannot receive post office packages on Saturdays please let us know and we will be sure your plants do not arrive on a Saturday!

Growing Tips and Garden Products Laurel's best growing tips, organic gardening products, organic plant food, coco peat, and favorite tomato books. Plus, learn how to easily and successfully grow even the largest tomato plants in containers.

 

Our 2012 Plant Sale Dates Join us on occasional Sundays during spring and summer, Late March to August to choose from more than 60 varieties of tomato plants and our selection of fine gardening products including 3 sizes of Smart Pots, organic fertilizers and natural, effective insect control. Sale dates will be posted in Mid March.

 

 

Gift Certificates Will This Be a Gift? Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants offers personalized gift certificates for all occasions. Our gift certificates are themselves an elegant gift. You may choose certain varieties, or a certain number of plants or a dollar amount for your recipient's certificate.

What is an Heirloom Tomato? 

Discover why heirloom tomatoes have the fabulous old-time tomato taste you remember or may have never experienced.

 

Are Tomatoes Really an Aphrodisiac?

A definitive answer to this age old question.

  

    Persimmon

 

My Personal Favorites  

A Photo Gallery of some 'Stranded on a Desert Island' choices ...a few of Laurel's favorites.

 

 

 Paul Robeson, Laurel's Favorite, in its 4" shipping pot, ready for packaging, along with a photograph of the fruit.   Not to scale   :)

 

 

 

   

                               What Our Customers Say...and photographs of their gardens

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Site Navigation

Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order - See all of our 100 tomato plant varieties.

Plus:

 

What is an Heirloom Tomato?

Growing Tips and Garden Products

Are Tomatoes Really an Aphrodisiac?

Heirloom Tomato Seeds (This will redirect you to TomatoFest.com for more than 600 fabulous varieties of  organically grown heirloom tomato seeds)

What Our Customers Say

Payment Information  Shipping Costs and Privacy Policy  (Please read before you order.)

New Varieties for 2012

Gift Certificates

Big Red Tomatoes

Medium Sized Red Tomatoes

The Biggest Tomatoes Enter the Giant Tomato Contest at www.PlantYourOwn.com for prize money, free plants and bragging rights!

Small Fruited/Cherry Tomatoes

Early Ripening Tomatoes

Pink and Purple Tomatoes                                                

The Black Tomatoes

The Green Tomatoes

The Yellow, Gold & Orange Tomatoes

Multi Colored Tomatoes

Other Colors

Sauce and Paste Tomatoes

Laurel's Favorites

Smaller Plants for Containers ....and small garden spaces.

Growing Tips and Garden Products

Our 2012 Plant Sale Dates

Favorite Tomato Recipes  Great Recipes for your heirloom tomatoes!

The Best Tomato Sandwich Great sandwich recipes from our customers!

Laurel's Blend Olive Oil, My Favorite!  NEW!

More Olive Oil: www.californiagoldoliveoil.com

Favorite Links ...some excellent resources!

 

Heirloom Beefsteak

 

Need Heirloom Tomato Seeds?

Green Zebra

Click here:  https://store.TomatoFest.com/ for 600 outstanding varieties of certified organically grown Heirloom Tomato Seeds. You will be redirected to TomatoFest.com

 

 

We are very exited to present our Olive Oil blend this season to complement your heirloom tomato harvest!

Golden, mellow, smooth and buttery with a tiny touch of earthiness, this superb quality, award-winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil was created by our friend and fellow heirloom tomato fan, Kevin Tazelaar, Founder of California Gold Olive Oil Co. in Oakdale, California.

Kevin sent us bottle after bottle of different oil blends to try in a blind taste test. After many tastings, we chose a unanimous favorite; Kevin had it bottled and surprised us by naming it Laurel's Blend.

In the photograph you will see that some of the oil is missing...Laurel opened it and had some for a snack with fresh-picked tomatoes, Greek olives and feta. You will get a full bottle, we promise.

For details and how to order click: Laurel's Blend Olive Oil 

 

 

 

                            

                             

 

 

We will also have Laurel's favorite liquid compost,

Great Big Plants, The Energy Drink for Plants.

It's a concentrated liquid compost to give your plants extra growing power, and is, of course, all organic. Use it in addition to your fertilizers.

Great Big Plants has really impressed us in out garden with heartier, stronger stems, healthier lush foliage, bigger, better, yummier tomatoes and extremely healthy soil and our customers concur! You will find it on the Growing Tips and Garden Product page. Quarts and Gallon!

 

Get the most from your tomato plants with Great Big Plants!

 

Now in two sizes, one quart and one gallon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing in Containers?

Try our Smart Pots. In Black or new Tan!

