Welcome to Laurel's 

   Heirloom Tomato Plants

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

        Laurel holding Jaune 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 more than 160 luscious varieties of strictly organically grown heirloom tomato plants, a few carefully chosen great-tasting hybrids, plus a fine selection of gardening products for your home garden, and for growing in containers and greenhouses.

Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants is a family business. Our team includes my mom, Marge and my daughters Adrienne and Bianca.

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 was hooked. 

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

2009 marks our 9th year of offering tomato plants online and here at our nursery on Sundays with our first sale on April 5th from 11:00 to 1:00.

We are happy to include 16 outstanding new selections this season.

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.

 

 

New Varieties for 2009

We have added some delicious varieties for 2009! They include Bragger, Berkeley Tie Dye, Chocolate Amazon, Brown Derby, Lollipop, Sweet Orange Roma, Brad's Black Heart, Believe it or Not, Lenny and Gracie's Kentucky Heirloom, Valencia, Neves Azorean Red, Black Sea Man, Watermelon Beefsteak, Italian Giant Beefsteak, Striped German, Serendipity Striped, Brown Berry, Charlie's Green, Gold Dust, Aussie and a fabulous Greek tomato, Thessaloniki. 

 

Ordering For Your 2010 Garden

Ordering for 2010 shipping begins at 9:00 am, Pacific Time, on September 8th, the day after the Labor Day weekend.  The new list for 2010 will be posted then. As in past years, our first 20 customers ordering for 2010 will receive a valuable gift!

 

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

 

Sunday, July 5th Plant Sale!

July 5th, 11:00 to 1:00, come to the sale and enter our drawing!

 

Buy 10 plants, get one free!  Cash only, please bring small bills, we always run out of 1's and 5's.  :(

We will have all of your favorite organic fertilizers. (Yes, we will have Paul Robeson plants at this sale.)

 

1725 257th St

Lomita CA 90717

Information: 310 534 8611

In most areas of Southern California you can continue to plant right through mid-September for fall and winter harvest.

Need Heirloom Tomato Seeds?

For 600 outstanding varieties of organically grown Heirloom Tomato Seeds, click here:  www.TomatoFest.com

My Favorite Olive Oil

For the very best Olive Oil to drizzle over your tomatoes, click here: www.californiagoldoliveoil.com

    New for 2009

Our new plant selections will be designated 'New for 2009'.

Purple Haze and Goose Creek are back, along with 16 new varieties and our 2 new delicious and beautiful introductions from last season, Laurel's California Gold and Gary Ibsen's Gold.

 

 

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. 32 ounce bottle.

 

 

 

Growing in Containers?

Try our Smart Pots!

 

   

New for 2009! Also new this season due to many requests, we have the 20 gallon size SmartPots! 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, they fold flat for easy shipping.

Growing Tips and Garden Products

 

New for 2009! Also new this season, Early-Start Plant Protectors. So many of you have asked for these 18" tall water-filled teepees to insulate your plants against frost and cold temperatures. Start tomato plants and all your warm weather plants weeks earlier than usual.

Growing Tips and Garden Products

 

Shipping begins March 30th.

To have your plants shipped earlier, call Laurel for Custom Plants Special Order details.

Shipping windows fill up quickly. Please order early to reserve your plants and shipping time.

 

Aunt Ruby's German Green

 

Here's How to Order Plants

 

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..

Questions?  Call Laurel:

Telephone hours are :

 

Telephone hours from July through November are :

Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 4 pm, Pacific Time

Telephone: (310) 534-8611 

(We usually have tomato plants available all year, including late fall and throughout the winter for warm winter areas, greenhouse gardeners and student science projects, please call for availability.) 

¡Hablamos Español! Mas o menos....

Fax: 310 602 6338   Email:  Tomatoplants@pacbell.net

Tomato plants are available beginning approximately March 30th 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 or at our Menifee location. You will also find a great selection here at our Sunday sales, 11:00 to 1:00 during spring, summer and fall.

Our customers began ordering September 8th for their spring gardens, so order now for spring and summer of 2010. You can grow delicious heirloom tomatoes right in your home garden and in containers. 

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 more than 64 plants 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

 

"The federal government has sponsored research that has produced a tomato that is perfect in every respect, except that you can't eat it. We should make every effort to make sure this disease, often referred to as 'progress', doesn't spread."
~ Andy Rooney

            

      

Paul Robeson, Laurel's Favorite, in its 4" shipping pot, ready for packaging, along with a photograph of the fruit.

