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Artisan Seeds Tomato Variety Showcase -- September 2023 Every Thursday and Sunday in September -- BY APPOINTMENT ONLY Field tours approximately 10AM to Noon.  Individual meetings available in afternoon.   Green Bee Farm, and the Artisan Seeds Variety Showcase is located in Sunol, California.  Approximately 20 minutes northwest of San Jose.   We have decided to dilute visits over the whole month of September (instead of having one or two big events), so that attendees can have our full attention when they visit.  Visits will start September 3rd and continue throughout the month.  Please email fred@growartisan.com to schedule a visit.  Visits must be scheduled at least 3 days in advance.   Tours of the field can be tailored to chefs, growers, gardeners or seed companies.  Please let us know ahead of time what you want to see, and what you want to discuss.   What varieties are growing in Sunol at the variety showcase?   1.  Many of our classic OP varieties.   2.  All of our new "Perf
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Friends and Family round of funding for Artisan Seeds

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Friends and Family round of investment in Artisan Seeds Update August 29th.   The round may close sooner than later.  Most of the shares available are now spoken for.  It is unlikely that shares will still be available near the close... Closes September 30th.  Minimum investment = $10,000 I feel obligated to send this out, so no one feels left out. But I am hesitant to send this out, because over the past 15 years many of my friends and family have already invested generously in my breeding endeavors and farm, while at times the prospects for any return seemed bleak.   Absolutely none of my friends and family should feel any pressure to invest now.  The investment round is already attracting attention via other "friends and family".  We do not anticipate any problems getting what we need this round (hopefully our last round).   Who is "we"?  "We" are Bene Seeds (which was incorporated in 2022).  We are doing business as (dba) Artisan Seeds.   We are myself
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 Growing tomatoes in the San Francisco Bay Area Some things I think are true, most of the time.    1.  The soil is extremely important, and often neglected.  If you are growing in containers, using the best soil money can buy is advised.  Soil aeration is often neglected.  There are two ways to starve your tomato roots of oxygen.  First, if your soil is compacted, there won't be enough good air spaces for oxygen to diffuse into the roots.  Second, if you over water (leaving soil waterlogged) you will fill up the air spaces and starve the roots of oxygen.   2.  Don't over-crowd.  One plant per 10+ gallon container is best.  If you put more plants in a container they will likely just suppress each other.  Over-crowding early in the season also leads to disease.  If you are planting in the ground, you want to give your plants plenty of space.  3 feet clearance from neighbors is good.  But if you plant in a row, you can plant as close as 18 inches, as long as you have wide rows for
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Green Bee Farm is a tomato farm

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At Green Bee Farm we grow tomatoes and a few other things. We are also a site for tomato breeding -- We breed and showcase tomatoes for Artisan Seeds. The purpose of this blog is to provide information about farm events, seedling and produce availability, and general farm happenings.
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