Anh, I did some Googling about this Selke biodynamic tomato seed this AM and I wondered why you were interested in it b'c I don't see it as being anything special.

My first clue was when the first page of the Google results came up with every single link to this place in PA.

The major claim is that the "seeds and plants of this unusual species contains forces evoking the cosmic sphere of sunlit clouds, air and wind." And that's the explanation for the large cherry tomato plant shown, when grown biodynamically.

Lots of claims are made, but the one that bothered me is that it was said that the concept of biodymanic farming was brought to the US by a certain person who was a student of Rudolf Steiner in Germany. While Steiner didn't come to the US himself many of his followers did and all over the US there are followers and centers where not just Steiner's farming techniques are used, but also educational centers where his ideas about childhood education are used and one of thise centers is quite near me.

I know a lot about Steiner and his biodymanic way of growing things b'c one of the gardens I used to use belonged to the son of a man who was from Germany and Steve continued using his father's method of Steiner's biodynamic farming after his father passed on.

Now what's meant by that is that you feed the soil with lots of compost and use no inorganic fertilizers and with time you improve the soil and the inhabitants of the soil such as the microbes and other soil dwelling organisms.

There's nothing special about the seeds, rather, it's the way that plants are grown that makes for good gardening and I suppose that the seeds saved from thos plants could be called biodynamic seeds.

And if that's the case then I have quite a few biodynamic seeds for some varieties out in the backroom where I keep my tomato stuff and actually I have one envelope labelled Steve's Cherry, which turned out to be a volunteer plant and the variety I named for Steve which pleased him greatly.

And for three years I germinated my own seeds, raised my own plants and set them out in Steve's garden. And there were times when I grew the same varieties at Steve's garden as well as at my farmer friend's fields, where Charlie used inorgainc fertilizers and the conventional ways that most commercial farmers use.

I could see no difference at all in the same varieties grown at both places in the same season.

What this is all about is a way of thinking that goes back to Rudolf Steiner, whom I do respect for some of his other writings, as well as the whole Anthropomorphic movement, and that's fine as well.

But I bet that if you and others also followed the precepts of what's called biodynamic gardening, which is a name that most of us would associate with organic gardening, you'd get the same results.

That's the way I see it, and in one of the other many links via Google one can order a FREE pack of seeds for JUST $2 shipping and handling. if I were to send a pack of tomato seeds to someone here in the US it would cost me 42 cents plus the cost of the envelope and the cost of the #1 coin envelope I use for seeds and maybe that would up the total cost to 45-50 cents.

I remain cautious and just a bit wary.

The above are my explanations. opinions, and experience having grown tomato plants in a garden that's been maintained as a biodynamic, aka "organic" garden for many decades and also saved seeds from those organically grown plants.

I hope the above helps.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Biodynamic Seeds

Anh, I forgot something very very important, and that's that since last Fall Australia has a complete ban on importation of tomato seeds into Australia.

Without checking I think that large commercial shipments of tomato seeds are allowed in but only if accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate saying the seeds are free of this and that, including the viroid I refer to below, but the cost of those certificates is prohibitive for hobby gardeners and places that do the testing are not widely available.

The ban is b'c of the appearance of Potato Spindle Viroid, which also affects tomatoes.

Since some of the Selke links at Google are dated way before last Fall, that can't be the reason that they won't ship outside the US.

AndI think I do know why even back then they weren't shipping seeds outside the country and pardon me here, but it would cut into the profit they make just charging the $2 shipping and handling for FREE seeds. Sigh.

Carolyn

Hello Carolyn,

Wow....thank you very much for your informative reply.

Thanks.

Anh

Carolyn,

I thank you. This post called out to me and I thought I must have that rare family heirloom tomato from PA. It's what I figured it was years ago when I first heard of it. There are very few Selkes in TX.

Ken