Heirloom tomatoes opinions

[Ryan]

My nephew is selling plants for a school fundraiser. Mainly flowers but they do have tomatoes and a few peppers. The heirlooms are sold in 4" pots @$2.50 a plant. 4 varieties, old German, mortgage lifter, Cherokee purple, and San marzano. I see there's a thread on here by Tas that had great reviews for the Cherokee. Anybody try the others? We do some canning, would I be better of just buying the cheaper plants from the store? Or are the flavors better and make it worth it to buy these heirlooms. Only problem is I don't get to pick a set amount of a variety. If they bring 10 of each variety and I'm the last to get mine I could get all the same, mixture, or might not get a variety I want and have to take a different variety. If I order x amount I'll be guaranteed x heirlooms, just the variety won't be guaranteed. If I had my way I'd probably go 6 San marzano, 6 mortgage lifter, 2 old German, and 2 Cherokee. Interested to see what the experts say.

[Ryan]

Would I be disappointed if I got the opposite of what I'd like, 2 mortgage lifters, 2 San marzano, 6 old German, 6 Cherokee. This is what is preventing me from ordering right now.

[jwbtulsa]

I split the difference with you if they have a box of student loan payoffs! San Marzanos are my favorite for sauces. I like the Cherokee as well, mostly because it has a cool name and I live in Oklahoma!

[SMOKE FREAK]

I love the heirlooms but some of them produce only a few tomatoes...Delicious tomatoes... but not enough for my needs...

[barkonbutts]

Those Ch. purple are real real good!! I would get more than 2... just saying... but I get a 3 pack for .99.... a whole trey with about 48 for 14.99.... that is my garden for 14.99....good luck....

[Ryan]

I love the heirlooms but some of them produce only a few tomatoes...Delicious tomatoes... but not enough for my needs...

With some reading that's what I was kind of worried about and why I'd figured I'd ask. Maybe I'll just get 8 and hope to get 2 of each. Then get what I usually get. I was hoping for a replacement for Roma's, them things just don't produce in my garden.

Just went and filled a little bit of the garden. Dam the ground is cold yet. Not sure if I'll plant potatoes yet.

[SMOKE FREAK]

I cant seem to grow Romas that well here...Have grown the San Romano before...Tomatoes were awesome but the plants were weak and struggled in the Kansas summer...

[Slanted88]

i ain't had no luck with em...the hybrids from local 77 hardware do well for us in the alaska grow bucket system...

[Richtee]

San marzano are a GREAT saucer... It’s a variation on the Roma I believe. Since most of my tomato use is sauce... maybe a plant for slicers. But I’m a Beefsteak fan for that.

[Ryan]

The Roma plants do good just the tomato never gets bigger than a cherry tomato. Could be fertilizer issue. I put them in a bad spot last year. Beefsteak and big boys went in where I put cow manure and turned out great. Maybe give them one more try. Going to put some chicken manure out there in a couple weeks. Planted some onions an hour ago. Potatoes sometime this week.

[Ryan]

Update-I forget what I actually got. They didn't have everything they had listed so I filled my order with mortgage lifter, Cherokee purple, and big brandy.

Also picked up at the store some lemon boy, beefsteaky, an old German, and an orange tomato. Think I had 22 plants total. The lemon boy and beefsteak are loaded but not turning colors. Got some good size tomatoes. The big brandy will probably be my best. Got a lot of softball size tomatoes. We've had one and going to have a bunch I'm a week. The Cherokee are decent, had 3 almost ready, picked them cause they were splitting. Ate 2 last night. These are going to be good when ripe. These were almost all meat inside, very few seeds. The mortgage lifters aren't close and not many on. The old German hardly has any on. The orange one had one tomato on and it was rotten. Very disappointed in all my tomatoes, plants are all 6 foot tall and just not much tomatoes. Hopefully I can do some canning this year.

[206]

Pic taken 2 weeks ago (doesn't do them justice) and have been picking a few every day since. These are 5 feet tall.

L to R (Mortgage Lifter, Brandy Wine, German Johnson).

At the time of purchase I didn't know the Mortagage Lifter was created by the other two.

[barkonbutts]

Very disappointed in all my tomatoes, plants are all 6 foot tall and just not much tomatoes. Hopefully I can do some canning this year.

Well let me ask you this.... did you fertilize? Sounds like toooo much nitrogen... if maters get to much of that they will grow like crazy but not produce flowers... I like to use "bloom buster" on my tomatoes the same stuff you put on your flowers out front... I am assuming you have them in full sun right...

[Ryan]

Well let me ask you this.... did you fertilize? Sounds like toooo much nitrogen... if maters get to much of that they will grow like crazy but not produce flowers... I like to use "bloom buster" on my tomatoes the same stuff you put on your flowers out front... I am assuming you have them in full sun right...

Yep full sun, I don't think I fertilized. Usually throw some fresh cattle manure out there. We've had A LOT of rain this summer. Since June 15 we've had 20 inches. Most in 3-4 rains and a very wet spring. I think we had so much rain they put most of there energy into the plant. I've seen that in corn.

[barkonbutts]

Too much rain and maters not a good combo... Hot and humid, not a lot of rain and you be great. Try the bloom booster..