Posted on 03 May 2009 by tomatocasual.com
By Vanessa Richins
I was puzzled by an article I came across from Scientific American called, “How to Grow a Better Tomato: The Case against Heirloom Tomatoes”.
The article asserts that because of breeding over time, “Heirlooms are the tomato equivalent of the pug—that “purebred” dog with the convoluted nose that snorts and hacks when it tries to catch a breath,” and calls them “feeble and inbred.”
It claims that over time, humans have bred out disease resistance in the quest for bigger and better tasting heirloom tomatoes. They also assert that the flavor comes because heirlooms sometimes only produce 2 tomatoes, which naturally means that those two will have more flavor and size than a hybrid producing many fruits.
While there may be Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 01 April 2009 by tomatocasual.com
By Vanessa Richins
When you see tomatoes in the store, they are usually red and round.
When you really start to explore the world of all things tomato, however, you will come to realize it’s a complex subject.
For example, did you know that tomatoes can be:
-White
-Yellow
-Gold
-Pink
-Red Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 06 March 2009 by tomatocasual.com
By Michelle Fabio
According to Gary Ibsen of TomatoFest, black tomatoes are again some of the most popular heirloom tomatoes for 2009.
Of the Top 10 most popular heirloom tomatoes, four are black–which aren’t actually black but various dark colors from deep purple to mahogany.
Black heirloom tomatoes have been gaining in popularity for the last six years and saw their best year in 2008.
Originally from the southern Ukraine, they can now be found all over the world and are especially desired among tomato growers in the United States.
Sweeter bi-colored tomatoes and various colored cherry Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 24 February 2009 by tomatocasual.com
By Vanessa Richins
Keith Amelung, a landscaper by profession, started a heirloom tomato business after a hobby turned out to be profitable.
As the Boerne Star reports, “I wanted to go on a trip to Hawaii,” he said, “and I needed $1,000.
So I thought I’d do something organic, eclectic, at the Cibolo Nature Center (Mostly Native Plant) sale.
I planted 1,000 heirloom tomato seeds and sold the plants for Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 04 February 2009 by tomatocasual.com
By Vanessa Richins
I was planning to start a garden in the spring.
There would be sections where people could rent a plot to grow fresh vegetables.
There would be other areas where the vegetables produced would be given to food banks or sold at a farmer’s market. A children’s garden . . . the works.
A friend wanted to do the same sort of project, and it turned out she had permission to use a 6 acre plot of land. It was perfect!
As I have been waiting for spring to come, I find myself growing more impatient. I’ve dreamed of what I wanted to plant, and tomatoes were tops.
I came across an ad on eBay that made my eyes light up. For the low price of $8.50 shipped, I could get 1000+ heirloom tomato seeds in 60 varieties. The one catch was Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 21 January 2009 by tomatocasual.com
By Vanessa Richins
As anyone who visits Tomato Casual on a regular basis knows, we are very fond of the heirloom tomatoes.
These old-time beauties bring amazing colors and tastes that you simply won’t find in hybrid tomatoes.
Planting them also helps preserve tomato variety diversity and heritage.
However, one of the problems inherent in heirloom tomatoes is that they can be very susceptible to tomato diseases such as Verticillium wilt and tobacco mosaic virus. This is one of the main reasons that people choose to grow hybrid tomatoes.
However, did you know you can have the best of both worlds? All you have to do is graft your tomatoes. Use a hybrid rootstock to give heirloom tomatoes disease resistance.
A recent study confirmed that Read the rest of this entry »
