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Tomatofest Seed Bank Donations

Since the appearance of hybrid tomatoes in the 1950's there has been a substantial loss of heirloom tomato varieties.

Please help to save the remaining rare heirloom tomato varieties from disappearing.

DONATE TODAY To help us save the remaining heirloom tomato varieties.


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TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $50 TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $50

Donations of more than $40 and above will receive four varieties of tomato seeds selected by Gary Ibsen.

Our Price: $50.00
TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $100 TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $100

Donations of more than $40 and above will receive four varieties of tomato seeds selected by Gary Ibsen.

Our Price: $100.00
TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $250 TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $250

Donations of $250 and above will receive Gift Certificate for 10% of the value of the donation for the future purchase of tomato seeds for yourself or another.

Our Price: $250.00
TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $500 TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $500

Donations of $250 and above will receive Gift Certificate for 10% of the value of the donation for the future purchase of tomato seeds for yourself or another.

Our Price: $500.00
TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $1000 TomatoFest Tomato Seed Bank Donation $1000

Donations of $250 and above will receive Gift Certificate for 10% of the value of the donation for the future purchase of tomato seeds for yourself or another.

Our Price: $1,000.00
   
 

Donations of more than $40 and above will receive four varieties of tomato seeds selected by Gary Ibsen.

Donations of $250 and above will receive Gift Certificate for 10% of the value of the donation for the future purchase of tomato seeds for yourself or another.

An "In memory of" donation to the friends or family of a favorite gardener is a fine way to encourage others into preserving the legacy of seed saving with the gift of heirloom tomato seeds.

Donate to Seed Bank
Why we are requesting donation:
For almost twenty years TomatoFest Seeds has made it our mission to collect heirloom and open-pollinated tomato seeds from seed collectors, home gardeners and farmers from around the world in an effort to sustain these valued tomato varieties, to share and enjoy now and protect for future generations.

TomatoFest was among the first American tomato seed sources to be 100% organic from the start, to grow and harvest all their own seeds. We quickly became a popular and dependable source for tomato seeds.

We have grown, harvested and saved seeds each year into our TomatoFest Seed Bank of more than 650 tomato varieties. It costs nearly $800 per variety to contract organic land, grow, harvest, test, evaluate and preserve each variety. In our efforts to recover the costs we've been selling our seeds from our TomatoFest.com store.

However, of all the varieties we harvest each year only 20%, generally the most popular, are sold to offset the costs of growing and harvesting the 100%. The seeds for the 80% balance of the tomato varieties attract little or no sales and revenue and are put into the Seed Bank for future plantings, or donated to more than 250 charitable organizations (school gardens, urban gardens and community gardens) through our TomatoFest Seed Donations Program to encourage the sustainability of these cultivars and nourish the bodies, hearts and souls of many.

We feel obligated to continue sustaining seeds for all of our current tomato varieties plus additional varieties sent to us with the fruit's family or cultural history attached.

Donate to Seed Bank
This provided us a challenging dilemma: considering the increased growing/harvesting costs each year, we have been faced with the necessary business decision to downsize the amount of heirloom tomato varieties we save for our seed bank each year but this action would be contrary to our mission and add to the possible loss of many varieties.

Therefore we decided to ask for donations to help defer our costs in order to maintain and increase the comprehensiveness of our TomatoFest Seed Bank.
Protect the legacy of our heirloom tomatoes for our children's future. Your donation will help us ensure that these precious seeds are preserved for generations to come. Your gift will encourage others toward the practice of seed saving, enjoying these rare tomato varieties and the preservation of the documented heirloom histories.

Please note: TomatoFest is not a non-profit business.

Past Donations Made to TomatoFest Seed Bank

A monetary donation made to maintain the TomatoFest Seed Bank to assist in preserving the biodiversity of rare heirloom tomato varieties.

2017

  • From: Lauren, Laurie and Brooke Zimet
    Seeds Gift directed to: Linda, David Owen and Betsy Schwartz, Suffern, NY
    In Loving memory & Celebration of Dr. Jesse Ellman.
    Jesse enjoyed life as an avid tomato gardener.

2018

  • From: Jo-Ann & Lee Lechner, Long Island, NY
    Seeds Gift directed to: Jacki & Ray Fedynak, Bellmore, NY
    In Loving memory & Celebration of Elaine Agnes Vaccarro.
    Elaine enjoyed the life of a master gardener who loved growing and harvesting her tomatoes and other vegetables. When she was 96 years old she was still starting her tomatoes from her own seeds.
  • Ted Hollen, Sauk Rapids, MN
  • Joanie Newell, Cherry Hill Farm Nursery, Sheridan, OR
  • Matthew Wolverton, Fort Leavenworth, KS