By Bev Johnson 

Master Gardener

Why would you ever plant heirloom tomatoes? They tend to ripen slower than hybrids, they don’t yield as much fruit as hybrids, they are susceptible to every tomato disease around, and, if you aren’t Johnny on the spot with your watering, they will crack, and are often a bit ugly—but the flavor! Most of them have been grown because they have wonderful flavor.

Heirlooms are classified in four ways: Family heirlooms – these are the most common. The seeds have been passed down from one generation or community to the next. Commercial heirlooms—these were the only tomatoes available until after World War two. The plants were grown commercially, seeds were saved and passed on even if the company was no longer in business.  Then there are the created heirlooms – these were created by crossing two or more known hybrids and/or heirlooms. The resulting seeds stay true to type. The oddest are the mystery heirlooms -they are the result of natural crossing of two heirlooms when only one parent is known.

As with any tomato, heirlooms need a steady supply of water. If they get a bit dry, then overwatered, possibly by a heavy rain, they will crack. To prevent many of the tomato diseases that live in the soil, you must mulch them. The easiest and neatest way to do this is to lay 4 to 6 layers of damp newspapers on the soil then top with leaves, untreated grass, hay or straw. This not only protects the plant from sick soil or spores from splashing up against the stem, it also keeps the soil under it cooler and holds any moisture in the soil. If you smoke, wash your hands before you come into the garden, or you may inadvertently spread the tobacco virus to your plants.

Heirlooms are indeterminate. That is, they keep growing vines as long as the weather permits. If you let them sprawl, prune the vines back to a blossom to keep them under control. This is a bit more difficult to do if they are caged. Do make the cages tall.  Here are a few varieties to try:

Black Krim. These come from the isle of Krim in the Black Sea. They are medium/large, maroon with green shoulders. They are naturally salty and suitable for containers. 80 days.

Brandywine. This is an Amish variety that dates back to 1885. She is a large, pink beefsteak fruit with an excellent flavor grown on prolific plants. Other cultivars – Black Brandywine, Pink Brandywine and purple Brandywine share the name, partly due to mislabeling or inadvertent crossing between plants. 90 days.

Caspian Pink is a Russian tomato that was discovered along the Caspian Sea after the Cold War. She is prolific and yields large pink tomatoes with a mild sweet flavor. Unlike most tomatoes, they don’t fall off the vine when ripe. You have to cut them off. Typical stubborn Russians. They do well in cooler climates. 80 days

Hillbilly.  From the hills of West Virginia in the 1880’s. Huge heavily ribbed, orange/red fruit streaked with red. Low acid. When cut, the pretty fruit makes a starburst pattern. 85 days.

Another odd colored tomato is Old Ivory Egg. She was developed in Sweden and looks like a chicken egg. Pale ivory fruit turns creamy yellow as it ripens. Prolific with a mild sweet flavor suited for salads, salsas and sauces. 80 days.

Stupice from the Czech Republic is hardy and cold tolerant. The fruit is small, red, and ripens much faster than most heirlooms – only 52 days. It’s famous for its delicious sweet/acid flavor.

Breeders have been playing with heirloom crosses. One that looks interesting is Genuine. This is a cross of Brandywine with the Italian Costoluto Genovese. The result is a huge, bright red, slightly ribbed, and flavorful fruit.  She ripens in only 72 days. Go wild this spring and plant one of these.