You Can Keep Your "Heirloom" Tomatoes

[balvenieman]

I live in Florida in U.S.A. In Florida it is summertime and has been since mid-April. Daytime highs (Farenheit) in mid-to-high 80's, overnight lows mid-60's to mid 70's. Leafy cool season crops, save the fall-planted collards that continue to struggle against the near-tropical sun (it's rollin' around Hebbin all day right up there close enough to touch, y'all) are gone, long gone. My late planting of my beloved "Little Marvel" "English" peas is thriving, in full inflorescence and due for its first picking tomorrow, but I know that the peas will be drab and bland simulacrae of their lovingly sweet and flavorful Autumn and Spring brethren. That it is summertime, there is no doubt. The peppers, eggplant, cowpeas, okra, lima beans, summer squash and cukes are thriving. So are my indeterminate tomatoes, including those that had been so brutally retarded by the Garlic Millstone of

2010. The Millstone, btw, is in the fridge en route to the compost. I shall cultivate garlic no more forever. For the semi/il-literate, that's a paraphrase. Google "chief Joseph" or "trail of tears" and all shall be revealed. This year, influenced partly by the unceasing hyperbole issuing from the multitude of politically correct "Save the World" Luddites and Universal Paranoiacs (who, I suspect do not actually garden but just write about it), as well as, partly by the fact that the damned things were just sitting there at Sherwood's, looking all sweet and pretty at a substantially reduced price, I forewent my trusty tried-and-true utterly reliable friend, the former "Burpee's" Big Boy inderminates, in favor of the highly-pimped and faddish "Brandywine" heirloom variety. Mistake. These sonsofbitches have been sitting there, eating my dirt, ever since overnight lows were reliably above 50 degrees (Farenheit, remember?). I could look in my diary for an exact date but really don't care. Neither do you. How did I know that? Those suckers have been in full inflorescence and eating my high-dollar organic amendments since early April. This is nearly mid-May (I was married to "April" and she did; boy, did she. Read for comprehension and you'll get it.): By now, I should be eating tomato sandwiches, provided that I could persuade my mate to leave some fruit on the vines to ripen instead of frying-stewing-pickling them as greenies. But, no-o-o-o: These suckers surely are pretty but they ain't making no 'maters! What blossoms the grasshoppers don't cut off simply fall off. Which leads to further commentary regarding the efficacy of neem oil against the feeding habits of grasshoppers (NOT!) as reported by delusional gardeners and by purveyors of neem oil. In fact, IME, the primary benefit of neem oil seems to be the lining of the pockets of neem oil merchants; but, I digress... At any rate, as of -->today

[phorbin]

The only problem we've ever had with tomatoes comes with the weather.

We grow several varieties of heirloom tomato including Brandywine and in a good season they are all good producers. (zone 5 Ontario Canada).

[David Hare-Scott]

There is a clue in the babbling style of your rant that you are venting your emotions and not likely to make much sense. Another clue is in your complete misunderstanding of the development and origins of hybrids and heirlooms. The clincher is that your standards of logic and testing are really inadequate.

You tell us that you tried one cultivar from one supplier in one location in one season and therefore all heirloom vegetables are obsolete. My kelpie (a type of cattle dog) is smarter than that.

So here is an alternate warning. Gardening requires good observation and judgement and a willingness to try things to see what will succeed in your situation. You are balancing many variables and not all are known or fully understood. If you expect it to be entirely predictable and for every trial to be a success you should try another hobby.

David

[phorbin]

I thought kelpies were sheepdogs.

[Mr.E]

Not so! In the US they are mostly cattle dogs because all the sheep vote...

[Billy]

Right, but EE's in Oz. (not hees and haws;o)

[General Schvantzkoph]

In what state do sheep vote? It's well known that cattle have the vote in Texas as do dead people in Chicago but I've never heard of sheep voting.

[David Hare-Scott]

Both

David

[None4U]

I've had good luck with heirlooms . And I'm a mediocre gardener at best.

[FarmI]

LOL. I read a bit of the brain fart post and then moved right along.

[Gary Woods]

All this is semi-true, but many hybrids were developed for specific uses that have little to do with taste. I'm sorry for your experience with garlic, but that has been hashed over before and dropped for lack of useful information. Many of us do not have the problems that you have had, but hey, that's what makes the world interesting.

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

[Suzanne D.]

I have had much better luck with heirlooms than with hybrids.

--S.

[fsadfa]

heirlooms are way overrated in the taste department too, in my opinion

[Billy]

Taste? Hell, I had the smell of a Striped German insinuate itself into my nose and my consciousness from 10 ft. away, while I as trying to read. Store bought tomatoes, I can put my nose on them, and still can't smell them. Doesn't help sales none either ;O)

[phorbin]

How many heritage tomatoes have you tried?

[phorbin]

Well said... That's been our experience too.

I'm not saying bungalow steve is generalizing from too small a sample (Who knows how many varieties he's tried?) but many people do.

As ugly as it is by today's standards, I just love the Paul Robeson variety.