Johnny's Artisan Tomatoes - Page 2

Fred Hempel · February 19, 2014

If you are in the Bay Area, we will have Artisan Cherry tomato plants available at our Monday Farm Stand from mid-April until June.

See our blog www.baianicchia.blogspot.com for details.

Fred Hempel · February 27, 2014

We have been getting emails asking which companies are selling bona fide "artisan" tomatoes. I know these issues have been touched on elsewhere, but I am including an email I sent this morning (below), which is a complete answer to the question.

Hi _______,

There are many legitimate places to buy our cherry tomatoes. But we are only working closely with two companies (Johnny's Selected Seeds and AP Whaley Seed).

Johnny's has a contract with us, and we are developing new tomatoes with them. They also pay us royalties, and they have supported our breeding work financially.

Aaron Whaley also has a contract with us, pays us royalties, and has supported our breeding work. He is our collaborating wholesale vendor, and the source of the seed that Totally Tomatoes is selling.

The companies that AP Whaley sells to are definitely selling bona fide seeds, and above the board. They just aren't our "preferred" vendors. It wouldn't be fair to Johnny's for us to advertise equally on our blog for companies that have not done for us the things that Johnny's has done.

Unfortunately there are also a handful of vendors (Daves Garden Seeds on Amazon, and Urban Farmer for example) that are clearly re-selling seed from Johnny's. We know this, because they are selling Lucky Tiger seed, and this variety was only produced by Johnny's, and was never available until this winter. It isn't that big a deal this year, because Johnny's is getting paid for the seed. But, we are applying for a PVP on Lucky Tiger, so if they do this again next year they will clearly be doing so illegally.

On the other hand, any farmer or gardener is free to save and plant seed from any of our varieties (PVP or not). Trading our varieties with friends on Tomatoville is also completely fine, PVP or not.

Cheers,
Fred

Worth1 · February 27, 2014

Fred you are a very generous person.

Thank you.

Worth

nickbolk · February 28, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Hempel

Unfortunately there are also a handful of vendors (Daves Garden Seeds on Amazon, and Urban Farmer for example) that are clearly re-selling seed from Johnny's. We know this, because they are selling Lucky Tiger seed, and this variety was only produced by Johnny's, and was never available until this winter. It isn't that big a deal this year, because Johnny's is getting paid for the seed. But, we are applying for a PVP on Lucky Tiger, so if they do this again next year they will clearly be doing so illegally.

On the other hand, any farmer or gardener is free to save and plant seed from any of our varieties (PVP or not). Trading our varieties with friends on Tomatoville is also completely fine, PVP or not.
[/I]

Protected Varieties need to be identified as such when they are sold- it is the responsibility of the seller to label all packets and bulk seed sales certificates with a disclaimer "Unauthorized propagation prohibited--U.S. protected variety." I guess you will also have to inform people who already have seed when you get your PVP that the variety is now protected, otherwise they have no idea they are selling something protected

Cole_Robbie · February 28, 2014

I took all three Intellectual Property classes at law school, and I had to look up what a PVP was. If a patent was a beer, a PVP would be a light beer. You get some of the protections of a patent, but not all. A lot of fruit trees are patented. Under a patent's more restrictive terms, no propagation is allowed without compensation to the patent holder, even for private home use of the protected variety. From what I read, it is legal to save seed of a PVP variety for your own use, and even give it away in trade. But it may not be sold. There have been a few PVP tomato varieties, but never a patented one. I would guess that a PVP is easier and cheaper to get than a patent. Thank you for mentioning it, Fred, so I could learn something they didn't teach at school.

leecounty · March 6, 2014

Really looking forward to growing these. I was showing the page in Johnny's with all the pictures to my husband, a non-gardener but enjoys eating the produce. He told me to get that catalog away from him because he was getting hungry and it would be a good 4 months before he could eat them! If a picture can make my husband drool, hopefully the real thing will surpass that! =)

