Garden Chat with Earl Bassett

 Rounding out my garden chats, I'll introduce Earl Bassett. I think Earl has the biggest number of tomato varieties in his personal seed collection. We'll get to that number a bit later.

I'm going to take a bit of a break with the chats until after I get everything planted out in my garden. In a few days, we'll be hauling in the rest of my soil and seeding those in, along with nasturtiums, etc. I'm also going to need to plant out cucurbits. Of course, we'll need to rabbit proof all this, as well.

So, back to my Q&A with Earl. Earl owns 45th Seeds. Click here to go to his website.

Q: What do you specialize in, as far as gardening?
A: My go to and having a collection of over 5,000 varieties would be tomatoes but I garden to eat so I grow over a dozen things. I sell Egyptian Walking Onions in May and I have many herbs.

Q: When did you first get interested in growing rare and/or obscure heirloom tomato varieties?
A: About 20 years ago after moving to NE Michigan. I started the largest mail seed swap and started the now closed Tomatodepot. Many "old-timers" have passed on this journey, I would love to do a biography on them for you sometime. (That would be interesting! Let's do that sometime, for sure!)

Q: Do you have a personal favorite tomato?
A: Not really, but I have favorite pastes, favorite dark cherries, etc. On average, how many tomato plants do you grow in a year?

Q: Tell me about your mentor. Who are they and why?
A: My parents who always had a garden and Dr. Carolyn Male who always supported me. She was a tomato author.

Q: How many varieties of heirloom tomato seeds do you have for sale currently?
A: 5,000 in select cases...fresh, 50 or so.

Q: What is the name of your Facebook group?
A: Seedy Friends-Tomato Inventories Buying Bartering Selling

**Side note: you can also find Earl in Heirloom Tomato Addicts Anonymous and Sam's Big Tomatoes And Veggie Group. Click here to ask to join. Sam's is an awesome group and tell Shelley hi for me!**

Q: How would people get in touch with you to order?
A: Facebook preferred/Paypal to order.

Q: What is the rarest tomato seed in your collection?
A: Well, many: Livingstons, Canadians from 50's & 60's, Potato Leaved from 100 years back. A couple I saved and got back to farmer's who asked. Dan McMuray stuff, many crosses from friends, discoveries like Earl's Red Beefsteak and one I selected for 12 year-Earl's First Early, Cole is quite rare and a staple for me.

Q: What's the best tomato group on Facebook?
A: No best but several-I really like Sam's Big Tomato and Veggie Group and Seedy Friends-Tomato Inventories Buying Bartering Selling.

(You forgot HTAA...LOL!)

What I didn't mention in this post yet is that Earl is a veteran. This is a subject that I'm pretty vehement about and I will always encourage people to support veteran-owned businesses. Earl has that in common with my husband, Bob. Our country doesn't do enough for those who signed a blank check to our government payable in the amount up to their lives. It takes a strong person to do that and each veteran has nothing but my utmost respect.

I also want to add that Earl grows around 150 varieties of tomatoes each year. Garden goals for me!

Thank you, Earl, for indulging me and my questions. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer them.