Let's Talk About Heirloom Tomatoes

[aftermidnight]

This year I'm only growing a few hoping for a better year then last year, we only ended up with a couple ripened on the vine, terrible year for tomatoes here.
Of course I have a couple of Cherokee Purples in (still my fav.), Goldman's Italian American (slices with pleated edges look so pretty on a plate), Rio Fuego (this is the one I like for Greek salads as it's has a pretty good flavor and firm flesh. Mrs. Schlaubaugh's Famous Strawberry ( from Remy's website, "This pink heart was the Best tomato winner of tthe2015.Buffalo~Niagara Tomato TasteFest.") didn't get a ripe one last year.
Also have a couple of cherries in,
Cheerio, Cherokee Green Grape, yellow pear and Black Opal, skipped Indigo Rose as it's very late here.
Hope our summer is better, spring has been cooler than usual and very, very, wet. Only time will tell.

Annette

 

[catjac1975]

I have grown fewer heirlooms since Massachusetts had a tomato blight one year about 5 years ago. I grow some but there are so many disease resistant delicious tomatoes out there. The year of the blight yields were poor. The tomatoes that came thought it were the Roma types.

 

[Beekissed]

Last year was the first blight we'd ever seen in one of our gardens and it went through all things~tomatoes, potatoes, beans, squash, etc. But our producers for the year were still Brandywine, Mr. Stripey, Big Rainbow and Pruden's Purple last year~it produced well a could be expected, considering the blight, but the skins split and fruit started rotting before they even ripened fully, so won't plant that one again.


Pruden's purple..you can see the deep splits in these, which attracted gnats and started to rot along the split.

I had tried trimming the blighted branches off at first, but realized I'd have completely bare plants if I continued, so I just stopped and let them be.

Prudens Purple next to Brandywines, Big Rainbows and Mr. Stripey...

Mr. Stripey!

 

[digitS']

Once again, I have no new-to-me tomatoes in the garden. I get jazzed up mostly by looking at the Tomatofest online catalog during the off-season. If I don't order from Tomatofest, it's the same-old, same-old 20 or so.

Except it isn't quite . I've got some grow-outs. By definition, they may be open-pollinated but they aren't heirlooms. Some are stabilized varieties like Gary O Sena. I've been saving seed from that one through 5 or 6 generations. Last year, I was wondering if they were losing some of their characteristics, like dark shoulders. Without many plants to choose from, it's probably best for me to get seed now and then from a reputable dealer - like Tomatofest !

I don't think I have a favorite cherry heirloom. Some of the hybrid cherries just seem to hit the right note with me! The exception might be Coyote. I think that this will be the 4th year to have that Mexican heirloom in my garden. It's so very different that I don't hardly know what I think of it! "Tomato-like" flavor ... or, a "very pronounced" tomato flavor ... maybe, my taster is off from eating too many modern types.

I have my favorite of the larger heirlooms. Oddly, one of them I'm not growing this year. Bloody Butcher's offspring is represented by 4 plants from a cross. I wish I'd planted some proper BB seed.

Thessaloniki is close to a bullet-proof variety for production and good-looking fruit in my garden. By good-looking I mean, it almost never splits.

Steve, happy tomato grower

 

[thejenx]

Just found this thread and thought it was worthy of waking from the dead.

I Agree with that! I will post my tomatoes for this year later today.

 

[thejenx]

I had around 30 different tomatoes spread over 40 plants in the greenhouse and then a few outside. Was the first year I had any luck growing them outdoors.

Ananas Noir, a keeper because of the taste.

I think this is Hillbilly Potatoe Leaf, not sure though... either way great tasting tomato so need more than the one plant I had in 2018.

Turks Muts, did really well for me last year. Great taste too!

Cow's Tit, yup got this mostly for the name and the shape.

Can't wait for summer!

 

[thistlebloom]

Those are beautiful tomato pictures @thejenx .
Very artistic.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I grew Hillbilly a couple of times. How could I pass up that name. I agree the taste was great and the coloring was interesting but it just wasn't that productive where I was.

 

[thejenx]

My Hillbilly was not productive either, that is a shame but still worth it.

 

[thistlebloom]

@thejenx , what is your growing season like?
Are you able to get tomatoes to maturity easily before your first frost? Hot summers?