any good source of seeds for tomatoes.

Over the years, I've always gotten the best germination rates from Burpee seeds:

As far as how you start things from scratch, I (and anyone else) would be doing you a huge disservice by explaining it. You should go to the library, find some books, and start reading. There are brief instructions on seed packets, but there's no way they can be fully informative. If you want a good book recommendation, especially for a beginner, go to

Mark--I used Tomato Growers Supply Company this year, and had awesome luck with most of the seeds. We got what seemed like 125% germination. While I know that isn't very likely, I suggest you check them out...and they have a freebie with a very small dollar order.

HTH,

Go buy plants this year, because it's too late to start from seed. Between now and next February, go to the library and get a gardening book and read up on how to start from seed. The reason, not all seed get the same treatments.

BTW, for 3 or 4 plants, more than enough to feed the average family, it's just as cheap to buy the 4 pack or the 6 pack plants.

Tom J

Almost as cheap. But, many seeds, if stored properly, will last a few years:

totallyTomatoes.com

From Mel & Donnie in Bluebird Valley

Bill

Bill

Ditto.

Of course, you could always go to the store and buy a tomato you like.

They usually come with seeds. ;)

You must be a person that has never grown his/her own tomatoes. Except for the farmer market type stands, the crappy "tomatoes" that most stores sell don't have anywhere near the flavor of home grown ones.

And, of course, it would be a crap shoot, knowing whether those seeds would be the same as the parents. They could revert to something lame.

The usual litany about store bought tomatoes is that - unless you are assured otherwise - those tomatoes are bred to be as hardy and tough as can be such that they can withstand the kind of handling and processing the backyard tomatoes cannot.

Do a web search on tomato seeds and you'll run across a number of vendors. You'll be overwhelmed with the different varieties out there for the home gardener. And unless you want to keep purchasing your seeds, opt for one of the heirloom varieties. JoeSpareBedroom's comments apply to hybrids as well as the store bought ones.

I picked thru all the tomatoes in the grocery store in February and bought a few of the only ones that smelled like tomatoes. They were orange, about the size of a baseball, and still had stems attached. The red and the yellow tomatoes that otherwise looked just like them and the "hothouse" tomatoes and the Romas all just smelled sort of like paper.

The orange tomatoes were actually pretty good, even in February, so I saved some seeds. That's what I have growing in my garden right now, and I don't even know yet if they are determinate or not. Whether they turn out good or not, they will be fun -- and that's the important thing.

Best regards, Bob

Gotta watch those heirlooms, though. Don't bet your whole season on them. I've tried Rutgers a few times and they were lousy. Obviously, that doesn't represent all heirlooms, though.

Um, well.... not exactly. Tomatoes almost always cross with themselves and many folk save tomato seed without any regard for outcrossing. They are occasionally cross pollintated by insects but are not attractive to them. Nevertheless, Tomatoes will grow over 95% true-to-type without any regard for outcrossers. They do have a dormancy which requires a certain amount of decompositon to occur before they will germinate. This means you have to remove the pulp along with the seeds and soak it in water until a really gross mold is growing on the surface. This will overcome the dormancy and the tomato seed will then germinate.

Having said that, I have never heard of anyone who wanted to save seed form grocery store varieties. Those type of varieties are usually grown with harvesting and storage in mind, not flavor. Most gardeners want somthing different and often save their own seed from fruit they have grown themselves using the above method. Lawrence

Marglobe and Valiant and Rutger's o my. Silver lady and silver Queen .. I'll quit as I'm showing my age ;))

Bill