Traverse Northern Michigan, April 2024

Few things in life are sweeter than the flavorful pop of a cherry tomato fresh off the vine. For variety and heirloom goodness, you can’t beat starting your own seedlings. Farmer Andrea Bushre of NanBop Farm shares the scoop on hard-to-find seeds for growing life-changing tomatoes.

You’ll want to begin planting seedlings indoors in April so they’ll be developed enough to harden off and plant outside after the threat of frost.

1. Sungold: “This is the sweetest cherry tomato you’ll find.”

2. Sakura: “A traditional red cherry but bred to have extreme disease resistance. I like this variety because it is a heavy producer and tastes wonderful.”

3. Black Cherry: “Unique flavor compared to traditional cherry tomato varieties. Yields great but tricky to harvest. Due to the natural coloration, it can be hard to tell when they’re ripe.”