CORNE DE BOUC TOMATO SEEDS

Solanum lycopersicum

ORGANIC & BIODYNAMIC

An old French heirloom. Long tapered tomatoes, often curved like a goat buck's horn (hence the name). Fruits are solid with very few seeds. Flavor is excellent. Very sweet and rich. Tender fruits make a fantastic silky sauce. Perfect for dried tomatoes.

As is the nature with many rare heirlooms, these plants aren't especially productive, and begin to produce very late in the season, around 90 days after transplanting. Fruits are delicate and do not keep nor transport well, so you are unlikely to ever find them at market. Susceptible to blossom end rot. Take care to amend soils with lots of fish bone meal and azomite. Still very much worth the trouble.

Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last spring frost. Tuck seeds just below the surface of moist soil, pressing to keep seed snug. Mist generously with warm water and cover with plastic to maintain moisture and temperature. Kept warm, between 75°F and 85°F, in bright light, seeds will germinate in a week or so. Prick out seedlings with true leaves to grow on in individual 3" pots in bright light at warm room temperature. Fertlize with dilute fish and/or seaweed extract weekly. Harden off carefully before transplanting into warm garden soil in full sun when all danger of frost has passed. Plant as deep as possible, removing lower leaves if necessary, and mulch generously with grass. Water frequently and fertilize weekly just until established.

Due to the delicate nature of this particular selection, a weekly dose of dilute seaweed emulsion and an occasional top dressing of azomite may be warranted until fruiting begins. Once fruiting commences, withhold all water and fertilizer for best flavor and texture.

Indeterminate vines require a trellis. Corne de Bouc does well here in the Hudson Valley, but gardeners with shorter seasons may not see many, if any, ripe fruits before the first frost.

Packet contains at least 20 seeds.