One Seed One Community
Grow, Share, Connect and save a rare tomato
Join in a community wide project to grow the Pink Bumblebee Tomato. The Pink Bumblebee Tomato won the community tomato tasting contest last summer at the Bega Produce Markets and we want your help to increase seed stock to share with other seed saving groups around the country.
How it works
- Collect your free seedlings and grow guide at any Bega Valley Shire Library branch between Monday 27 October to Saturday 1 November. Or until they are all gone.
- Plant your tomato seedlings. Grow and harvest your tomatos. Eat some and save some.
- Come along to one of the optional free workshops in February to learn how to process, dry and save your own tomato seeds.
- Drop your saved seeds back at the library.
About the Pink Bumblebee Tomatoes
Pink Bumblebee tomatoes are an open-pollinated variety with pretty stripes and a great taste. They won the Tomato Taste competition in Bega this year. They are small, about 2 to 4 cm, oblong tomatoes. Their flavour is sweet and fruity. Pink Bumblebee are excellent for slicing into salads if they make it into the kitchen! They are also great as a garden snack.
The Pink Bumblebee tomatoes will fruit prolifically. They are best with some kind of support, such as being tied up to a stake. They will grow about 1.5m tall and need a space about 60cm wide. Tomatoes need a sunny spot and plenty of air movement to do their best. Build up the soil before planting tomatoes. But don't overfeed tomatoes as they'll grow lots of sappy stems and leaves rather than producing fruit. Soft sappy growth is also more prone to disease. Compost or fertiliser at planting time and lots of mulch are all they need to perform well for you. Keep them well watered particularly over the heat of summer.
We expect the plants given out late October to have ripe fruit by the second half of January or early Feb at the latest. They'll be coming on as people's early tomatoes are starting to slow down. This variety copes with cooler night temperature so will keep going quite late in the season.
Growing Guide
Pink Bumblebee tomatoes are an open-pollinated variety with pretty stripes and a great taste. They are excellent for slicing into salads if they make it into the kitchen! They are also great as a garden snack.
Planting
When : Plant your seedlings as soon as you can. Generally, tomatoes can be planted when there is no risk of frost and the soil has warmed up. Avoid planting in the heat of the day.
Where: You can plant in the ground or in pots. They are best with some kind of support, such as being tied up to a stake. Tomatoes need a sunny spot and plenty of air movement to do their best. Build up the soil with compost before planting tomatoes.
Spacing: They will grow about 1.5m tall and need a space about 60cm wide.
Caring for your tomatos
Water: Keep them well watered particularly over the heat of summer.
Fertiliser: Don’t overfeed tomatoes as they'll grow lots of sappy stems and leaves rather than producing fruit. Compost or fertiliser at planting time and lots of mulch are all they need to perform well for you.
Harvest: Tomatoes planted in late October should have ripe fruit by the second half of January or early Feb. This variety copes with cooler night temperature so will keep going quite late in the season.
Seed Saving
Aim to save the seed from a hand full of tomatoes.
Hurray, You did it!
Thank you for helping to grow the Pink Bumble Bee Tomato.