Heirloom tomatoes

[lettuceleaf]

I never knew there were so many varieties of tomatoes. Here's one collectors story.

http://mckarion.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/heirloom-tomatoes-are-a-treasure/

 

[journey11]

Thanks for sharing that link. Such warm memories that story left me with. That sense of connection to the past is the treasure to be found in something so tiny as a tomato seed!

 

[digitS']

Yes! Thank you Lettuceleaf,

I too can identify with Gary. In fact, I had an Uncle Ed and Aunt Essie . They showed me as a young person that the gardening pleasures of a country childhood could be enjoyed in a city backyard.

Uncle Marv went a little farther and showed me how an educated man could still find great pleasure in a large garden. I still grow the heirloom tomato that he saved from my grandmother's garden.

For an American gardener, I have a fairly "tomato-challenged" growing environment. It was once much worse . . . but I moved downhill . Still, most heirlooms with their 80+ days-to-maturity just won't ripen here unless I'm willing to set out 3 month old + plants into the garden or provide some serious protective growing out there during our cool spring months.

It doesn't mean I can't grow heirloom tomatoes, tho', and I treasure the ones that I can grow. Oh yeah, I've got the "high-tech" hybrids that are sterling examples of our plant breeders' art and science. But, I look with fondness at the old-fashioned heritage plants and happily welcome their fruit into my kitchen.

Thank you for posting that link to Marianna's Seeds. I've recently realized that early Mediterranean varieties may be very well suited to my climate. That isn't because I have all this snow and slush outside right now in December but because the weather during July and August is hot and dry. Heirloom tomatoes from Greece, Spain, Italy . . . wow! Who would have thought !!

Steve
who keeps his fingers crossed with a 74 day tomato and trusts an honest 68 day variety.

Another source for ideas and research: Tatiana's TOMATObase - Heritage Tomatoes