Let's Talk About Heirloom Tomatoes

I've grown Mortgage Lifter a couple times. I don't get very many tomatoes off of them and they were actually not that big. I'm giving them a try one last time this year to see if they deserve to take up any space in my garden anymore.
 
On the picture thread @so lucky , you said you have fond memories of Yellow Pear. So do I and so does DW.

My fondness is tempered by 4 years of trying to grow them for DW, however. The 4th year, I'm not sure that there was a single one that didn't split! Tomatoes are prone to splitting in my garden. YP had real problems.

Enter little ILDI. Ildi is classified as a yellow grape but it has an odd habit of having about 30% of its fruit show up pear-shaped. The plants are much smaller and earlier than YP. The fruit seldom splits and the small plants are absolutely loaded with fruit.

For me, this experience was an example of how messing around with heirlooms can lead to success.

Steve :)
 
digitS' said:
On the picture thread @so lucky , you said you have fond memories of Yellow Pear. So do I and so does DW.

My fondness is tempered by 4 years of trying to grow them for DW, however. The 4th year, I'm not sure that there was a single one that didn't split! Tomatoes are prone to splitting in my garden. YP had real problems.

Enter little ILDI. Ildi is classified as a yellow grape but it has an odd habit of having about 30% of its fruit show up pear-shaped. The plants are much smaller and earlier than YP. The fruit seldom splits and the small plants are absolutely loaded with fruit.

For me, this experience was an example of how messing around with heirlooms can lead to success.

Steve :)
Click to expand...
When I grew Yellow Pear they split horribly for me too! They taste great but you better grab them up before they split.
 
I'm pretty sure splitting was not an issue 50 years ago or more, when the memories were made. So I wonder what changed. Weather? The genes of the plant itself? Soil conditions?
Maybe I'll try that Ildi next season.
 
Oh, I think it could be the garden environment, @so lucky .

The rapid draining garden soil, humidity falling to 20% on summer afternoons ... and here's a big one: running overhead water on the plants twice a week.

There may be infrequent rainstorms but turning that irrigation valve on and having the sprinklers splash water all over those tomatoes - I think that would test a tomato skin. By the way, I'm not at all convinced that it takes a tough skin on a tomato to not split under those conditions. It is probably more important that the skin has flexibility. It is true with all sorts of things in life ...

Steve
 
I had red pear as a mislabeled starter from the nursery. I had some splitting issues but that was because the plants got dry or were watered inconsistently. Mostly late summer when the heat was really drying things up and I'd get busy and forget to water. Plus the garden wasn't in the best location it was backfilled there with crappy dirt and I didn't realize it till it was too late. Very little organic material there I chose it based only on the sun and it was out if the way so it wouldn't get trampled. Plus we had just gotten the keys and I was painting like a madman because the baby was due. We moved, 6 days later there she was. I went no till, make it or don't no special treatment I really didn't have the time.

That was last year but I had issues with cracking & scarring on my Black Krims too. This year I've got more tomatoes & plenty of heirlooms and the gardens in a MUCH better location so we'll see.
 
Tell me I should buy a 4 PAC of Arkansas Travelors for $.25. Getting rid of last of plants.
 
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