Well, I started my Opalkas on Sun. A good week or two later than usual because I was gone on vacation the previous week. They will be a little behind, are a long-season tomato, but I figure I'll have plenty of tomatoes by August.

Purchase a transplant from somewhere to satisfy your tomato cravings until the heirlooms come on.

Better yet, come down to Green Mountain Transplants on Rte. 111 in Arundel (just past the Biddeford line, about a mile south of Home Depot). They have several heirloom seedlings for sale.

Thanks for the tip about GMT veilchen. I'll have to take a trip. Haven't grown tomatoes in a few years so any info is appreciated. The store bought ones no longer appeal to me for selection or taste so I wanted to grow my own. Plan on making sauce with your Opalkas? NancyLouise

Yes, all sauce. They are incredibly sweet and lots of flavor.

Just looking through the GMT catalog: Some of the varieties they have are Black Cherry (65 days), Amish Paste, Brandywine, Black Prince, Green Zebra, Mortgage Lifter, Red Agate, Striped German, Stupice, Thessalonika, along with the usual and not-so-usual hybrids. I think I'll pick up a couple of the smaller varieties and grow in the greenhouse for some early tomatoes while I wait for my Opalkas (which haven't even sprouted yet).