It’s a bit odd to say we have “new” heirloom tomato varieties, since by definition heirloom plants are ones that were in our grandparents’ gardens, and have not been hybridized. So I guess I should say they’re new to the Friends School Plant Sale.

There will be eight new varieties of heirloom tomatoes this year.

Plum Lemon was collected from an elderly seedsman at Moscow’s Bird Market during the August 1991 coup. The fruit is 3″ long with a pointed end–really resembles a lemon. Meaty, sweet refreshing flavor. Indeterminate, 72 days. Organically grown.

Federle is a beautiful 6-7″ long paste tomato. Rich full flavor, unlike most other banana pepper-shaped tomatoes. Productive plants. Very few seeds, excellent for processing, especially good for salsa. Indeterminate, 85 days. Organically grown.

Moonglow has medium-sized bright orange fruits. Solid orange meat, few seeds and wonderful flavor. A Seed Savers favorite. Indeterminate, 80 days. Organically grown.

Isis Candy Cherry is known for gorgeous fruits that are marbled with red. Rich flavor is a complex blend of sweetness and fruitiness. Each fruit has a spectacular cat’s eye starburst on the blossom end. The plants are loaded with 1.5″ fruits on short trusses in double rows of six to eight. Indeterminate, 70-80 days. Organically grown.

Mexico Midget is an early and very prolific plant that continues producing throughout the entire growing season. Round, half-inch fruits give an incredible flash of rich tomato flavor, great for salads or selling in pints. Indeterminate, 60-70 days. Organically grown.

Esther Hess has 1-2″ yellow cherry fruits. Tangy. We can’t find good information on how many days until fruit.

Black Cherry has dark, purplish cherry-sized fruits the color of ‘Cherokee Purple’. Flavor is wonderful, very rich and sweet. 65 days, indeterminate.

Omar’s Lebanese features huge pink fruit, which can grow as large as 3-4 pounds! One of the largest tomatoes you can grow. The mammoth fruit have a superb flavor; sweet, perfect tomato taste. Good yields on vigorous plants, good tolerance to disease, a rare family heirloom from Lebanon. Perfect for anyone who wants to grow huge, tasty tomatoes. Indeterminate, 80 days.

We will also have all of the varieties we had last year, with more available if they sold out early. (Who knew the Bloody Butcher would be such a hot seller?) We’ve also signficantly increased the number of Sweet 100s, for those of you who love that tomato.

Photos courtesy of Seed Saver’s Exchange, our seed source.

Three years ago, I’d never heard of the Friends School Plant Sale. Now I take a day off work just to be there on the first day. Sure, I may supplement the season with a trip or two to the farmer’s market or a nursery, but the Friends School Plant Sale has really become my one-stop garden shop.

I’m not a very disciplined gardener. I don’t fertilize, mulch as little as possible and have no track record with plant food; I’m more the “put it in the ground and hope for the best” type. But, like most of you, I love working in my garden and seeing the results. That’s why the plant sale is the perfect solution for beginners like me, master gardeners and everyone in between. The variety is amazing so I can try my luck with all sorts of interesting plants. The prices are so good I can afford to be a bit of a risk taker. Not that I need to be: the quality of plants always gets thumbs up from me (even though my thumbs aren’t the greenest).

Be sure to read the website section on “doing” the sale…it’s very helpful. But if you’re new to the grandstand, here are a few other things I learned as a rookie:

1. Know your ABCs

“A” is for attire. I’m channeling my mother here, but dress for the weather. You will be waiting in line, albeit a fast-moving one, for sure on Friday and Sunday mornings. The first year I attended was sunny and 75 degrees; last year I wore a hat and gloves in the 50-degree rain. It’s always nice inside, though.

“B” is for BE prepared. You’ll make the most of your sale experience by getting to know and love the catalog in advance. Even though you’ll get a shopping list form as you enter the sale, making a preliminary list is a good idea. (You can download the form in advance here as a pdf, 12K.) With over 1,900 plant varieties, it will help you stay on track. Don’t forget a pen or pencil.

“C” is for cart. By all means bring one. A plastic milk carton crate bungeed to a luggage carrier works just fine. So do wagons. Last year my husband built me a custom, double-decker dolly, just for the sale. It’s a sweet ride. Anything goes except sleds; they’re a tripping hazard and won’t be allowed inside. Stick to wheels and remember to practice good cart etiquette.

2. Pounce!

It’s probably common sense, but if there’s absolutely one thing you have to have, make that your first stop. The tomato plants will probably be there on your second or third pass through. The Pineapple Upside Down Cake hosta? Maybe not!

3. Keep Your Options Open

Nothing can dampen your spirits like those two little words: crop failure. And yet, it can happen. You may see a few of those signs around, so it’s good to have a backup plant in mind, just in case. Or, if your first choice didn’t work out, look nearby; maybe another color or variety will appeal.

4. Treat Yourself!

I always make it a point to buy one plant type (Who am I kidding? Five or six!) that I hadn’t planned to. Something that looked so cool or was so unusual, I couldn’t say no. Invariably it’s these little extras that get the most comments and compliments from visitors to my garden.

5. Don’t be a Stranger!

Come Friday for the best selection. Come back Saturday to see what’s been restocked and come on Sunday for 50% off all remaining plants. I would say come back every year, but once you’ve experienced this wonderful sale, that’s a given.

Happy planning and we’ll see you in the Grandstand!