Seedlings - Tomato Love | Epic Tomato Source

Tomato Love Seed Vault - Six Best For 2025

Tomato Love Seed Vault – Six Finalists<br>Moonglow, Cherokee Purple, Soldacki, Oaxacan Pink Mexican, Moneymaker, and Chocolate Cherry<br><br>Serena’s Six Best – 2025!<br><br>It was a tough call. I almost chose a sauce tomato — like San Marzano — to give this line-up balance. But in the end, I followed my heart.<br><br>You’ll notice I lean toward the beefsteaks. They demand attention. They’ll take up the most time. They need skill (stake them!) — but when they shine, you too will feel the power and the glory.<br><br>There’s nothing like that moment when the beefsteaks begin to blush.<br><br>Now you’ve got three of my best beefsteaks — it’s time for you to take your rightful place and become the envy of your neighbours.

Tlacolula Pink Mexican - 15+ Seeds - Vogel Slab Worthy

Graceful and full of sunshine — this Oaxacan heirloom grows with an old-world charm that’s hard to forget. Its soft pink, pear-shaped fruit ripple with gentle curves and carry a mild, sweet flavour that shines in fresh salads or slow-roasted dishes. Strong, steady vines produce generously through the warmth of summer — a true beauty from the highlands of Mexico.<br>Type: Heirloom, indeterminate<br>Days to Maturity: 75–80<br>Fruit Size: 2–4 oz<br>Color: Rosy pink with light ribbing<br>Flavour: Mild, sweet, low acid<br>Skin: Thin and tender<br>Origin: Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca, Mexico

Zapotec Pleated Mexican Tomato Seeds – 15+ per Pack – Vogel Slab Worthy

Deeply pleated, bold & beautifully sculpted — this heirloom sets large, triangular (pumpkin-like) fruit in rich pink-red tones, with scalloped edges and hollow interiors ideal for stuffing. The flavor is sweet and intense, balanced, with a low seed count, making each bite pure. Plants grow indeterminate and vigorous, loving heat, and reliably produce in warm conditions.<br>In my Hokianga garden, Zapotec Pleated was a drought champion. It didn’t crack once, and it kept cropping — heavily — all season long. The fruits were medium to large, not giants, but that may be why it gave so much. The trusses bunched and sagged, so I let them rest on the mulch — something I could only do because the dry weather knocked back slugs and snails.<br><br>That thick mulch saved the garden last year. It kept the roots cool, the fruit clean, and this tomato thriving. Oaxacan Pink isn’t just beautiful — it’s generous and resilient.<br><br>Type: Indeterminate<br><br>Days to Maturity: 75–85 days<br><br>Fruit Size: Medium to large<br><br>Color: Soft pink with deep ribbing<br><br>Flavour: Sweet, low-acid, full-flavoured<br><br>Skin: Tough enough to resist cracking, even in drought<br><br>Origin: Oaxaca, Mexico – traditionally linked to Zapotec growers

Oaxacan Pink Mexican - 15+ Seeds - Vogel Slab Worthy

The Oaxacan Pink is a deeply pleated heirloom — unusual in appearance, and generous in yield. In my garden, it cropped heavily, much like its cousin Tlacolula. With good support and plenty of space, it produces soft rose-pink fruit in full, abundant clusters.<br><br>Some fruit showed cat-facing (see image below) — those deep folds that form when temperatures are too cold. This happens when tissue between the style and ovary doesn’t develop properly, often worsened by excess nitrogen or harsh pruning. As soon as you see a fruit cat-facing, remove it — the earlier the better, so the plant’s energy can be directed to healthier fruit. I never save seed from cat-faced fruit. <br><br>Helpful hint: Plant out only once the weather has truly warmed, to reduce the risk of cat-facing and give your seedlings the strong start they need.<br><br>In Oaxaca, these tomatoes are fire-roasted or grilled before being turned into salsa — their thick flesh and low seed count make them ideal for rich, smoky sauces.<br>Type: Indeterminate<br><br>Days to Maturity: 80–85 days<br><br>Fruit Size: Medium to large<br><br>Color: Rose-pink<br><br>Flavour: Very sweet, slightly tart, low acidity<br><br>Skin: Thin, soft, pleated<br><br>Origin: Oaxaca, Mexico