     

 

We have added 25 gallon and 30 gallon SmartPots along with the enormously popular 20 gallon size.

Just add a tomato cage or other support. These are inexpensive but durable heavy fabric pots used by professional nursery growers. Folks went crazy for these at our on-site sales here at the nursery. Perfect for growing tomatoes or any other crop for container gardening. Lightweight and durable enough for several years of growing, they fold flat for easy shipping.

Growing Tips and Garden Products

 

   

 

 

 

Growing in a Colder Climate or Planting Early?

 

 

Back for 2012!  Early-Start Plant Protectors. So many of you have asked for these 18" tall water-filled teepees to insulate your plants and soil against frost and cold temperatures. Start tomato plants and all your warm weather plants  a month or more earlier than usual.

Growing Tips and Garden Products

 

 

Here's How to Order Plants!

  Order By Telephone. Easy as 1, 2, 3.

 

Aunt Ruby's German Green

Click here: Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order to choose your plants and shipping period.

Click here:  Growing Tips and Garden Products to choose your fertilizers and garden products.

Shipping begins in mid March or a little later depending on when the plants are big enough to travel.

 

Shipping windows fill up quickly.

 

NOTE: Please order early to reserve your plants and shipping time.

Questions?  Call Laurel:

Office hours are :

 

Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time.

 

310 534-8611 

¡Hablamos Español! Mas o menos....

Fax: 310 494 0518   Email:  Tomatoplants@pacbell.net

Tomato plants are available beginning approximately March 20th for shipping to US destinations throughout the year to suit your climate. 

Local gardeners are welcome to pick up their plants by appointment only at our nursery in the Torrance/Lomita area of Southern California, 30 minutes south of LAX, near Western Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. You will also find a great selection here at our Sunday sales, 11:00 to 1:00 during spring, summer and fall. Sale dates will be announced on the Plant Sale page.

Our customers begin ordering on September 7th at 9:00 am (Pacific Time) for their spring and summer gardens for 2012. 

Plants will be shipped when the weather is just right for planting in your town.  

Minimum order is one plant if paying by check. For credit card or PayPal orders, 4 plants. Orders of 75 plants or more receive a volume discount.

We do not sell wholesale.

Gift Certificates are available year round.

Our tomato plants are lovingly grown from seed, using careful organic methods and shipped to you in their large 4" nursery pots.

 

 

Brown Derby, Persimmon and Big Beef

            

                  

Do you live or work in Southern California?

 

Remember, if you live here in Southern California, in most areas you can plant right up to late August or early September for fresh homegrown fall and winter tomatoes! 

 

You can also call to reserve plants and arrange to pick them up. ( By appointment only.)

 

We do not have a retail store, absolutely no walk-ins, please.  Please call for information. 310 534 8611

 

 

Black Krim

When Should You Plant?

 

First, check your region's average temperatures:

To find your average temperatures click here www.weather.com Type your zip code into the Local Weather box on top and click GO. 

Scroll down to the row of 4 peach colored boxes and click on 'Averages' where you can explore the temperature graph for your city's month-by-month highs and lows, and determine your optimal planting time when the average low temps stay steadily above 48º. That is your best planting time.

About Frost Dates. Please oh please don't plant in cold soil!

 

Tomatoes are a hot weather crop. You can usually plant safely about 2 to 3 weeks after your last predicted frost date. 

 

Most new gardeners plant too early. When the soil is cold, the plants go dormant. Dormancy weakens your plants forever--they never ever catch up or recover completely and often do not produce well or ripen properly.

 

Be sure the nighttime air temperature is 48º or above and the soil is reliably warmed up to above 50º or your plants will go dormant and just sit there in the cold soil, staring at you and not growing until the weather warms up. This dormancy stage makes your plants very susceptible to disease and insect damage, delays fruit set and reduces yield. You can warm the soil for a few weeks before planting with clear plastic placed over the garden bed to absorb solar heat from the sun or use our Wall 'O' Water plant protectors and plant safely 3 weeks earlier than usual!

 

Be patient; wait until it's warmer and you will be rewarded with robust happy tomato plants and a good harvest.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that night temperatures and soil temperatures should be steadily above 48º before planting tomatoes. 

 

 

About Blossom Drop During High Temperatures

 

Remember that pollen becomes sterile at daytime temperatures over about 98º and nighttime temperatures above 72º, so don't expect fruit to set during those times. The plant knows that the pollen is not viable and drops the blossoms. When the weather settles down, the blossoms will stay on your plants and produce fruits.  We do have a few varieties that produce at higher temperatures.

                           Japanese Black Trifele

 

Shipping Dates

Shipping is normally timed for when your nighttime temperatures stay reliably above 48º, or earlier if you desire. We have Plant Protectors -- water filled 18" tall teepees -- which absorb solar heat during the day and release it gradually during the night to keep the air around your plants warm. This means you can plant a few weeks earlier than usual.

