Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Growing Heirlloom Tomatoes

I have become completely infatuated with heirloom vegetables this winter. I had never really gave much thought to them until I received Baker Creek's seed catalog. I was thoroughly engulfed in heirloom madness. I want to grow them all! I suppose I will start small though.

I purchased 16 varieties of heirloom tomatoes over the weekend. Since I am new to heirlooms I wanted to experiment to see which would grow well in my zone 5 Michigan garden. I love experiments that result in delicious tomatoes!

I will purchase more plants as I find them. They are a little difficult to find as they are not commonly grown yet but I think that is all going to change over the next few years.



I bought:
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Brandywine
German Johnson
Mortgage Lifter
Mr. Stripey
Cherokee Purple
Caspian Pink
Arkansas Traveler
Rutgers
Eva Purple Ball
Great White
Black Cherry
Yellow Cherry
Yellow Pear
Black Pineapple
Dr. Wykes Yellow

I will also attempt to harvest seed from the best performers as well. That is the best way to ensure plants that will thrive in my climate for years to come.

14 comments:

Dirt Princess said...

Whoa! Thats a lot of tomatoes girl!!

Becca's Dirt said...

That sounds like a lot of tomatoes. Will you be canning any of them? Can't wait to see your plants and tomatoes. Hope you have a nice day. Becca

Marlos ACE said...

That is A LOT!! Have fun!!!

Randy Emmitt said...

That is some long list, good luck with keeping up with them. Last year we grew Cherokee Purple it is one of the best tasting tomatoes out there. We have two Cherokee Purple plants this year.

ryan said...

Wow, like Dirt Princess said, that's a lot of tomatoes girl. But then, homegrown tomatoes are one of the great joys of summer. Purple cherokee is one of my favorites.

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

Wow, and I thought I had a lot of tomatoes.

Heather said...

Have you already fit it all into your car for the trip home? You better get a bigger car. Heirlooms will be on my list for next year. I can't wait to see your results.

Dave said...

Sounds like a great plan! That catalog is a great one. If I hadn't already ordered seeds from somewhere else before I got my catalog I would have ordered from them. I've planted the Cherokee Purple, Yellow Pear, and Brandywines in the garden already. You should take a look at Marianna's Heirloom Seeds. Her store is here in TN and has a good rep. http://www.mariseeds.com/

Gail said...

Isn't that a great catalog! I could have ordered dozens of seed packets just to order them! Can't wait to see how they look and hear how they tasted...how far away from nashville are you!!! Not too far for a good tomato. gail

Jennifer AKA keewee said...

You are going to be a busy girl.

Unknown said...

Are you planning on canning, freezing, produce standing, or giving away all those tomatoes you'll have in a few weeks?

sweetbay said...

That is a lot of tomatoes! Black Pineapple sounds very intriguing.. I love black tomatoes, they're just not the most disease resistant in NC, sadly. They make an awesome salsa though!

Jeph said...

Aunt Ruby's are GREAT - and MASSSSSIVE!!

Too bad you didn't get any Black Krim - I really recommend those. Hopefully the Cherokee Purple will have a similar taste.

Oh and black cherries - yum!

Man, don't get me started - I LOVE the heirloom tomatoes - so much variety in flavor.

Jane Ellis said...

My fav are the Rutgers tomatoes... so versitile!

also, if you are interested, i recommend The Tomato Stake for supporting your plants.
www.thetomatostake.com

The best way to support your tomato plants is with The Tomato Stake.

www.thetomatostake.com

Easier to use than metal cages or upside down planters, stronger than bamboo and won't rot like wood stakes. The built-in twist-tie supports make tyign very easy!