 

 

 

        

      The Little Red Headed Boy

 

 

    Site Navigation:

Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order - See all of our 160 tomato plant varieties.

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 500 varieties of  organically grown heirloom tomato seeds)

What Our Customers Say

Payment Information  Shipping Costs and Privacy Policy

New Varieties for 2009

Gift Certificates

Big Red Tomatoes

Medium Sized Red Tomatoes

The Biggest Tomatoes

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

Chile Plants, Sweet Peppers and Basil 

Smaller Plants for Containers

Growing Tips and Garden Products

Our 2009 Plant Sale Dates

The Best Tomato Sandwich Great recipes from our customers!

Laurel's favorite Olive Oil: www.californiagoldoliveoil.com

Favorite Links ...some excellent resources.

                    

 

Four Yummy Bell Peppers and more....

    click here: Chile Plants, Sweet Peppers and Basil    

 

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, no walk-ins, please.  Please call for information. 310 534 8611

 

 

Green Zebra

Custom Grown Plants, Our Specialty

We specialize in custom grown plants for gardeners, chefs, gourmets and gourmands nationwide. If you would like to grow a variety of tomato or chile which is not on our list, let us know within at least 9-10 weeks of your planting date. Custom plants will be grown organically and especially for you.  

 

The list of seeds we currently have in stock for custom grown plants is on the 'Our Tomato Varieties' page, below The Big List.

Place your order by telephone or fax

 

Telephone hours are :

 

Telephone hours from July through November are :

Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 4 pm, Pacific Time

 

Telephone: 310 534-8611   (Hablamos Español)

Fax: 310 602 6338

 

Or contact us by email for more information.  tomatoplants@pacbell.net

 

 

 

Beefsteak

A Map to Our Website

     Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order

Click the link to see The Big List for 2009 with prices, descriptions and photographs of our more than 140 varieties of tomatoes for spring and summer, and the varieties we have available for fall and into December, January and February for gardeners who can plant during those seasons, along with detailed information for placing your order.

 

Chile Plants, Sweet Peppers and Basil 

A basic culinary selection of chile plants, sweet and hot including our 4 Sweet Baby Bell collection and 3 types of basil.

 

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. 

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.

 

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.

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 Deserted Island' choices ...a few of Laurel's favorites.

 

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

 

            Black Krim

When Should You Plant?

 

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!

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 96º 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. 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 late March depending on our night temperatures. If the ground is below 48º, we use season extenders or wait until April.

For fall tomatoes and winter tomatoes we continue to plant seedlings of the quick-maturing varieties right through mid September and, if the weather holds, enjoy fresh, luscious, homegrown tomatoes for Thanksgiving, Christmas and into the new year.  

Yellow  Brandywine

Choose Your Shipping Time

We ship your plants during a 10 to 14 day window of your choice. Each window begins on a Monday. For instance, if you choose May 4th as your shipping window your plants will ship between May 4th and May 16th.

 

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.

 

Custom Grown Plants For Winter

If you live in Arizona, Texas or Florida in zone 11, or are a greenhouse grower, you may custom-order winter tomato plants or choose from the varieties in The Fall-Winter List which is right above The Big List here: Our Tomato Varieties.

Please place your custom plant orders at least 80 days before your desired planting time so we have time to start your plants. Call or email Laurel for availability; custom seeds will be started just for you by our VIP (Very Important Plant) specialist, in time for your plant-out date. 310 534 8611

 

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

 

For more than 10 minutes, let Laurel know you would like a consultation and fees will for as follows:

 

For Laurel to advise you on creating your perfect garden with your input including answering your questions about climate, fertilization and tomato variety ideas, etc., $15.00.

 

If you are not ready to place your order but calling for consultation with Laurel, the first 10 minutes are at no cost. For consultations of more than 10 minutes, including ideas regarding the best varieties for your growing conditions or climate, or about soil improvement, trellising and critter problems, our fee is $15.00.

 

If, after placing your order, you would like extended consultation with Laurel of more than 10 minutes duration regarding your plants and garden, our fee is $15.00.

 

 

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. our fee is $60.00 per hour.

