Heirloom tomato seeds: varieties, sowing, care

Why grow heirloom tomatoes?

Far from the supermarket's standardized tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes offer a world of forgotten flavors, colors, and textures. Hardy, reproducible, often better suited to natural gardens than modern F1 varieties, they are ideal for permaculture vegetable gardens or gourmet gardeners.

But you still need to know how to choose, sow, and care for them. Here is our complete guide.

1. What is an heirloom tomato?

An heirloom tomato is a variety that was cultivated before the industrial era and has remained true to its lineage (non-hybrid F1). It is called “stable” and reproducible: you can harvest seeds from one season to the next without loss of genetic quality.

They are generally:

• More flavorful and juicy.
• Less uniform, but more colorful and surprising.
• Less resistant to transport, but often better adapted to natural cultivation.

2. Essential heirloom varieties

Here are some varieties we recommend for beginners:

🍅 Ananas Tomato

Large, yellow-orange, marbled with red. Very sweet, with firm flesh. Ideal in salads or eaten raw.

🍅 Black Crimean Tomato

Dark fruits, with a deep and balanced flavor. Drought resistant.

🍅 Bern Rose Tomato

Bright pink, thin skin, melting flesh. A raw delight, highly appreciated in natural cultivation.

🍅 Green Zebra Tomato

Green-yellow striped, tangy taste, crunchy texture. Original and very productive.

👉 Discover our collection of organic tomato seeds

3. Sowing heirloom tomatoes: when and how?

📅 Sowing period

• In pots indoors: from February to April.
• Transplanting outdoors: from mid-May (after frost).

🪴 Method

• Fill pots with a light, moist seed-starting mix.
• Bury seeds 5 mm deep, press lightly.
• Keep at 20–25 °C, in natural light or under a horticultural lamp.
• Water gently as soon as the surface soil dries.

🔁 Transplanting

• Transplant once into pots when the plant has 2 true leaves.
• Plant in the garden with a stake, burying the stem up to the first leaves.

4. Natural care of heirloom tomatoes

🌱 Watering

• Regular but moderate. Avoid watering leaves to prevent diseases.
• Mulching recommended to retain moisture and avoid splashes.

✂️ Pruning or not?

For heirloom varieties, pruning is often optional. Avoid heavy pruning. You can:

• Remove suckers (shoots between stem and leaf) on some indeterminate varieties.
• Let grow freely for a wilder but sometimes less controlled production.

🦠 Preventing diseases

• Crop rotation (do not replant in the same spot every year).
• Good air circulation between plants (minimum 60 cm).
• Companion planting: basil, marigold, garlic.

Conclusion

Heirloom tomato seeds are much more than a gardening curiosity. They embody another vision of gardening: freer, more flavorful, closer to life. By sowing them, you also cultivate a link with the past, diversity, and a joyful, simple form of indulgence.

🌿 Discover all our organic tomato varieties for a summer rich in taste and color.