Helpful Gardener Rare Breed Tomato Seed Giveaway!

[webmaster]

These are not the usual tomatoes. They are specially bred for specific qualities by tomato guru Brad Gates. They are among the best tomatoes I've ever tasted and have been praised by top chefs around the United States.

I am a huge fan of Wild Boar Farms Tomatoes, of which staff at Chez Panisse says, "Wild Boar Farm's Tomatoes are Beautiful and Flavorful. They're Tomatoes You'll Never Forget."

I am a fan of Helpful Gardener Forum members. You are the nicest people on the planet. So I want to bring the both of you together. Starting today I am giving away tomato seeds from my favorite tomato growers to the members of this forum. If you are not currently a member then register today.

Very important, you must have a minimum of 10 non-fluff posts to receive seeds. Posts like "Great post!" don't count.

Here is how to get your free tomato seeds
Send me a PM (Private Message) listing your three top choices and the name and address to send them to. I will do my best to get a packet of one type out to you as long as supplies last.

Here are the seeds we're giving away with Wild Boar Farms' Description
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BERKELEY TIE-DYE
This tomato blows me and alot of my customers away. A favorite to many of my chefs. Mid-late to late, 75-90 days. indet. regular leaf plants. 8-16 oz. Fair to good production. Green fruit with yellow and red stripes. Interior is a true tri-color. Creamy green flesh infused with various shades of red and yellow. Each of these colors has a different flavor resulting in a spicey, sweet, tart tomato with good acid all in one fruit. Originated from one plant 500 ,F-2 Beauty King.



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PINK BERKELEY TIE-DYE
Beautiful, early, and very sweet rich flavor. 10 out of 10 people liked it better then Cherokee Purple in a farmers market taste off. Early to mid-early, 65-75 days.Compact indet. regular leaf. 8-12 oz. average. Port wine colored beefsteak with metallic green stripes. Excellent sweet, rich dark tomato flavor. Fabulous. Marginal tomato climate recommended.



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BLACK & BROWN BOAR
One of my first varieties. Discovered in Green Zebra patch years about ten years ago. This looks like a Black Zebra, slightly larger with some lobes. Mid-early to early. 65-75 days. Indet. regular leaf. Pumps out 3-4" fruit like crazy. Aggressive grower and producer. Great flavor, dark earthy tones of rich tomato. Origin-Green Zebra=



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AAA SWEET SOLANO
Mutant discovered in Yellow Boar (Yellow Stripe). Very attractive yellow with green stripes turning deep orange color with gold stripes. Some hang time ability. Stays firm, very sweet with a hint of tropical fruit. Produced huge harvest for 2009. 2 – 4 OZ.




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SWEET CARNEROS PINK
BRAND NEW VARIETY FOR 2010. F-5 2-4 OZ. Rose pink with gold colored stripes. After 4 years this has proven to be very near 100% pure and of excellent quality. Huge producer for 2009. Great looking with a nice sweet tomato flavor.

[tomato_girl]

Amazing! I love striped tomatoes. Especially the tasty ones.

[gixxerific]

"Great post"

Really though it just keeps getting better here, thanks for the offer.

Dono

[kimbledawn]

Those tomatoes are beautiful. Great offer! I love this forum.

[Ozark Lady]

Wow, thanks Roger,

Hey I went to the link for the tomatoes, the tomato in the photo there doesn't look real, looks painted! And they are breeding for flavor as well as looks. My kind of tomato breeders!

[webmaster]

Those tie-dye tomatoes are pretty cool looking and taste great, too. When the farm is at the local farmers market I always scoop up more than I can eat, lol. They're super delicious.

I still have more seeds available so if you want some then please PM me your top three choices plus the name and address you want me to send them to.

[tn_veggie_gardner]

Thanks a bunch for the offer! Very kind of you. That Sweet Solano looks awesome! =)

- Steve

[Ozark Lady]

Pm sent!

How does one get more tomatoes than they can eat?

I am simply not a big eater at all, but too many tomatoes? How is that possible?

Are they juicy for fresh eating, how would they do in juicing, or making sauces? Salsa! Wow. Gorgeous.

[webmaster]

...how would they do in juicing, or making sauces? Salsa!

To be honest, I never did any of those because these tomatoes were so good I only wanted to experience them sliced up or eaten like apples and that's how we ate them.

