Limbaugh’s Legacy: A Potato Top Tomato
By Michelle Fabio
In an emotional Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, Doug Oster has informed us that the world of tomato gardening has lost one of its best.
Oster had been privileged to know Fred Limbaugh, a gardener who specialized in the “Potato Top” tomato that had been grown in his family for generations, so-named because of its “potato-like foliage.”
Over their eight-year friendship, Oster and Limbaugh walked through Limbaugh’s backyard and talked about his deep love of gardening, the outdoors, and his German shepherds as well as about how life was treating him now that he had reached his eighth decade.
Several years ago, Oster decided to start giving away Potato Top tomato seeds so that Limbaugh’s prized variety would prosper and become more well-known, asking only that recipients send him back seeds at the end of the season to keep the exchange program going. The project grew with each passing year and, indeed, after one growing season, Oster received about 140,000 seeds back through the mail.
You can help keep Limbaugh’s tomato legacy alive by requesting a packet of free Potato Top seeds; send a business-sized (91/2-by-41/2-inch), self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Doug Oster, The Backyard Gardener, Post-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 or stop by the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show through March 16.
For more details on how to acquire your seeds and to read more about Fred Limbaugh and his Potato Top tomatoes, see Doug Oster’s The Backyard Gardener: Gardener’s legacy lives on in plants.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Recently I send a stamped envelope for some tater top tomatoes by way of an article in organic gardening saying I could, no tomato seeds no comments nothing from you people and what happened to my stamped envelope what is the deal with the tomato seeds
July 25th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Hey Tony - I’m a little confused. Where did you send a self-addressed envelope? We don’t have an address listed. We also don’t sell tomato seeds. We just try to help people who love tomatoes as much as we do.
March 30th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Anyone who wants seeds for the Limbaugh Legacy Potato Top Tomato can send an SASE to me to:
Doug Oster
The Backyard Gardener
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
34 Blvd. of the Allies
Pittsburgh, Pa 15222
April 21st, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I sent a self addressed envelope to Doug Oster and waited for a couple of weeks and not seed. I e-mailed him and ask what happened. He promptly sent me some seed at his expense. What happened to my sase? It showed up a few days later with more seed.
April 21st, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I said I sent a sase to Doug Oster and waited for a couple of weeks and no seed so I e-mailed him and he sent me some seed at his expense. What happened to my sase? It showed up a few days later with some more seed. Where can I find a picture of a grown potato top tomato?