Click here:  Growing Tips and Garden Products for detailed information on planting.

Tomato planting here in Southern California, and in many areas of USDA zones 10 and 11, or Sunset Magazine zones 22-24, begins in latest March depending on our night temperatures. If the ground is below 48º, we use season extenders or wait until April.

Hey, Laurel! My Garden Center is selling plants in February...must be time to plant!

Yes, I know the local garden centers have plants for sale here in February. Why do they do this? To get your money. Twice. You plant in February; of course the little plants don't make it so you go back in April for more plants thinking you did something wrong.

You didn't. You were tempted. You caved. That's tomato love.

If you can't wait to plant, order our Early Season Wall O' Water Season Extenders and plant 4 to 5 weeks earlier than normal.

 

           Yellow  Brandywine

Choose Your Shipping Time

We ship your plants during a 15 day period of your choice. Each period begins on a Monday. For instance, if you choose April 11th as your shipping period your plants will ship between April 11th and April 23rd. Orders are shipped first in, first out, so order early!

 

We will help you choose the week when your climate is perfect for tomato planting. For example, if you order in January for your Minnesota garden, we ship your plants at the end of May. If you wish to experiment with growing in cooler temperatures we will ship them earlier, as you wish.

 

Consultations

Do you need advice about planting tips, soil preparation, trellising, fertilizers, etcetera? We know how important it is to get good advice and we want to be able to continue offering expert advice about choosing plants and gardening tips.

 

For all customers, we are happy to offer consultations of up to 10 minutes at no charge whatsoever when we take your order.

 

If you are simply chatting with Laurel about gardening, life in general, etc., and the time goes over 10 minutes, no charge!

 

Specialized Consultation

 

For a specialized consultation which requires detailed research into your climate conditions and advice in creating a garden in your particular climate, including soil conditioning, the best time to plant, season extenders, landscaping ideas, plant lay-out, detailed variety selection, fertilization techniques, or how to grow for market, etc., fee is $80.00 per hour.

  

    

                    Black Krim

     

    Contact Laurel

Phone: 310-534-8611 

Fax: 310 494 0518

Hablamos Español

Office hours are Pacific Time :

 

Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

 

To Order By telephone, email or fax, see Here's How to Order above.

 

Email: Tomatoplants@pacbell.net  

 

Mailing address:

 

 

Please, folks....

 

 

We do not have a retail store or walk-in hours. 

 

Please don't drop by without an appointment

 

except during our Sunday Sales.

 

Mailing address:

 

Tomato Plants

 

1725 W. 257th St

 

Lomita CA 90717

 

 

Please call to schedule an appointment. Absolutely no drop-ins.

 

310 534 8611

 

     

Black Sara , Chuck's Yellow, Gary Ibsen's Gold, The  Dutchman

Gift Certificates

Will This Be a Gift?

Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants offers several different styles of personalized and customized gift certificates for all occasions. Our gift certificates are themselves an elegant gift. You may choose certain varieties, or a certain number of plants or a dollar amount for your recipient's certificate.

Laurel will personally create and send or email a beautiful full-sheet antiqued parchment gift certificate for any occasion: All holidays, Valentines Day, birthday, wedding, anniversary, graduation, promotion, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, house or garden warming, sympathy, congratulations, remembrance, or just pure tomato love. 

      

 

The Personalized Gift Certificate

Your recipient's Personalized Gift Certificate will feature a full-color array of 12 beautiful heirloom tomato photographs printed on full sheet parchment, along with your personal greeting of any length. $5.50.

The Personalized Gift Certificate with Detailed Descriptions and Photos

If you will be selecting specific varieties for your recipient, Laurel will add additional full sheet antiqued parchments printed with detailed descriptions and full color photographs of each tomato you choose. This stunning certificate is a spectacular gift in itself. $10.50. For more than 2 pages of photographs, additional cost is $2.00 per page.

Shipping charges will be included, so your recipient will be free to relax and choose from more than 75 varieties of heirloom tomato plants and garden products. Plant cost will be averaged at $5.75 each so your recipient can choose from among our more expensive plants. 

You may also select a dollar amount in $10.00 increments beginning at $30.00.

These elegant full sheet certificates add a heartwarming touch to your gift. Your recipient and Laurel will get together and determine the perfect shipping week when the weather is just right for planting in their garden.  

Laurel will be happy to personally assist your recipients in choosing plants for their climates and preferences when they call to redeem their certificates.  

Price List:

The Personalized Gift Certificate on Parchment, $5.50 plus postage of $3.85.  

