TOMATO Seeds - "Super Sioux "HEIRLOOM Vegetable

TOMATO Seeds - "Super Sioux" HEIRLOOM Vegetable is a versatile choice for any dish, from sandwiches and salads to grilling. Its rich heritage and flavor make it a must-have for any gardening enthusiast or culinary expert. !
Super Sioux tomato plants are indeterminate.
Growing your own vegetables can be fun and rewarding, bringing you a freshly picked harvest with little expense and only modest effort. Tomatoes, a top pick for their superior taste, noticeably enhance in flavor as they reach full maturity on the vine. "Super Sioux" heirloom tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum "Super Sioux") are known for their exceptional taste profile.
Super Sioux
The University of Nebraska developed and released a tomato plant called Sioux in 1944, the progenitor of the cultivar "Super Sioux," which was developed later by selecting plants that produced extra-large fruit. The plant grows as a vine, which is the typical growth habit of tomatoes. This variety is classified as an indeterminate plant because the vine continues getting taller as the season progresses, unlike determinate types that reach a particular height and then stop growing. "Super Sioux" produces its first ripe tomatoes about 70 days after planting, and continues yielding fruit throughout the summer and into early fall.
Fruits
"Super Sioux" tomatoes are bright red in color, usually between 2 and 4 inches in diameter and weigh 4 to 6 ounces each. The fruits have smooth skin and are thick-walled, with relatively small seed cavities. Their flavor is typical of an old-fashioned tomato, with sweetness mixed with an acidic "bite." They are versatile fruits and useful for fresh slicing, canning or making tomato sauce. Unlike some varieties, "Super Sioux" tolerates summer heat especially well, setting fruit even in extended dry spells. Their fruits also rarely crack during periods of uneven moisture, which is a common problem for some tomato cultivars.
Planting
You can start "Super Sioux" tomato plants indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date, sowing 1 or 2 seeds in each peat pot or planting cell. Use sterile potting soil or a soil-less mix to minimize damping off, a fungal problem in young seedlings. In warm areas, you can direct-sow seeds once temperatures remain above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, choosing a site that receives full sun for most of the day. Plant seeds or seedlings 18 to 30 inches apart, in rows 3 or 4 feet apart. Plant seedlings deeply, since extra roots will develop on stems that are below the soil line. Adding calcium to each planting hole in the form of 1 tablespoon of ground lime, oyster shells or crushed eggshells can help prevent blossom end rot, a problem that delays fruit production.
Other Care
"Super Sioux" tomato plants do best with regular moisture, especially during the first few weeks after planting. Feeding the plants can also boost their growth and fruit production. Use a balanced, 10-10-10 formula diluted at the rate of 1/4 teaspoon per gallon every 3 or 4 weeks. Because they are tall, indeterminate plants, this variety needs a sturdy stake or a tomato cage for support. In late summer, you can cut back the top of the plant to help funnel its remaining energy into fruit production. Like all tomato plants, this variety grows as an annual but, because it's an open-pollinated heirloom, saving seeds and planting them the next spring will produce new "Super Sioux" plants.
HARVESTING
Fruit that is fully ripened on the vine has a much fuller flavor than fruits that are picked early and then allowed to ripen. Many cherry tomatoes, however, have a tendency to crack if they stay on the plant, so they should be picked at the peak of redness, or even a tad before.
Watch the bottoms carefully; that's where tomatoes start to ripen. Some varieties, primarily large heirloom types, ripen before they reach full color. Pick tomatoes when the skin still looks smooth and waxy, even if the top hasn't turned its mature color (whether red, purple, pink or golden yellow).
Cut off the top of the plant, or remove all new flower clusters about a month before the first expected frost. That way, you'll direct the plant's energy into ripening existing tomatoes rather than producing new ones that won't have time to mature.
When daytime fall temperatures are consistently below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, fruit will no longer ripen on the vine, so it is time to bring all mature green fruits indoors, either on the vine or off.
SAVING SEEDS
Saving tomato seeds is a fairly simple process. Every tomato seed is covered in a gelatinous sack which contains chemicals that inhibit seed germination. This prevents the seeds from sprouting whilst inside the tomato fruit. In nature the fruit drops from the plant and slowly rots away on the ground. This is the natural fermentation process and it is during this that the gelatinous sacks are destroyed. To save tomato seeds yourself you need to duplicate the fermentation process. This will not only remove the gelatinous sack but also kills any seed borne tomato diseases.
Firstly cut the tomato fruits across the middle and then squeeze the tomato seeds and the gel into a container, making sure that you label the container with the tomato variety. The container of tomato seeds then needs to be put to one side to ferment for about three days. During this time the container of seeds will smell horrible and will go moldy. When the mold has covered the top of the container add water and stir the mixture. The good seeds will sink to the bottom of the container and the mold and hollow seeds can then be poured off. Add more water and continue the progress until only clean seeds remain. You can also put the mold and seeds into a sieve and wash under running water until just the clean seeds remain.
Next spread out the seeds on a glass or ceramic plate to dry, which can take about 12 days, making sure that you label the plate with the tomato variety. The dried seeds can then be put into a labelled envelope. Saved seeds should store for 5 - 10 years if kept in the right conditions

The dried seeds can then be put into a labelled envelope. Saved seeds should store for 5 - 10 years if kept in the right conditions.

The dried seeds can then be put into a labelled envelope. Saved seeds should store for 5 - 10 years if kept in the right conditions.