Tomato Seeds - Heirloom Mix

Grow a colourful, productive vegetable garden with a delicious mix of heirloom tomatoes. This carefully selected blend includes a range of cherry, salad and slicing tomatoes in a variety of colours, shapes, sizes and flavours—perfect for home gardeners who love variety.

Quantity: roughly 20 mixed heirloom tomato seeds per packet. 
Season: Sow from late Winter indoors or in a greenhouse, or in Spring once the risk of frost has passed. Seedlings can be planted outdoors once overnight temperatures remain above 10°C. 
Sow depth: roughly 5mm below the surface. 
Family: Solanaceae
Life Cycle: Annual

How to grow heirloom tomatoes from seed 

Seeds are best started indoors in seed raising trays or small pots before being transplanted into larger containers, raised garden beds or directly into the garden once the weather has warmed.

They grow beautifully in our upcycled seedling plug trays. 

Tomatoes thrive in nutrient-rich, well-draining soil and require at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Taller varieties will need stakes, cages or trellises for support as they grow.

How to sow tomato seeds 

Sow seeds approximately 5mm deep into moist seed raising mix. Growing Healthier Futures seed raising mix is perfect for sowing tomato seeds. 

Keep the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged.

Place seed trays in a warm position between 20–25°C for the fastest germination.

Seeds usually germinate within 7–14 days under warm conditions. Cooler temperatures will slow germination but seeds may still emerge with patience. 

Seedlings will need access to at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day as soon as they have emerged from the soil. Preventing access to sunlight will result in leggy (tall, stretchy and weak) seedlings. 

Once seedlings develop their first set of true leaves, transplant them into larger pots with quality potting mix or compost-rich soil.

When planting into the garden, space plants roughly 50–70cm apart to provide good airflow and reduce the risk of disease.

Feed regularly with compost, worm castings or a quality liquid fertiliser such as diluted worm tea or Growing Healthier Futures liquid plant food throughout the growing season.

Tomato soil and sun requirements

Tomatoes perform best in full sun with fertile, well-draining soil rich in organic matter. 

Before planting, improve heavy or poor soils by mixing through generous amounts of compost and other organic fertilisers like well rotted manure, worm castings and blood and bone. Some fertilisers like manure can be too strong for delicate seedlings, so add to the soil at least a couple of weeks before you're ready to plant your seedlings.  

Tomato seedlings will do best outside if they've been "hardened off", or gradually exposed to the outdoor conditions. You can do this by moving seedlings outside for a few hours a day before you transplant them, increasing the amount of time they spend outside each day. 

Tomato plants can grow new roots from their stems, so plant roots and stems deeply for maximum strength. 

Apply mulch around plants to help retain moisture and reduce weed growth.

Consistent watering is important, especially once plants begin flowering and producing fruit. Avoid allowing the soil to repeatedly dry out and become saturated, as this can contribute to fruit splitting and blossom end rot.

Water the roots (ie the soil), not the plants. Tomato leaves are more prone to fungal diseases if they're frequently exposed to water.

Black Spot is one of the most common fungal diseases in tomato plants, keep a close eye on your plants and at the first sign of black spots on your leaves, remove the affected leaves immediately and wash hands after touching to avoid spreading the black spot to other plants. 

When do heirloom tomatoes produce fruit?

With adequate warmth, sunlight, nutrients and water, most heirloom tomato varieties begin producing fruit around 10–14 weeks after sowing, depending on the variety and growing conditions.

Cherry tomatoes generally mature earlier than larger slicing varieties, so this mixed packet provides a longer harvest period throughout Summer and into Autumn.

How to save tomato seeds

Choose fully ripe (or overripe), healthy tomatoes from your favourite plants.

Scoop the seeds and surrounding gel from the tomato and spread out finely onto a paper towel.

Allow the paper towel, seed and gel to dry completely, waiting at least a week. 

Store dried seeds in a labelled airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place until you're ready to sow them next season. They do not need to be removed from the paper towel, you can plant them with paper towel still attached and it will biodegrade.