September Garden Science: Meet Our Tomato + Basil Lineup
September is officially Tomato + Basil month at Casa Feliz Schoolhouse, and after looking at growing time, disease resistance, flavor, variety, and what would make the most interesting learning experience for the children, our seed selections are final!
One thing I especially wanted this month was to give our young gardeners a choice. Although everyone will be studying the same plant families and concepts, each child can select the variety that interests them most.
The Tomato Choices
Jasper F1 Organic Cherry Tomato
For the child who wants lots of little tomatoes!
Jasper is an organic hybrid cherry tomato with approximately 60 days to maturity. Because cherry tomatoes grow in clusters and continue producing, this variety gives us a wonderful opportunity to observe flowering, fruit development, ripening, and harvesting over time.
Why I chose it:
Fast-growing • Kid-friendly cherry size • Productive • Organic • Great for observing fruit development
Defiant PhR F1 Organic Tomato
For the child who wants to grow a larger, traditional tomato.
Defiant is an organic hybrid determinate tomato with approximately 65 days to maturity. One of the biggest reasons I selected this variety is its strong disease-resistance package—an especially valuable characteristic when growing tomatoes in our warm, humid South Florida climate.
It will also introduce some great new vocabulary: hybrid, F1, determinate, disease resistance, and blight.
Why I chose it:
Organic • Disease resistant • Determinate growth • Larger fruit • Excellent real-world garden science
The Basil Choices
Prospera Compact DMR F1 Organic Basil
Our classic basil option!
Prospera is a compact Genovese-type basil bred with downy mildew resistance and reaches approximately 16–18 inches tall. Downy mildew can be a major challenge for basil in warm, humid climates, which makes this variety particularly interesting for our students.
Why I chose it:
Organic • Disease resistant • Compact • Classic basil • Well suited to our growing conditions
Lemon + Cinnamon Bouquet Basil Mix
For the child who wants something a little different!
This mix combines lemon basil and cinnamon basil, giving students the opportunity to explore fragrance and plant characteristics using more than just their eyes.
Children can rub a leaf gently between their fingers, smell it, compare plants, and eventually discover how different varieties of the same herb can have noticeably different scents and flavors.
Why I chose it:
Wonderful sensory experience • Two unique basil types • Fragrant • Great for comparing plant traits
Their Garden, Their Choice
Each child will choose one tomato and one basil to grow:
Tomato: Jasper Cherry or Defiant
Basil: Prospera or Lemon + Cinnamon Bouquet
Throughout our four weeks together, we'll germinate seeds, observe roots and leaves, measure growth, record observations in our Garden Science journal, learn plant vocabulary, and care for our seedlings as they develop.
I intentionally selected varieties that allow us to compare cherry vs. larger tomatoes, determinate vs. indeterminate growth, classic vs. specialty basil, disease resistance, hybrids, fragrance, flavor, and more.
The goal isn't simply to send each child home with two plants.
It's to help them understand why we choose certain plants, how varieties can differ, and what plants need to successfully grow from a tiny seed into something they can eventually harvest and eat.
I can't wait to see what everyone chooses!