[Ozark Lady]

My favorite way to eat tomatoes, watermelons etc.

Take the salt shaker to the garden, grab my edible, hose off the dirt, and sit on the edge of a bed, and eat it still sunwarmed, while I am enjoying my garden. I am thinking of moving my lawn swing to the garden this year! And that in a nutshell is why I don't use pesticides!

[Duh_Vinci]

Wonderful offer and wonderful looking tomatoes! Nothing like anything I've ever seen before! Kudos for introducing the forum to these varieties!

Regards,
D

[wolfie]

WOW those look amazing, I am in awe!

[webmaster]

Well, counting out the seeds and stuffing them into individual envelopes is more time consuming than I anticipated. However, I did send out a bunch of seeds today. Just got back from the post office. I'll send the rest out tomorrow.

The offer is still open, so if you have at least ten posts under your belt then send me Private Message and I'll put your name on the list. Pick your top three varieties that you want and I'll send out what I can.

[lj in ny]

Sending a PM! I just joined this site last week, I'm not much of a poster unless I have something to say. I'm glad it worked out in my favor! What a great offer.

[Zaxsta]

Hurray! Seeds are on the way. Can't wait to test these varieties out in Miami around August/September. Then again, if I'm reading the weather averages right, you can grow tomatoes year-round oustide in Miami. Except for the hurricanes. Those are bad.

[RyanDe680]

Just got my seeds yesterday, thanks Roger!

Can't wait for those sweet carneros!!!!

[tn_veggie_gardner]

I got my seeds today. Thanks a bunch! I can't wait to sow some and enjoy these rare delicious tomatoes. =)

[webmaster]

Great! I'm excited to know how well they germinate and produce fruit. Keep me updated please.

I am running low on seeds so if anyone else wants some please send me a PM. I have sent the last batch of envelopes out this afternoon, so everyone who has requested seeds before today should have them on their way.

[Ozark Lady]

I got my seeds today, thank you very much.

I was excited with many of the other tomatoes that I bought, and got in trades. Wow, this is going to be an exciting year.

I just can't wait to see what all these are going to look like and taste like.

This really makes me want to "fast forward and see them"!
And then hit slow play, as I taste them! Ummm!

Thanks!

[kimbledawn]

I got my seed today! WHOOOHOOOOO!! I can't wait to plant them. Thank you so much!

[gixxerific]

Got mine will be planting tommorow. Can't wait for them and all the others.

[Duh_Vinci]

Always slow to my neck of the woods, "patiently waiting" =)

Just about a week ago I received a packet of seeds a friend of mine sent from Germany on Jan 5th... Not sure were those traveled for 3 months

Regards,
D

[syntheticbutterfly]

My seeds arrived today, many thanks, what a wonderful easter gift.

[Dixana]

I got my seeds today and it MADE MY DAY!!!!!
this morning whike digging around in the garden I discovered an peice of foundation or something. I know it's 3 feet wide, as of now it's at LEAST 4 ft long and 6 inches deep but I'm still trying to find the edges and bttom

[gixxerific]

I have some sprouts growing but for some reason the Berkley Tie Dye did not come up.

[Ozark Lady]

I have 3 Berkley Tie Dyes up and growing.
I have 2 Solano just showing a bud for true leaves.
And I have 4 Carneros getting true leaves, I see the shapes of them already.

I only planted part of the seeds, I saved some just in case I killed these!

They are doing pretty good, and I am pretty thrilled!

[mtmickey]

YeeHaw...got my seeds in the mail today. Thanks Roger, can't wait to get them started.

[martoosaat]

Oooh I would really like some seeds, I'm still working up to 10 posts!
(Hard when all I have are questions, not much in the way of advice to give)

[Ozark Lady]

I went to the Boar's Farm link, and this time, I watched the video of the guy growing them.

Wow, he said, that they produce really well for about 5-6 weeks, and then they slack off. So, he plants new tomatoes every 4 weeks.

And I thought it was the heat here, because I have noticed, my tomatoes kick into high gear, take a nap, and then come back really strong for their finish, leaving me with lots of green tomatoes at season's end.

Since, I only planted a few of many kinds of tomatoes, I guess I will wait and about 6 weeks after first sowing, I am going to start another batch of tomatoes. If it works for him, the expert, it should work for me. And I simply can't even imagine having too many tomatoes. I don't think it is possible.

