The Mortgage Lifter Tomato that Saved My Summer
By Michael Nolan
When the summer started I moved to a home on the other side of town away from all of my precious seed-started vegetable plants that included thirteen heirloom tomato plants.
It took a while to adjust to my new surroundings that were veggie-free when on a last-minute trip to a local nursery I realized my summer gardening season may not be a complete loss.
A very sweet lady who works there recognized my sadness when I explained my situation to her as I perused row after row of azaleas.
She took me by the hand and led me to a far corner of the grounds where she pointed to a large wagon overflowing with plants that had been neglected.
“Whatever you want, you can have. We’ll throw them away tomorrow.”
Still a bit dejected by the loss of my plants and knowing that the season was getting away from me, I initially refused until she picked up two sad looking anemic and leggy little tomato plants and put them in my hands.
“These seem like just what you need.” She told me.
When I looked at the tag on the dry container, a tear started in my eye when I read the words aloud – Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato. How could she have known?
You may or may not recall when I wrote here a few months back about the story of Radiator Charlie and the Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato he created, but it was by far my favorite of the heirlooms I’d read about.
It took weeks of careful tending but the two plants finally produced. The tomato pictured here was the first on the plant and the photo was taken on October 10th. You might not be able to tell but that single tomato currently weighs in at 3.12 pounds (which incidentally is more than my 5 week old Jack Russell terrier weighs).
It is late in the season and I have yet to see any hint of pink on these tomatoes but there is still time here in the South and I have faith that the 30+ tomatoes on these two plants right now will begin to turn soon.