      

                           Black Krim

      Contact Us

        Phone: 310-534-8611 

       Fax: 310 602 6338

           Hablamos Español

Telephone hours from July through November are :

Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 4 pm, Pacific Time

 

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

 

Tomatoplants@pacbell.net  

 

Mailing address:

Heirloom Tomato Plants

 

1725 W. 257th St

 

Lomita CA 90717

 

 

Please: Plants are available for pick-up by appointment only.

 

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

 

Please call to schedule an appointment. 310 534 8611

 

 

     

       Black Sara                 Chuck's Yellow              Gary Ibsen's Gold       

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 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, in the style and wording you choose. 

 

      

 

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 for flat format.

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 flat format. For more than 3 pages of photographs, additional cost is $2.00 per page.

The Custom Created Gift Certificate 

These very special certificates are custom created for you by Laurel with the design style you select, depicting your recipient's hobbies or travel destinations or favorite memories, poems, color scheme, garden plants, quotes or photographs you provide for reproduction. Just let Laurel know what you would like. $18.50 and up.

Shipping charges will be included, so your recipient will be free to relax and choose from more than 150 varieties of heirloom tomato plants, basil plants and garden products. Plant cost will be averaged at $5.50 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 in flat format, $5.50 plus postage of $2.05.  

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

The Custom Created Gift Certificates, $18.50 and up.

The Emailed certificate. You can print this one yourself. 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

"Just call or email to tell me what you have in mind. I'll make it for you." ~ Laurel

310 534-8611

    Need Heirloom Tomato Seeds?

 

We're feeding the world
with Heirloom Tomatoes
- Gary Ibsen & Dagma Lacey

Click for 600 varieties of heirloom tomato seeds! https://store.TomatoFest.com/

Visit NatureSweet Carmel TomatoFest®,  the world's largest and finest selection of more than 500 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, and tickets to Carmel TomatoFest, the world's finest family tomato event.

Tomato Health Facts:

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

 

Tomato Growing Help

Questions? Disease or Insect Problems? Need advice about cultivation? Everything you need to know about growing tomatoes, from my friend and tomato expert, Keith Mueller. Click here to visit The Online Tomato Vine:

http://www.kdcomm.net/~tomato/

 

 

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Laurel's Favorite Olive Oil

Folks, this award winning olive oil is the best I've ever tasted. I gave bottles of California Gold to many family members and friends for Christmas -- it was a huge hit!

 

 

 

California Gold Olive Oil Co.

 

We are located in the beautiful Foothills of Oakdale California. We are a small family run operation, and t2007 was our first bottling year.
 

Our proprietor’s blend olive oil is made exclusively from handpicked olives from Italian and Spanish varietals; primarily manzanilla, Coratina, and Picual.

We are also Certified Extra Virgin by the California Olive Oil Council. Please visit their web site for more information on the certification process.

Our site is currently under construction, so if you would like to order our olive oil, please see our contact information below.

 

To contact California Gold Olive Oil Co., please call or email Kevin:

    Phone: 209/847-1852

    Email: sales@californiagoldoliveoil.com

 

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Do You Like Fried Green Tomatoes?

 Click the link for the world's best (and my favorite) breading mix.

www.timfishbreading.com 

It's from Iowa.

Favorite Links ~ click for some great resources!

"You need more tomatoes."© ...Laurel

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

For specific and detailed attributions and copyright information, please see full details at the bottom of 'Our Tomato Varieties' page. Photos from this website may not be used without express written permission:  Our Tomato Varieties

All original materials, photos and copy contained herein are protected by copyright and are the sole property of Laurel Garza/Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants www.heirloomtomatoplants.com , or of Gary Ibsen, owner of Carmel TomatoFest® www.TomatoFest.com , or of Jimmy Williams/Hayground Organic Gardening, or of Cynthia Sanberg/Love Apple Farm  www.loveapplefarm.biz, or of Lisa VonSaunder www.amishlandheirloomseeds.com , or of Ruby 'Boo' Gangloff  or of Gene Steinman. These photographs may not be copied or reproduced in any way without express permission of the above named person holding ownership of said photographs. Unlawful use of any photograph(s) contained herein without express written permission will result in prosecution to the fullest extent of copyright law.

If you wish to ask permission to use photographs from this website as a teaching tool or for a personal album or for demonstration purposes, but not for selling seeds or selling plants, please call or email Laurel for detailed information: 310 534-8611 tomatoplants@pacbell.net

 

All rights reserved. 2001-2008