The Tartufo is known for its dark red color and almost black “shoulders.” It has a heartier, less sweet flavor than many cherry tomatos.
Tomatoes can be hard to grow in Northern Arizona. The temperature swings, intense sun, and harsh winds can certainly affect your success. That’s why I love microdwarfs! These varieties reach 1 to 2 feet tall and grow well in 1-gallon pots. In fact, I grow mine on a sunny windowsill throughout winter.
Here’s how you can, too:
START THOSE SEEDS
• Get a 1-gallon pot with drainage holes.
• Pre-moisten your potting soil. Place soil in a separate container; wet it so the soil is saturated but not soaking.
• Fill your 1-gallon pot about ¾ of the way with potting soil.
• Pre-moisten a small amount of seed-starting mix to create a layer 2–3 inches deep.
• Add the seed-starting mix to the top of your pot.
• Make a small hole, about 2–3 times the width of your seed and ¼-inch deep.
• Put 2–3 seeds in the hole.
• Cover lightly with seed-starting mix.
• Moisten thoroughly with a spray bottle.
• Place plastic wrap on top.
• Place the pot in a warm area or on a heat mat.
• Check moisture daily. Spray lightly with water if needed.
• Germination should occur within three to 10 days.
• In about a week, you should see plants popping out of the soil. Take them off the heat mat and remove the plastic wrap, making sure your light is about 4 inches above your seedlings if you are using supplemental light. Keep the soil moist, but not soaking.
• Once the sprouts are 2 inches tall, you can either separate your seedlings and transplant them into other pots if more than one has germinated, or you can simply cut the less-healthy seedlings at the base of the soil. The goal is one plant per gallon pot.
• At this point, wait for the top inch of the soil to dry out before watering again. If you notice your seedling start leaning towards the light source, that typically means it needs additional light or that the light needs to be closer.
• You should see flowers 6 to 8 weeks after planting your seeds. Tomatoes are self-pollinating, meaning that all the necessary pollen to create a tomato is stored in a single flower. Remember to give the flowers a tap on top. This is also a great time to fertilize your plants with some extra compost or worm castings.
• After 6 to 8 weeks, you should start getting your first ripe tomatoes!
Farmers markets, gardeners markets, and plant-related events are always a great source of information about locally grown seeds.
Here are a few more:
flagstafffoodlink.com/seed-sharing-libraries
gardensforhumanity.org/event/verde-valley-seed-library
prescottlibrary.info/books-movies-and-more/library-of-things/seed-library
