Connecting with Gardeners from Around the World - Our Conversation About Sending Tomato Seeds Abroad

Gardening is a great way to connect with people from all over the world. Recently, I received some seeds from a friend in Germany and it was an amazing experience. We discussed what varieties of tomatoes to send back and forth between us.

My friend suggested Texas Wild Cherry and Porter, Japanese Pink Cherry, and Rebel Yell. I had only grown Rebel Yell before so that's the one I recommended. My friend then suggested German Queen as well since they may not have access to newer American-made OP tomatoes. We also talked about splitting up MMMM packets and sending Artisan series tomatoes as well as Dwarf Project seeds.

We then discussed what my friend would not have access to in their area. I mentioned Karma Pink and Post Office Spoonful as tough plants with tasty little tomatoes. We also discussed if my friend was a member of TVille and where they lived (southern Germany). It turns out they were already a member here, so we continued our conversation.

I told them I didn't have any Dwarf varieties but thanked them for the seeds anyway. They replied saying I should have looked up the climate summary for their area because I could have sent the wrong tomato varieties. They understood why I wanted to give something back in return for their gift but said sometimes receiving a gift is something we have to understand.

The climate summary showed that the warm season lasts for 3.4 months, from May 30 to September 10, with an average daily high temperature above 66°F. The hottest day of the year is August 4, with an average high of 74°F and low of 55°F - nowhere close to a Texas summer! However, many northern US and Canadian gardeners have sent me seeds that grow well in those conditions which made me realize I may still have some seeds to offer after all.

My friend replied saying it was all ok and they can understand why I wanted to give something back in return for their gift. They also mentioned having 4000 varieties in cultivation but plan on slowing down and dissolving their collection in the future.

It goes without saying that this is an incredible amount of tomato varieties! For comparison, I've only grown around 100 varieties at most throughout my gardening journey. This exchange has been incredibly informative and inspiring - connecting with people from different parts of the world through gardening is truly special.