The Personalized Gift Certificate on Parchment with Detailed Descriptions and Full Color Photographs, $10.50.

The Emailed certificate. You or your recipient can print this one out. Please use beautiful paper; our certificates are specifically designed for elegant papers including parchment, vellum or rag in a bright white or creamy color. $5.50

310 534-8611

Gold Medal Yellow, Kellogg's Breakfast, Marvel Striped, Grandma Oliver's Green & Vintage Wine.

Need Heirloom Tomato Seeds?

Click for 600 varieties of heirloom tomato seeds!

Click: https://store.TomatoFest.com/

Visit Carmel TomatoFest® for TomatoFest Garden Seeds ~ the world's largest and finest selection of more than 600 varieties of certified organic heirloom tomato seeds, gorgeous photos of luscious heirloom tomatoes for your garden, the very best in gardening supplies and organic gardening information.

Tomato Health Facts:

http://www.TomatoFest.com/tomato_health_facts.html 

Favorite Links ~ click for some cool resources!

"You need more tomatoes." ...Laurel

Copyright Information

All original materials, tomato descriptions, photographs and original copy contained herein are protected by copyright and are the sole property of Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants, www.heirloomtomatoplants.com  or of Gary Ibsen and Carmel TomatoFest® -- www.TomatoFest.com  or of the following people, companies or entities:

* Description by Gary Ibsen, Owner of TomatoFest.com

Purple Haze parentage line, Purple Haze single fruit, Purple Haze sliced and sliced Laurel's California Gold and Laurel's California Gold blossom-end photographs are the property of Keith Mueller and used herein with his kind permission. All rights reserved.

Gary'O Sena photograph courtesy of Keith Mueller.

Foxy Lady plant and group of fruit are the property of Dana Ferrin and used with his gracious permission.

Green Giant  photograph is the sole property of Cynthia Sandberg, owner, Love Apple Farm www.loveapplefarm.biz used here with her kind permission. All rights reserved.

Summer Cider, Hartman's Yellow Gooseberry, Purple Dog Creek and Chocolate Amazon photographs are the exclusive property of Lisa VonSaunder and are used herein with her gracious permission.  www.amishlandseeds.com  All rights reserved.

Blood Gulch,  Zebra Collection and Valhalla photographs are the sole property of Krystal Elser of Elser's Country Farm and used herein with her very kind permission. www.elserscountryfarm.com

The following photographs, and any other photographs on this website are the sole property of Laurel Garza and Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants or the property of other persons and entities as noted and attributed herein. and may not be used without the express written permission of the persons and entities named here. All rights reserved. The following photographs may not be used without the express written permission of Laurel Garza. 310-534 8611:  Big Beef, Black Cherry, Brown Derby, Isis Candy, Eva Purple Ball, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Cherokee Purple single fruit, Dona, Black Krim, Rutgers, Japanese Black Trifele 3 fruit portrait, Black Plum grouped  in bowl, Sara Black, Striped German, Matina, Valencia single fruit, Beiju, Bloody Butcher, Sweet Baby Girl, Grape, Sun Gold, Sun Sugar, Green Zebra, Black Zebra, Stupice, Lemon Boy, Beefsteak, Carmello, Momotaro, Goose Creek, Kellogg's Breakfast,  Tangella, Traveler, Super Sioux, Stupice, Flammée, Old German, Paul Robeson-single fruit, Persimmon, Twin Carmello, Yellow Brandywine, Laurel Holding Jaune Flammee, Sliced Brandywine OTV, Basket Next To Heirlooms On Table, and Heirloom Tomato Montage, Laurel holding Paul Robeson plant.  www.heirloomtomatoplants.com   All rights reserved.

All other photographs of  tomatoes are the sole property of Gary Ibsen and TomatoFest.com® and used with the gracious permission of TomatoFest.com®. www.TomatoFest.com  All rights reserved. Photos belonging to Gary Ibsen may not be copied or used in any way without his express written permission.

Goose Creek tomato plant, its fruits, its seeds and its name are protected by copyright and US patent, and are the sole property of Jimmy Williams and Hayground Organic Gardening. Under patent and copyright law, Goose Creek tomato seeds may not be sold, saved to sell, or donated or traded with knowledge of intent to sell, or with intent  to grow and sell plants or fruits or any part thereof, in any way, without the express written permission of Jimmy Williams. All rights reserved. 2010

'Two Heirloom Tomatoes'  watercolor painting is the sole property of artist Tom Hapgood and used herein with his gracious permission. www.tomhapgood.com All rights reserved.

 All rights are reserved. Any unauthorized use of any photograph or description contained herein will result in prosecution and penalties to the full extent of US copyright laws. 2000 - 2011