Get a $10.00 Credit on Your Opening Day Order!
The new list for 2024 goes up on Sept 21st.
Pre-Ordering for 2024 plants opens Monday morning, Sept 25th.
Telephone
orders start at 9:00 a.m. Emailed orders just after
midnight.
Order 4 or more
plants by phone or email on September 25th and get a
$10.00 credit!
Cream
Cherry
Order early to reserve
your plants and especially your shipping period.
Laurel ~
310 534 8611
We send
you big, lush, hearty plants, 10" to 20" tall, in 4"
pots, 100% organically grown outdoors in full
sun here in Los
Angeles.
Our
plants do
not need hardening off or adjusting to your climate. Occasionally we will send a smaller plant if the root
system is well-developed. The stocky dwarf plants are usually
shipped at about 4- 5".
IMPORTANT:
Your plants must go into full sun as soon as
possible. They
will suffer if kept indoors for more than 2 or 3 days.
They need
sunshine and heat -- so it's vital that we ship when it's
planting time. If you want them sooner than your weather is
reliably warm, we include a disclaimer.
See all the photographs
in the
Big List
below!
16" tall plants, ready to ship or to pick up!
NEW FOR
2024
Beefsteak Classic, Black Prince, Cream Cherry, Druzba,
Rasberry
Mochi, Apricot Zebra and more!
And...Bear Claw is back!
Shipping and Pick-Up Periods For
2024
Choose your Shipping
Period before you order, or ask Laurel what's best for your
area.
Some Shipping
Periods offer limited varieties, usually about 20 choices.
All other Shipping
Periods feature all of our varieties.
Period A -- January 1st
to February 12th (LIMITED VARIETIES)
Period B -- February
12th to February 26th (LIMITED VARIETIES)
,
Period C - March 11th to
March 25th
Period D - March 25th to
April 8th
Period E - April 8th to
April 22nd
Period F - April 22nd to
May 6th
Period G - May 6th to
May 20th
Period H - May 20th
to June 5th
!
Period I - June 5th to
June 17th (LIMITED VARIETIES)
Period J - June 17th to
to June 26th (LIMITED VARIETIES)
Custom Grown Plants
Would
you like to grow a tomato variety that is not on our list?
With a 10 week lead time,
we will
custom-grow plants for you.
Minimum
Custom Grown order: 8 plants per variety.
To Order By Telephone:
310 534-8611
Monday - Friday 9:00 to
5:00, Saturday 9:00 to 3:00, Pacific Time
Shipping Costs:
Payment Information &
Shipping Costs
1. Take a
look at The Big List of tomato plants
below. Make a list of the plants you need.
Minimum order is four
(4) plants. Orders of 64
or more plants
qualify for a volume
discount.
2. Go to the Growing Tips &
Garden Products link:
Growing Tips and Garden Products
to choose your fertilizers and garden products.
3. Choose
your shipping period from the list above.
We
ship nationwide via Post Office Priority Mail or EXPRESS MAIL.
VERY IMPORTANT:
EXPRESS MAIL
PARCELS NEED TO BE SIGNED FOR. PLEASE WATCH YOUR TRACKING INFORMATION!
TRACKING WILL TELL YOU
WHEN YOUR PLANTS ARE ARRIVING.
WE ATTACH TWO LARGE, NEON GREEN LABELS
TO OUR PARCEL STATING 'NO SIGNATURE
REQUIRED' BUT SOMETIMES A NEW OR
PROBATIONARY CARRIER WILL INSIST ON A SIGNATURE.
If you cannot
receive post office packages on Saturdays please let us know.
We will
ship your plants on a Monday or Tuesday so they don't arrive on a Saturday!
We do not ship UPS or
FedEx.
No exceptions.
Phone order: payment is made when you place your order
by phone. We take all major credit cards, debit cards or PayPal.
About Phone
Orders During April & May: It is not always easy to
get through due to extremely high call volume in April and May.
Please try again, don't leave
a message; we won't get it for at least 3 weeks.
Please call until you reach us.
310 534 8611
(Cancellations are accepted within 48 hrs. from the date/time of your
payment to receive a full refund or store credit. After 48 hours we
issue a full refund for your shipping cost less 50% restocking
fee for plants and packaging.)
Black Krim
To Order by Email or FAX
Email
tomatoplants@pacbell.net
FAX # 310
494 0518 With your list and credit card data. Our FAX
line is only for orders which include credit card numbers. It is
secure.
