Let's Talk About Heirloom Tomatoes

jackb

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Carol Dee

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Carol,
I am growing Mortgage Lifters this year for the first time and I hope they look like yours!!
I hope you enjoy them as much as we have. Our tomatoes got of to a rocky start, weather, then animals. Hopefully 3rd planting is a charm. :fl
 

pjn

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I am growing them for the first time as well. Growing well anxious to see how they taste. Growing Black Krim this time as well. Always fun to try a few new ones
 

hoodat

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Mortgage Lifter is an old standby with lots of taste and lots of tomatoes. Hence the cool name.
Mortgage lifter is a great slicing tomato. They are kind of late starters but the fruit is huge and well shaped for big slices. The flavor is great. My only objection is that the plant gets so huge. It can take over half the garden if you let it.
 

MoonShadows

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ooJust Googled images of the Mortgage Lifer. Look like great slicing tomatoes...I'm think tomato sandwiches!

I'm planting heirlooms for the first time, including Box Car Willies, Brandywines, Old German, Indigo Rose and Rapunzels. Anyone have experience with any of these? I can also chime in during the season to let you know how they are doing.
 

hoodat

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I got some free Reisentraub seeds in one of my orders. I was disappointed in them. The pictures show the whole cluster ripe at the same time like a bunch of grapes (which is what the name translates as) but mine only ripened a few at a time although they did grow in clusters. Picking marble sized fruit one at a time is tedious.
 

digitS'

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BoxCar Willies were toooo late, the year I grew them. They might have been okay, this year. I had several plants and each managed 1 ripe tomato.

Brandywines: The only one I've grown is the red, Brandywine OTV. That's one fine tomato :). Kinda late but real good.

@MoonShadows , I believe Indigo Rose is a new, open-pollinated variety. Oregon State University has done some very special things with tomatoes. However, I don't think I'd ever be able to get DW to even taste one of that color.

Steve
 

HotPepperQueen

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ooJust Googled images of the Mortgage Lifer. Look like great slicing tomatoes...I'm think tomato sandwiches!

I'm planting heirlooms for the first time, including Box Car Willies, Brandywines, Old German, Indigo Rose and Rapunzels. Anyone have experience with any of these? I can also chime in during the season to let you know how they are doing.
Old German are a tried and true favorite for me!
 

MoonShadows

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Glad to hear about the Old German. The Brandywines are red. Not too happy about what you said about the Box Car Willies. I'll have to see how they do for me.
 

so lucky

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I needed to fill in a couple places in my garden, so picked up 4 plants at the farmers market. They had them marked down to half price, so got 4 plants for 2 bucks. Just for grins, I got a black, but don't know which one. Also a purple bumble bee, a Bull's heart, and an orange stripe whose name I can't remember. I hope the open pollinated do better for me than they did last year. My main crop is Big Beef. They are finally starting to look like they are growing.
 
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