[Duh_Vinci]

Thank you Roger! AAA are seeded this evening! Look forward to trying these out, love the sweet tasting tomatoes, can't wait!

Regards,
D

[tomato_girl]

I'd like to "book" some SWEET CARNEROS PINK seed for next season from the members who got this variety. Will trade for anything from my list. Thank you.

[Ozark Lady]

Is anyone else having difficulty with these tomatoes?

I have just watched the last seedling die. They got so big, and needed transplant, shocked and gradually they all died.

I had only planted a few of the seeds, so I am going to start them again, this time in larger pots, so I can avoid the transplant, until they are garden size.

I have tomatoes of all sizes! Just a few of the various types, absolutely won't cooperate with me. So, I am going through and listing the survivors, and will be restarting all that didn't make it in the first few germinating.

Part of these damped off, some dried up, none ever looked good once I transplanted them, and I was oh so careful.

I am back to square one, but, I do still have seeds to try it again!
Are they growing well for you all?

[tn_veggie_gardner]

Ozark: I plan to sow some very soon. I'm having a bit of trouble getting used to my greenhouses (when to open plastic on the one & when to open polywhatever on the other) and have fried a few seedlings b/c of this, so I don't want to sow any of my rare seeds until I get this figured out well. But, when I do, i'll let y'all know! =)

- Steve

[tomato_girl]

Is anyone else having difficulty with these tomatoes?

I don't have problems with mine. They grow just fine. The only thing I can mention is the low germination rate of Black brown boar. But hey, those were free seeds so I can't complain.

Ozark lady, if you won't have any luck with your plants, I can send you seeds in autumn (I have all of them except the SWEET CARNEROS PINK - it's still on my wish list).

[Ozark Lady]

They just really surprised me!
I have 202 tomatoe seedlings going, based on Saturdays count. And they are of all sizes, from just germinated up to transplant ready.
And 23 different ones!
To me, it looked like most of them damped off, but not all of them did. They were in separate containers. Some had even graduated to the other mobile.
I have several varieties that I haven't tried yet, alot I got in trades, so I think I will start another round of tomatoes that I don't have growing. And this time, they will be milk fed babies! Damping off isn't gonna get a second chance!

I appreciate the offer, and I would like to trade with folks, even if I get mine to live, we probably got different ones.

[tedln]

I received the sweet caneros pink free seed. Planted six, two germinated. The tiny seedlings just sat there while other varieties around them were growing big enough to transplant. After about three weeks, the tiny seedlings simply laid their heads down and died. I had six seed left, so I tried the bleach pre-treatment on them last week and planted them. I should know in the next few days if they will germinate. I also ordered some more Sweet Caneros Pink and a couple of others from Brad Gates and hopefully will receive them in the next few days. I will also start attempting to germinate them when I receive them.

I really like the varieties Wild Boar Farms has originated and would like to grow some of them. I don't want to give up on them without giving them a fair chance to produce.

I would like to hear some success stories in germinating and growing the free seed. Maybe give us an idea about how you are germinating them.

Ted

[kimbledawn]

I planted two seeds, one pork chop and one black and brown boar. I had given up on them when both popped up and were very nice littles seedlings. Hail from Saturday's storm broke one but the other one is still living. I also planted a few more a week or two after the first and knocked the pot over and mixed the soil up so I may have lost those. I will see how the seedling I have holds up.

[tedln]

I planted two seeds, one pork chop and one black and brown boar. I had given up on them when both popped up and were very nice littles seedlings. Hail from Saturday's storm broke one but the other one is still living. I also planted a few more a week or two after the first and knocked the pot over and mixed the soil up so I may have lost those. I will see how the seedling I have holds up.

How long did it take them to pop up? They may simply require more time to germinate than other varieties. I gave the Sweet Caneros Pink about a month to germinate. I left the ungerminated seed for at least another week after two of six had germinated.

Ted

[Dixana]

They just really surprised me!
I have 202 tomatoe seedlings going, based on Saturdays count. And they are of all sizes, from just germinated up to transplant ready.
And 23 different ones!

202 seedlings!?! Holy cats what do you do with them all????

[tn_veggie_gardner]

Ozark: LMK if you need any tomato seeds. I'd be happy to send you a few packs of them. =)