Lofthouse Direct-Seeded Tomato

Solanum hybrid

Origin: Paradise, Utah

Improvement status: Evolutionary population

Seeds per packet: ~30

Germination tested 12/25: 97%

Life cycle: Annual

From our friend Joseph Lofthouse, evolutionary plant breeder and barefoot seed steward of high desert Paradise, Utah, the seeds offered here are among the most exciting we've ever had to share. These tomatoes carry Joseph's long-held vision: tomatoes so resilient and abundant that they weave themselves into the living fabric of the ecosystem — thriving without crop protection chemicals, unnecessary labor, or really any outside inputs.

Descended from his Profoundly Promiscuous and Totally Tasty Tomatoes project (a joyful intermingling of three tomato species), this population shows surprising vigor and early maturity. In Joseph’s garden, the direct-seeded plants ripened before the transplants (an indication of how little tomatoes appreciate the shock of being moved). Even with Joseph's very short season, where frosts in June are not unheard of, these tomatoes manage to thrive and produce.

You can expect saladette to medium-sized fruits, mostly in shades of glowing orange, selected for their rich, complex flavor and sunny sweetness. We're excited to see what happens with these promiscuous tomatoes once they leave Paradise and begin flying around the country and the world. Will your garden or farm be the one to add tiger stripes to this direct-seeded population? Or direct-seeded beefsteaks? Or fuzzy peach-skins? Who knows! There's only one way to find out...

GROWING TIPS: Sow seeds directly in the garden about two weeks before your average last frost. Inter-plant with radishes and turnips as nurse companions — they lure flea beetles, buffer frost, and shade out early weeds. Let the strongest plants reseed freely and evolve toward a truly local, self-sufficient tomato.