More than 8000 heirloom tomato plants available at this weekends annual tomato plant sale
Walk, don’t run. The seriously popular Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens tomato sale is near. Here’s everything keen gardeners need to know.
Tasmania
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The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Garden’s dedicated volunteers have sourced, seeded and nurtured more than 8000 tomato plants for this year’s annual tomato plant sale.
Manager of garden operations at the RTBG David Reid said the annual plant sale brings out thousands of green thumbs lining up to get their hands on some of the special varieties of tomato plants available.
“Classic tomatoes are still as popular as ever,” Mr Reid said.
“So varieties such as ones called money maker and mortgage lifter are always popular.
“Black cherry, roma those are just always popular along with all of the new and different varieties.”
He said the quirky, money related names came from people identifying that for a tomato lover, planting tomato plants at the start of the season could save them a lot of money.
Mr Reid said tomatoes were rewarding plants, with great appeal to seasoned and new growers alike as they are an abundant and easy to grow crop.
He said in recent years there has been a push to save and bring back heirloom varieties, which are endlessly popular, with more than 80 varieties available at this weekend’s sale.
He said his personal tomato garden usually features cherry tomatoes, because the abundant fruit is great as a snacking fruit, in salads or even fresh off the vine.
Mr Reid said the persistent Tasmanian advice that tomatoes shouldn’t be planted until after show day is about not getting the tomato plants into the ground until after the last major frost, as soil warmth is really important.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday more than 8000 seedlings will be available for purchase as well as a selection of fresh herbs, a range of cooler climate chillies, juicy lemons and native plants at the RTBG.
More than two thousand attendees are expected over the weekend.
Mr Reid said the line into the show can get up to 100 metres long, but the RTBG had carefully curated the number of each variety available so that no one misses out on their favourite.
From 11am to 2pm Thursday, keen gardeners can pay a $10 donation for early access to the plants before free entry on Friday and Saturday.
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