Before you order, read our
'Payment and Shipping Costs' page for shipping and packaging info and
our guarantee:
Payment Information &
Shipping Costs
Make a simple alphabetical list, not a
spreadsheet, of your plants, along with fertilizers, SmartPots, etc. from our Growing
Tips and Garden Products page:
Growing Tips and Garden Products
Choose your shipping
period from the list above and email or FAX with:
1. Your name
2. Your billing and shipping address
3. Your
'anytime' telephone number
4. Your
best email address
5. Your preferred shipping period
6. The payment type you plan to use: VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American
Express, PayPal - we send you a handy PayPal invoice,
or Cash if
picking up.
7. Your plant list in
alphabetical order along with some alternates and a list of the garden products you need.
8. Required: Please include a list of several alternate plants you'd like in case one of your choices is
not available. This happens because seeds and plants do not
always grow on schedule.
Or:
Please have Laurel choose an appropriate,
similar, delicious alternate for me if a plant is not available.
Important:
If you
do
not want Laurel to choose alternates for you please select one option:
1. Please
substitute from this list of alternates: (list your choices)
2. Please send a second plant of
one on my main list.
(We can't accept orders without
a few alternate choices. Back orders add additional fees.)
After we receive your emailed
order we will send an invoice within a day or so.
You then call or FAX payment information to reserve
your plants.
When you get your invoice, call
our office with credit card or PayPal information right away to reserve your plants.
Very
Important: After payment is made, you will get a copy of your receipt by
email. Please check your receipt carefully to be sure all your information is
accurate. If there is a mistake in
your shipping address and you have
not corrected it, we may have a wrong shipping address, your plants could get
lost and you will have to re-order.
If you do not get a receipt by
email
within 5 days of talking to Laurel or AJ and paying for your order,
please call or send 'urgent' email to be sure we have your correct email address.
(Cancellations are accepted
within 48 hrs. from the date/time of your payment to receive a full
refund or store credit. After 48 hours we issue a full refund for your
shipping cost and retain a 50% restocking fee for plants and packaging
because we grow your plants according to sales.)
Calling in your order is faster.
310 534 8611
We are in Los
Angeles.
Here are our Telephone hours
September 25th through July 1st,
Pacific Time:
Monday through Friday 9:00 to
5:00, Saturday 9:00 to 3:00, Pacific Time.
Please note our time zone. If you call
at 9:00 from, say...New York, it's 6:00 a.m. here. And we are/were asleep.
Brown Derby,
Kellogg's Breakfast & 1884
Need Tomato Seeds
instead of plants?
Here is the very best
place for heirloom seeds:
Go To Tomatofest.com
When Will My
Plants Ship?
Shipping begins with a
few varieties in
February and continues with all varieties throughout the spring and summer or until we sell out. (We
sometimes have a list of about 10 to 12 varieties for fall and winter, too,
but not every year.)
Your shipping time is scheduled during a
15-day period to suit your desired planting
time in spring or summer.
This means your plants will ship during that period. They may ship on the very last day of that
period.
EXAMPLE: If you choose Period E, April
8th to April 22nd, your plants will
ship sometime within that period.
Your plants will be shipped
during the period you select -- as long as that period is not fully
booked and the plants are big enough.
If your plants are not big
enough we delay shipping for more
growth and safe arrival. It helps to have your alternate
choice(s).
We reserve the option to hold up
a shipment if temperatures en
route from our nursery to you are extremely cold. We want your plants to arrive alive. If
you still want them shipped during cold springtime
temperatures to cold areas with night temps below 39º, you assume the
entire risk of severe cold damage in transit and we
will not be responsible for cold-damaged plants.
We do offer
the option of our Double-Box or Triple-Box Systems which will insulate
your plants. This increases shipping weight/dimension: higher cost.
For any number of plants -
add $70.00 plus $2.50 per plant.
*NOTE:
Exact day and exact week shipping may mean some of your first
choices may not be ready to ship.
In that case, Laurel will choose
an appropriate alternate for you.
No exceptions.
Questions? Just call me;
I'm glued to my desk.
Laurel, 310 534 8611
Heirloom Caprese Salad. Yum!
When To Plant
Your plants
should go into the garden during the best time for your USDA planting
zone, when nighttime and soil temperatures remain steadily and
reliably above 50º.