Fred Hempel · March 8, 2014

NY Botanical Garden writeup on Johnny's Artisans

http://blogs.nybg.org/plant-talk/201...isan-tomatoes/

Fiishergurl · March 10, 2014

Ok, so I am new to growing tomatoes because I have been traveling a lot on business the last 15 years so couldn't have a garden. But this year I will be home and have already gotten the tomato bug big time. A couple of months ago, I didn't even realize there were so many exciting varieties. Anyways, here is my question... I am in Central Florida in Zone 9B. I am growing everything in Self Watering Containers because we are on the Intracoastal Waterway and the sand/soil is like sand on the beach. The tomato plants we transplanted in early February are doing fabulous and starting to produce fruit and have lots of blooms. Our weather here will get very untomato friendly in June and July due to the heat and daily thunderstorms. I just ordered the Artisan Tomato Collection and I'm dying to get them going. So I'm wondering if I can still try a few now or if it's too late and I should wait to start them in summer for the fall or wait until next winter to start them for next year? My gut says to start a few in summer for the fall and save some to start in Winter for next spring. Just looking for opinions since I am so new to this (and loving it!). Most tomato plants from what I've been told do not set fruit in my area after the end of May, except maybe cherry types.

Ginny

Cole_Robbie · July 13, 2014

I wanted to bump this thread to say I really like the Artisan cherries, and I am definitely going to grow them again next year. Flavor is excellent.

Here are some pics:
http://i.imgur.com/bUnYaJw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2reVVSA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/o12ij7W.jpg

Included with the Artisans in my color mix for market is white cherry, sungold, chang li, and Joe Laurer's Pink German Egg. I should have Black Cherry, too, but only got a couple plants in the ground late.

Fiishergurl · July 13, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I wanted to bump this thread to say I really like the Artisan cherries, and I am definitely going to grow them again next year. Flavor is excellent.

Here are some pics:
http://i.imgur.com/bUnYaJw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2reVVSA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/o12ij7W.jpg

Included with the Artisans in my color mix for market is white cherry, sungold, chang li, and Joe Laurer's Pink German Egg. I should have Black Cherry, too, but only got a couple plants in the ground late.

So cool!! They look awesome and thanks for the update. I started some in late March and pruned them to one stem. Late March is too late to start tomato plants in Central Florida but i was so excited about these i wanted to give it a try. They grew great for a while but just as they were really setting a lot of fruit the diseases started to take hold. But i got to taste a few types of the 7 and saved seeds from all but Lucky Tiger so far. Lucky Tiger didnt ripen as quickly as the others and they have split too bad before they blushed at all. But it is raining here everyday now so thats to be expected. I am growing some for fall and can't wait.

ginny

Fiishergurl · July 13, 2014

Do you have some Juane Flamme in those pictures too?

Ginny

Cole_Robbie · July 13, 2014

Thanks.

No Juane Flamme, but there might be a Violet Jasper in there - they look exactly like a larger Purple Bumble Bee. But the Violet Jasper doesn't taste nearly as good as the Purple Bumble Bee.

The pic at the top has a Dancing With Smurfs at the bottom right, the half-black one. That was a neat variety to grow, they are blue until they ripen, but when ripe they seem like just an unspectacular red cherry.

Sun City Linda · July 14, 2014

I may have to try those! Johnnys has a special of the cherries, the tigers and Blush, I think its just under $15.00 for separate packs of ten seeds each.

Fiishergurl · July 14, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sun City Linda

I may have to try those! Johnnys has a special of the cherries, the tigers and Blush, I think its just under $15.00 for separate packs of ten seeds each.

I bought the variety pack back in March. I love these tomatoes. My favorites are Blush - so pretty and productive and disease resistant. It chugged right along with lots of fruit even though I started it way too late for Florida and only had one stem.

And Purple Bumblebee is my other favorite but it was the first to fall to disease (grey mold) along with all the other plants with Black or Purple in their names.

I can't wait to grow them for real in the Fall here and I'm really impressed that they grew as well as they did when I gave them such a late start and put them out during the height of bug and disease season. If I had planted them out in February instead of May I think I would have had buckets of them.. :-)

Ginny

Fred Hempel · July 17, 2014

We finally have a Green Zebra-type cherry good enough to make our farm's box.

2014 Baia Nicchia Farm cherry tomato flat.

https://www.facebook.com/BaiaNicchia...type=1&theater

February 19, 2014	#16
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	If you are in the Bay Area, we will have Artisan Cherry tomato plants available at our Monday Farm Stand from mid-April until June. See our blog www.baianicchia.blogspot.com for details.