Cherokee Purple - 15+ Seeds - Ultimate Vogel Slab

Cherokee Purple is a dusky-rose heirloom believed to have originated with the Cherokee people in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains — a region with hot, humid summers much like Northland. It’s known for its deep, smoky flavour and soft, wine-like flesh.<br><br>In my Hokianga garden, this variety held up well through drought. I mulched heavily and reduced watering to only when the plants showed signs of stress in the evening. It didn’t crack, and the fruit was beautiful. Spacing matters with this one — overcrowding reduced my yield, so give it room to breathe.<br><br>Cherokee Purple is resilient, flavourful, and well worth growing. It’s a tomato with history — old is gold.<br><br>Type: Indeterminate beefsteak<br><br>Days to Maturity: 80–90 days<br><br>Fruit Size: Large, 250–450g<br><br>Color: Dusky rose with green shoulders<br><br>Flavour: Deep, rich, smoky, wine-like<br><br>Skin: Thin, but resistant to cracking with mulch and observation<br><br>Origin: Foothills of the Appalachian Mountains – attributed to the Cherokee people<br><br>Mulch heavily to protect roots and retain moisture<br><br>Water regularly, when possible, but reduce during droughts with close observation<br><br>Space generously — this variety likes airflow and breathing room.

Soldacki - 15+ Seeds - Vogel Slab Worthy

Soldacki is a rosy-pink Polish heirloom that delivers big, old-world flavour in every slice. Its fruits are softly ribbed, with thin skin and a rich, meaty interior that melts into sandwiches and summer platters. <br><br>In our Hokianga garden this season, Soldacki held its sweetness even through drought; the only trade-off was cracking, easily managed by watering deeply, mulching well. Pick from the base of vine as they begin blushing and ripen inside before cracking can occur. <br><br>If you love a low-acid beefsteak that feels like home-grown sunshine, Soldacki will quickly earn a place in your seed vault — and on your table. <br><br>Handy Hint - Remove those cracking tomatoes early. As disease can enter. Mulch thickly, lots of compost and manures. Stake well. <br><br>You get no surprises from me; I tell it like it is. No filters here. The image of them green, they were well watered until the possum ate them.<br><br>Type: Indeterminate beefsteak<br><br>Days to Maturity: 75–85 days<br><br>Fruit Size: Large, lobed, 200–400g (can vary)<br><br>Color: Blush pink with green shoulders<br><br>Flavour: Sweet, low-acid, meaty texture<br><br>Skin: Thin – prone to cracking in dry spells<br><br>Origin: Poland (brought to the U.S. in the late 1800s)

San Marzano Tomato Seeds – 15+ per Pack – Ultimate Paste

San Marzano is the classic Italian plum tomato — long, slender, and deeply flavoured. Famous for its low seed count and rich flesh, it’s perfect for sauces, pastes, and roasting with garlic and onion.<br><br>This variety is a heavy cropper when staked well and grown in good soil. Like other plums, it can be prone to Blossom End Rot (BER), but don’t let that put you off — with deep mulch, consistent watering, and an understanding of how calcium is used by plants and how to make it available, it’s easily managed. You’ll find a full article on BER under Growing Tips if you need support.<br><br>Grow this one for bottling season — for the pantry jars, the depth of flavour, and the satisfaction of seeing them ripen in long clusters on the vine. Once stored, they become a kind of treasure — holding the taste of summer tomatoes, in the heart of winter.<br><br>Type: Paste / Plum<br><br>Days to Maturity: 80–85 days<br><br>Fruit Size: 10–12 cm long<br><br>Color: Deep red<br><br>Flavour: Rich, sweet, and complex<br><br>Skin: Thin and easy to peel<br><br>Origin: Campania, Italy – traditionally grown near Mount Vesuvius<br><br>