If you want to plant earlier when it's in the
30's or low 40's at night and are using hot caps or covers of some kind,
that's great, you're the boss.
But please be aware, you
are held responsible if your plants
encounter very cold weather, below 40º, on their way from Los Angeles to
your town, and arrive dead.
Tomatoes are a Warm/Hot Weather Crop. Don't Plant in Cold Soil!
If
you choose earlier shipment, you risk the chance of cold soil and cold air
triggering dormancy, undermining the health of your plants and setting back their
growth progress, reducing and delaying your harvest. This can cause stunted
growth, disease-prone plants, uneven ripening and low production during the
entire season.
If you opt to
plant in cold soil, we cannot be responsible for poor growth. Two to three weeks after your last
frost date is usually the best time to plant.
Wait for the warm weather when
soil temperatures are 70º and overnight temperatures are reliably above 50º.
How Many Plants?
Smart Spacing
Most of these heirlooms get
really big, from 5 to 8 feet
tall, 3 to 4 feet wide, and need to be spaced at least 32 -
36 inches apart in rows at least 4 to 5 feet apart.
Sure, they are
small when you plant them; don't let that fool you. King Kong and
Clifford the Big Red Dog were small when they were born, too.
Our Dwarf plants are shrubby
and need to be planted 2 feet apart.
Photo 1. Dan
Barnes with his plants growing in big cages....can you spot Dan?
Photo 2. Dan Miller's big plants with lovely wife and hungry
dog.
Photo 3. Dan Hornbaker and his 8 ft. Aunt Ruby's German Green
plant.
What is it about guys named Dan?
For example, a garden bed 6'
by 18' will accommodate 10 -12 plants -- 2 rows
of 5 or 6 plants -- depending on
plant size at maturity, while providing plenty of root
space, airflow, and room for lots of foliage and fruit.
Our dwarf varieties
remain small and compact, from 20" to 4 ft. tall and can be spaced
18 to 20" apart on center.
See the
Growing Tips page
for more detailed information.
Plant Prices, Minimum
Order
Our
organically grown tomato plants are priced from $7.95 each to $9.95 each; a
couple of our very rare plants are priced higher at $12.95 each. Plant prices are next to their names on The Big List
below. Shipping
cost is not included in the plant price.
Minimum order is 4 plants.
Price break begins at 64 plants.
Sun Gold
Substitutions,
Very Important Information!
Sometimes we must substitute a plant if your first choice is not
available.
Please list some alternates, if you do not list alternate choices, Laurel will personally choose a
very similar and delicious variety which should do well in your climate.
If you do not
choose a few alternates, we cannot take the order.
Hey...Where's the Shopping Cart?
Can I Order Online?
No, we do not have an online shopping cart
due to variable plant sizes, from 9" to 20" tall, so shipping weight
will vary.
Each plant can weigh from 12 oz. to 2 lbs. This means variable shipping
weights and package dimensions -- this needs to be calculated individually.
Payment Information &
Shipping Costs Folks,
please read before ordering!
Be sure you
know our prices, shipping method, packaging costs and our guarantee
before you order so you will not be surprised/stunned by the
cost of 1 to 3 day shipping. It is expensive. We don't want you fainting
and hurting yourself. We ship large, live plants from Los
Angeles.
(Cancellations are
accepted within 48 hrs. from the date/time of your payment to receive a
full refund or store credit. After 48 hours we issue a full refund for
your shipping cost and retain a 50% restocking fee for plants and
packaging.)
Your Privacy,
Guaranteed
Your
personal information, email, phone number, purchases, address, etc. is never shared with anyone, ever.
Our
Sunshine Symbol this variety grows beautifully in all climates, and
my customers tell me it can do well in sustained high heat --
but not hotter than 97º. Pollen normally becomes sterile above 97º.
Our Penguin Symbol means this variety grows beautifully in
all climates,
and
my customers tell me
it does especially
well in cooler temperatures and produces late into the cool season.
Our Mountain Symbol means this plant is a good choice for your high
altitude garden -- and grows beautifully everywhere else, too.
A
good choice for growing in pots, and a variety which Laurel has
already grown successfully in containers. Any heirloom tomato plant
will grow well in a large 10 - 30 gallon container with proper
growing techniques. The dwarf varieties can be grown in 5 gallon containers. 