February 27, 2014	#17
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	We have been getting emails asking which companies are selling bona fide "artisan" tomatoes. I know these issues have been touched on elsewhere, but I am including an email I sent this morning (below), which is a complete answer to the question. Hi _______, There are many legitimate places to buy our cherry tomatoes. But we are only working closely with two companies (Johnny's Selected Seeds and AP Whaley Seed). Johnny's has a contract with us, and we are developing new tomatoes with them. They also pay us royalties, and they have supported our breeding work financially. Aaron Whaley also has a contract with us, pays us royalties, and has supported our breeding work. He is our collaborating wholesale vendor, and the source of the seed that Totally Tomatoes is selling. The companies that AP Whaley sells to are definitely selling bona fide seeds, and above the board. They just aren't our "preferred" vendors. It wouldn't be fair to Johnny's for us to advertise equally on our blog for companies that have not done for us the things that Johnny's has done. Unfortunately there are also a handful of vendors (Daves Garden Seeds on Amazon, and Urban Farmer for example) that are clearly re-selling seed from Johnny's. We know this, because they are selling Lucky Tiger seed, and this variety was only produced by Johnny's, and was never available until this winter. It isn't that big a deal this year, because Johnny's is getting paid for the seed. But, we are applying for a PVP on Lucky Tiger, so if they do this again next year they will clearly be doing so illegally. On the other hand, any farmer or gardener is free to save and plant seed from any of our varieties (PVP or not). Trading our varieties with friends on Tomatoville is also completely fine, PVP or not. Cheers, Fred

February 27, 2014	#18
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Fred you are a very generous person. Thank you. Worth

February 28, 2014	#20
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I took all three Intellectual Property classes at law school, and I had to look up what a PVP was. If a patent was a beer, a PVP would be a light beer. You get some of the protections of a patent, but not all. A lot of fruit trees are patented. Under a patent's more restrictive terms, no propagation is allowed without compensation to the patent holder, even for private home use of the protected variety. From what I read, it is legal to save seed of a PVP variety for your own use, and even give it away in trade. But it may not be sold. There have been a few PVP tomato varieties, but never a patented one. I would guess that a PVP is easier and cheaper to get than a patent. Thank you for mentioning it, Fred, so I could learn something they didn't teach at school.

March 6, 2014	#21
leecounty Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: La Crosse, WI Posts: 4	Really looking forward to growing these. I was showing the page in Johnny's with all the pictures to my husband, a non-gardener but enjoys eating the produce. He told me to get that catalog away from him because he was getting hungry and it would be a good 4 months before he could eat them! If a picture can make my husband drool, hopefully the real thing will surpass that! =)

March 8, 2014	#22
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	NY Botanical Garden writeup on Johnny's Artisans http://blogs.nybg.org/plant-talk/201...isan-tomatoes/

March 10, 2014	#23
Fiishergurl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oak Hill, Florida Posts: 1,781	Ok, so I am new to growing tomatoes because I have been traveling a lot on business the last 15 years so couldn't have a garden. But this year I will be home and have already gotten the tomato bug big time. A couple of months ago, I didn't even realize there were so many exciting varieties. Anyways, here is my question... I am in Central Florida in Zone 9B. I am growing everything in Self Watering Containers because we are on the Intracoastal Waterway and the sand/soil is like sand on the beach. The tomato plants we transplanted in early February are doing fabulous and starting to produce fruit and have lots of blooms. Our weather here will get very untomato friendly in June and July due to the heat and daily thunderstorms. I just ordered the Artisan Tomato Collection and I'm dying to get them going. So I'm wondering if I can still try a few now or if it's too late and I should wait to start them in summer for the fall or wait until next winter to start them for next year? My gut says to start a few in summer for the fall and save some to start in Winter for next spring. Just looking for opinions since I am so new to this (and loving it!). Most tomato plants from what I've been told do not set fruit in my area after the end of May, except maybe cherry types. Ginny

July 13, 2014	#24
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I wanted to bump this thread to say I really like the Artisan cherries, and I am definitely going to grow them again next year. Flavor is excellent. Here are some pics: http://i.imgur.com/bUnYaJw.jpg http://i.imgur.com/2reVVSA.jpg http://i.imgur.com/o12ij7W.jpg Included with the Artisans in my color mix for market is white cherry, sungold, chang li, and Joe Laurer's Pink German Egg. I should have Black Cherry, too, but only got a couple plants in the ground late.

July 14, 2014	#28
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	I may have to try those! Johnnys has a special of the cherries, the tigers and Blush, I think its just under $15.00 for separate packs of ten seeds each.

July 17, 2014	#30
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	We finally have a Green Zebra-type cherry good enough to make our farm's box. 2014 Baia Nicchia Farm cherry tomato flat. https://www.facebook.com/BaiaNicchia...type=1&theater