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The adage “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is a good one to keep in mind if you plan on growing heirloom tomatoes. Some could pass as illicit love children of Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors and the Frankenstein fruit from Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Not that it matters, though: heirloom tomatoes are all about flavour.
Heirlooms are almost entirely self-pollinated, meaning their seed can be kept true and the traits of the fruit can be passed down to successive generations. Although the definition is something of a moving target, it’s generally agreed that heirloom varieties are those that can be shown to have been around for at least 40 to 50 years. Over the course of those generations, errant pollen will occasionally sneak through and a new tomato variety will result. However, as long as seeds from those rogues aren’t collected, the cherished heirloom variety retains its high degree of uniformity—not to mention its reputation and taste. Here’s my advice for cultivating some heirlooms of your own.
Selecting a Plant
Although there are hundreds of tomato varieties to choose from, there are just a few types of tomato plants. Determinate plants are bushy and fairly short; indeterminate plants are tall and require staking; semi-determinates grow upright (like indeterminate ones) but are bushy and sturdy (like determinate varieties). Knowing the difference may help you decide which type is best for your garden.
Care and Maintenance
Choosing Look for stocky, rich-green tomato transplants.
Light Six hours or more of direct sunlight per day will provide the best yield and flavour.
Water Never allow the soil to dry out when the plants are producing fruit.
Soil Tomato plants grow best in light, rich, well-drained soil. For container gardening, always choose a high-quality soilless mix.
Fertilizer You can buy a specialty tomato fertilizer (such as 15-30-30), but I recommend simply adding a pinch of 20-20-20 to the watering can every time. Avoid adding compost and manure that is rich in nitrogen; excessive nitrogen shifts the plants towards leafy growth and away from fruit production.
Gadgets Tomatoes allowed to sprawl are destined to rot. Tomato cages, made of aluminium or galvanized steel, are essential. Try the attractive new spiral supports—they’re almost as sturdy as cages but look less old-fashioned.
Pruning Pruning tomato plants means pinching off the shoots or “suckers” that grow out from the stems, in the joint right above a leaf branch. If you catch them when they have just formed, you can simply rub them out with your thumb. Small suckers can be pinched off with your fingers; use scissors or a clean, sharp knife on larger ones. Prune at least twice a week during peak growing season. Only indeterminate varieties need pruning; if you prune determinate or semi-determinate varieties you’ll end up with stunted plants and very few tomatoes.
Weird Science
The bottoms of heirloom tomatoes can be disease-prone, often flaunting rough, brown patches on the fruit’s base called catfacing that appear two to three weeks before blossoms. But it doesn’t spread to other tomatoes, only a few fruits per plant are affected and those are still edible (although you might want to slice off the ugly bit).
And finally, did you know that tomatoes can be grafted onto potato plants? Both are from the solanaceae family and the two species are highly compatible, making it possible to harvest tubers and tomatoes from the same plant.
SIDEBAR
Red All Over?
Jim Hole’s recommended heirloom tomatoes.
Brandywine (indeterminate)
Why Superb flavour and texture. A pre-1885 heirloom, thought to be Amish.
Fruit Pinkish-red and large.
Maturity 80 to 100 days.
Manitoba (determinate)
Why One of the most common on the Prairies, excellent flavour. Great for
container gardens.
Fruit Bright-red, smooth and firm.
Maturity 65 to 70 days.
Purple Russian (indeterminate)
Why Excellent for salsa and preserving.
Fruit Beautiful, almost mahogany coloured, egg shaped.
Maturity 80 days.
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