Italian tomatoes are globally known for flavour.Many of the Franchi varieties have been grown by the same family in their home region for generations from original seed.Each Italian tomato has its own reason for being- making passata (puree) baking,roasting,drying,sauces and for slicing.

Will they grow here in New Zealand?

Terroir is a very simple but powerful concept,whereby the climate,soil and plant interact to produce an expression of that interaction. Great examples of terroir expression can be found in cheese,coffee and wine.The Franchi  Beeline and Seedyworks tomato seed on offer are defined by variety and regional origins so select a variety best suited to your useage and province in New Zealand. 

There are two types of tomato. Indeterminate (cordon) and determinate(bush)Indeterminate will need to have their 45˚side shoots removed and the top shoot too,while bush (determinate) variety doesn't.There are more cordon varieties than bush and the bush do tend to be smaller varieties,although in gardening there always is an exception.

   Whilst many varieties are available to us we try and choose for suitabilty to the varying terroir of New Zealand. Franchi Sementi are genuine Italian heirloom All packets have 100's of seeds. All are untreated and GE free. All have great depth of flavour and texture. 

The Beeline and Seedyworks on offer are also ancient Italian seed. Hand -sorted and packed from a reliable local producer.