I don't have any off your wants but I have a LOT of heirloom tomatoes.. Big Rainbow, pink brandywine, yellow pear, black prince (coming soon), and a few others I can't think of... Check my list, I'm interested in your Black Cherry (Heirloom cherry tomato) Black Pear (Heirloom tomato) and I'm REALLY interested in: Cherokee Purple (Heirloom tomato)

Dale, There is no easy answer to your question about erratic germination except that tomato plants and their seeds are as individual as human beings. Some fruit on some plants produce seed with better viability than other fruit from the same plants or from other plants. That is one reason why seed savers are supposed to save seed from as many different plants as possible. Even if a strain is stable, that just means it produces the type of plant and fruit it is expected to produce most of the time (mutations can occur, of course, as can insect-caused cross-pollination). There are many factors that influence seed germination including how the seed was processed after it was harvested and how it was stored while at the wholesaler and retailer and while in the distribution chain. The age of seed matters too. Seed that is just a year or two old will germinate more quickly than seed that is 3 or 5 or 10 years old. The seed we purchase, by the way, is not necessarily 'new' or 'fresh'. They only have to put a "Packed For" date on the packet, not a "Grown In" year on seed packets. If you purchased seed that says "Packed for 2010", that seed could have been grown, harvested and processed in 2008 or 2006 or earlier. Very few retailers guarantee their seed is 'fresh'----Sandhill Preservation Center is one of them. Glenn only sells seed that is two years old or younger, I believe, which is why you often see varieties not available....because he or his contract growers had a crop failure or seed failure and he won't dip into old inventories to sell old seed. The Federal Germination Standard for tomato seed is 75% as far as I can remember, and I don't think they've changed that. All that means is that when each seed batch is tested, it must show a 75% germination rate or it cannot go farther in the seed distribution process OR the retailer has to overpack the seed packets with extra seed to make up for the low germination rates. When a retailer does that, they are supposed to indicate the seed packet is deliberately overpacked so you know to plant extra seed to make up for low germination rates. Once the seed leaves the wholesaler, it must be properly stored and transported, and also properly displayed by the retailer. If seed packets are exposed to excess heat, light or humidity at any point during the distribution process, germination of that seed can be adversely affected. Our local Wal-Mart has a bad tendency to put some of their seed racks outside in the garden center in January or February when the indoor gardening area is full of winter clearance and newly arriving spring merchandise. I won't buy seed on a rack that has been put outside because those seeds likely have been exposed to humidity levels that could adversely affect their germination, and the stores don't care....if your seed doesn't germinate, they expect you'll come back and buy more. Normally, you'll see higher viability in hybrid seed because seed viability is one of the genetic characteristics that breeders select for when they are developing varieties. The folks who saved heirlooms chose for other traits....generally flavor, size and productivity in terms of pounds of fruit per plant. For me, Dr. Wyche's Yellow always shows very erratic germination, but Amish Paste has not, although I haven't grown it in several years. Glad the restaurant is doing well! Dawn

Dovely beyond lacking nitrogen your potted plant is probably root-bound and that soil-less mix is also probably not that good for its health. If you have a garden, get it in the garden,now, if not get a bigger pot and transplant it into that pot filled with a manure-compost mix. I am in Minn. and now have the tomatoes I already have outside under temp. greehouse type protection (empty distilled water bottles with the bottom cut-out.) Buying large plants I have found to be a scam as when transplanted they still have to set-rootinto the new soil, which means the blooms MUST be picked off or the plant wastes energy on the blooms that should go to the roots. In the end the big plants rarely give tomatoes any sooner than the little ones that have grown-up. For diseases I dip, entire plant in pot if possible, otherwise drench, in Serenade. It has made life much less stressful.

and placed them outside in full sun. I have yet to see any type of physical changes, but will keep you updated. I gather, they may need a few days to acclimate to their new surroundings. While we have no idea how big these plants are now, placing inside grown transplants such as yours "outside in the full sun" without first gradually harding them off is a great way to kill them and kill them fast. No seedlings, regardless of age, should be exposed to direct sun immediately after transplanting. Learn about the requirement called hardening-off plants. Please, if it isn't already too late, remove them from the direct sun and place them in shade and protected from the wind. The normal routine for hardening off, which is discussed in great detail in this forum, is 1 hour the first day and increased exposure by an hour or two daily. Only then can they safely go into the direct sun. Dave