We grew our own tomatoes this year. Bit of a learning curve, but they have been awesome...
I was, ‘in the biz’ for 18 years. Managed a store for Seed Savers, then a Garden Center for Jung’s. It took a while, but after years of BEGGING, Heirlooms became pretty commonplace in the commercial world of vegetable seedlings, but if there are specific things you want, you do have to grow from seed.
It’s not hard once you get the hang of it. I’m glad you tried! :)