Moonglow - 15+ Seeds - Ultimate Salad

Moonglow is a vibrant yellow heirloom with gentle sweetness and lightly tropical, fruity notes. Its orange-gold colour comes from naturally high levels of tetra-cis-lycopene, a form of lycopene more readily absorbed from raw fruit than that in most red tomatoes.<br><br>Fruits are medium-sized with smooth skin, thick walls, and a dense, meaty texture. While it can crack with sudden moisture changes, Moonglow is a long-keeper, storing well after harvest and holding flavour.<br><br>Grower’s note: Originally sourced from Seetha’s Seed, grown out and regrown locally. First ripe fruit at around 89–90 days. Results vary with conditions.<br><br>Type: Indeterminate<br><br>Days to Maturity: ~85–90 days<br><br>Fruit: Medium (170–225 g), yellow<br><br>Flavour: Sweet, fruity, lightly tropical<br><br>Keeping: Long-keeper, stores well<br><br>Origin: United States (Heirloom, won 2007 SSE Tasting Award)

Chocolate Cherry - 15+ Seeds - Salads

Chocolate Cherry is a garden stunner — rich mahogany skin, juicy flesh, and a flavour that balances sweet, tart, and earthy all at once. These prolific little gems grow in clusters, perfect for picking straight from the vine and popping into your mouth. Customers often say they never make it into the kitchen — they're just that moreish.<br><br>I’ve found Chocolate Cherry to be exceptionally productive, especially when well-supported and given room to climb. It handles cooler nights better than many cherries and continues cropping late into the season. A vigorous grower with disease resistance that makes it a reliable choice year after year.<br><br>Originally believed to have ties to Andean wild tomatoes, this variety carries the complexity of older cultivars with the charm of modern snacking tomatoes. Grow it once, and you'll be saving seeds for life.<br>Type: Cherry<br><br>Days to Maturity: 70–75 days<br><br>Fruit Size: Small (2.5–4 cm)<br><br>Color: Deep mahogany-brown<br><br>Flavour: Sweet, tangy, rich<br><br>Skin: Smooth, thin<br><br>Origin: Believed to have Andean ancestry; modern open-pollinated selection

Yellow Pear Seeds 15+ per pack

It's an oldie but a goodie dating back to the early 1800s; it hangs in clusters like grapes, is sweet and is yellow and low in acid. It will produce for you continually through summer, and although its fruit is small, the vine is large and hardy, and it is indeterminate. Honestly a favorite; I love how beautiful it looks. Taste the sun! It's pretty good for being disease resistant, too—no problems with this last summer. <br>

Cherokee Purple Beefsteak Seedling

Cherokee Purple – A Tomato with a Story<br><br>I first discovered Cherokee Purple through Craig LeHoullier, the American tomato grower whose work blew my tomato world wide open. He describes this variety as the perfect meeting point of sweetness, tartness, depth, and texture.<br><br>In 1990, Craig received seeds from John D. Green of Sevierville, Tennessee. With the seeds came a letter explaining they were from a purple tomato handed down by the Cherokee people and grown for more than a century.<br><br>The result is a tomato like no other: dusky rose-purple skin, rich flavour, and a legacy rooted in indigenous history. Slice into one and you’ll taste not only the earth, but also the story it carries.<br><br>Unusual in colour, unforgettable in flavour — Cherokee Purple is a true heirloom treasure.

Moneymaker - 15+ Seeds - Salad Hero

Moneymaker is one of the true classics—a dependable British heirloom bred in the early 1900s for both greenhouse and field production. In my garden it lives up to its name: long, tidy trusses of medium-sized, bright-red globes that just keep coming. The firm skin resists cracking, the flavour is clean and balanced, and each fruit is the perfect salad size. It stores well, too—handy when you’re harvesting by the bowlful.<br><br>This season was exceptional: I never saw a hint of disease, even in the drought, and the plants cropped so heavily I kept the local Boat Shed supplied with baskets of Moneymakers (alongside Moonglows and Chocolate Cherries). It’s prolific, a true long-cropper, and remarkably happy in a large pot on the deck—close at hand for kitchen snacking.<br><br>For gardeners who want a no-drama tomato with solid flavour and reliable abundance, Moneymaker remains exactly what its name promises.<br><br>Type: Indeterminate<br><br>Days to Maturity: 75–80 days<br><br>Fruit Size: Medium (5–7 cm)<br><br>Color: Bright red<br><br>Flavour: Clean, balanced, classic<br><br>Skin: Firm, resists cracking<br><br>Origin: England, early 1900s<br><br><br><br><br><br>