Tomato Kelloggs Breakfast Heirloom (20 seeds)

A beefsteak sized orange tomato of complex flavour. The interior is a sunny bright color reminiscent of fresh squeezed orange juice witha taste like a barrel full of sweet sunshine.

The sweet, but tangy, flavor is a perfect balance for any use. Tomatoes are resistant to sunburn and blossom end rot, developing without blemish almost every time. The plants produce many fruit kg+ (1lb) in size. A slice will cover a large slice of bread and your perfect sandwich will be bursting with true tomato flavour.

Originally a West Virginia heirloom, Kellogg’s Breakfast was preserved by Darrell Kellogg of Redford, Michigan, a railroad supervisor and plant enthusiast. The seed for this true orange beefsteak tomato was sent to Seed Savers Exchange by Bill Minkey of Darien, Wisconsin.

80 days.Indeterminate.

Approximately 20 seeds per packet.

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QUICK REMINDERS:

• Start seeds inside5-6 weeks before transplanting
• Cover with a thin layer of vermiculite and gently press
• Mist or bottom water to keep moist
• Cover with plastic for humidity, remove after germination
• Germinates in 5-10 days
• Harden off seedlings for 7-10 days before planting
• Recommended planting time is 2 weeks after last frost
• Amend garden soil with finished compost and aged manure
• Add 1/4 cup of organic bone meal and 1/4 cup of balanced organic slow release fertilizer into the planting hole and mix in with the soil
• Place the transplantinto the potting hole, backfill with soil, gently press and water inabundantly to remove any air pockets and encourage root growth
• Space plants 24-36 apart
• Fertilize with organic water soluble fertilizer every 3-4 weeks
• Maintain a consistent watering schedule for best results
• Harvest in 80 days from transplant
• Indeterminate tomato,should be staked, trellised, or caged, and pruned for best results
• Fruit is harvested over an extended period, usually right until fall frost.

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SEED TO HARVEST GUIDE

TRANSPLANTING:

Don’t start seeds too earlyleggy, root-bound, or flowering transplants can cause stunting and reduce early production. About 56 weeks before transplanting, sow 1/4″ deep in 20-rowflatswith 20 seeds/row, or in 200-cell trays with 1 seed/cell; lightly cover. Keep mix at 7585F (2429C) with moderate moisture. At first true leaf, pot-up to 50-cell trays or 4″ pots, depending on expected transplant timing. Grow at constant 6070F (1621C) temp and use complete fertilizer until hardened-off. Supplemental lights and lower night temps control stretching. For earliest crop, plant underrow coveraround last frost date. Avoid exposing unprotected plants to consecutive nightly temperatures below 45F (7C). In rows 46′ apart, space indeterminates 2436″. Plant deeply to encourage adventitious rooting. Water seedlings with a high-phosphate fertilizer solution at planting to help boost early yields.

TRELLISING:

Tomatoes are vines that have a weak stemthat sprawls and typically needs support. Basket-weave by pounding 68′ stakes every 23 plants, using heavier t-posts intermittently and at ends of beds. Or alternatively, use ‘single-stem and stake’ growing technique, or cordon tomato vine support method.Firmly secure canes or stakes into the ground so they will be able to support the considerable weight of fruit-laden plants and withstand sudden gusts of wind.

PRUNING:

Indeterminates likely benefit by removing all suckers under the first strong branch directly below the first flower cluster. The lower bottom suckers often miss trellis supports, set fruit closer to soil, take energy from upper parts, and encourage spread of disease from soil. If needed later in season, consider thinning out leaves to increase airflow or topping plants in the fall to help finish ripening last fruits.

DISEASES & INSECT PESTS:

Learn your common pests and options for control, including resistant cultivars andorganic pest control methods. Avoid wet leaves and handling when wet or using tobacco products. Manage plant debris and implement crop rotations.

HARVEST:

Fruits ripen gradually from the blossom end to shoulders and from the base of clusters to the tips. Use fully ripe fruit only for home or local retail use. Any fruit breaking color will still ripen post-harvest.

STORAGE:

Store blemish-free, near-ripe fruit 47 days at room temperature in darkness. Store longer with proper variety selection, picking less-ripe, and keeping at cooler temperatures 4560F (716C). Colder and picking too green will sacrifice end-quality.

LIFE CYCLE

Annual

STATUS

Heirloom (Open Pollinated)

SCIENTIFIC NAME:

Solanum lycopersicum