A time to relish
In 2005, CERES farmers, Matt Danielle and Aidan Quick, were frustrated. They wanted to buy organic heirloom vegetable seedlings but couldn’t find them anywhere.
Sensing an opportunity Matt and Aidan (that’s them above) cleaned out an unused polytunnel in CERES Honey Lane Market Garden and began propagating in earnest.
In its first year CERES Propagation had its setbacks; there were dead seeds, bad potting mix and a tragic crop wipeout after a weekend at Confest during a heatwave.
Things eventually settled into a rhythm; CERES Propagation got certified organic and Matt and Aidan began selling enough seedlings to begin paying themselves.
Right from the beginning their signature seedlings were tomatoes.
At that time when you went to Bunnings or a nursery you could only find a Grosse Lisse, Cherry and maybe if you were lucky a Roma seedling.
For years the nursery industry had been rationalising – fewer varieties meant fewer seedling growers to deal with, less inventory to manage and a more uniform product.
Taste, variety and colour fell by the wayside – efficiency and profit mattered most. Meanwhile dozens of unique tomato varieties were in danger of disappearing.
Inspired by Diggers Seed Club catalogues, Michel and Jude Fanton’s SeedSavers Handook and seed companies like Eden and Greenpatch, Matt and Aidan had a magic tomato forest growing inside their heads ready to burst out.
They didn’t just double or triple Bunnings three-tomato range – they dreamed big from the get-go and grew twenty-five varieties of heirloom tomatoes!
CERES Propagation’s tomatoes were yellow, orange, black, green zebra and tigerella striped. They brought to life forgotten names like Brandywine, Amish Paste, Principe Borghese, Wapsipinicon Peach and best of all they tasted like real tomatoes in so many different and wonderful ways.
At the CERES Nursery gardeners got wind there were new tomato varieties in town and snapped them up like hot cakes.
Extra display shelves were installed and on busy spring days CERES Propagation’s heirloom tomatoes needed restocking several times over.
Today, thanks to so many seedsavers, propagators and small farmers who kept growing them, heirloom tomatoes have made a comeback.
This week in honour of our heirloom heroes we’re sharing some tomato excitement with you.
Throughout this week we’re slipping a packet of heirloom tomato seeds into 100 random Fair Food orders – (plant them now or gift them to a green-thumbed friend).
We’re also running a giveaway of $100 to spend at CERES Nursery Brunswick East where you will find CERES Propagation’s 25 varieties of organic tomatoes and a whole lot more.
Enter by
- Following us on Instagram at @ceresfairfood, @ceresnurserybrunswick and @ceresbrunswick
- Liking the tomato comp post
- Tagging a friend and telling us what you’re sowing this spring!
- Share your story and get a bonus entry
Winner drawn Wednesday 4th October.
Have a great week
Chris
