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What’s an Heirloom?
Modern supermarket “hybrids,” are bred for their long shelf-life, but
classic “heirloom” varieties are picked for their superior flavors.  There
are hundreds of varieties of heirlooms that gardeners around the world
have carefully selected and preserved for generations, so you’ll find
much more than just red
tomatoes – you’ll
discover green,
yellow,
orange,
purple,
and even black
ones (man say these tastes best). Some will be sweet, some spicy and
others smokey; they’ll range in size from tiny cherries to giant fruit
that weigh over two pounds. | |
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| | | How Do I Pick?
 With so many heirloom varieties,
nurseries and chain stores are only able to carry a limited selection,
so small gardeners have been stuck with just a few options. Recently
though, specialty
farms have begun shipping sturdy young plants direct to
gardeners. Some even offer themed
collections made up of popular varieties, so picking which
plants to grow is easy. You can find these collections and a huge
selection of individual
varieties through websites like the online gardening center, Windowbox.com.
They offer a range of packs, each with a different theme, including: beefsteak
tomatoes container
growers, high
yeild plants, huge
fruit plants, Italian
paste & sauce, weather
tolerant, cherry
tomatoes, and more. | | |
| | From UPS to BLT
Once you’ve got the right plants for you, it’s just a matter of raising
them. Thankfully, heirlooms are hardy (they have to be to have lasted
so long), and they’re easy to grow. Most heirlooms are “indeterminate,”
which means they grow like a vine, and they’ll produce fruit all season
long – until the first frost. “Determinate” plants are more like a
bush, and they typically produce all their tomatoes in one batch.
Depending on which you’ve selected, they’ll require slightly different
care. Basically though, with sun, water, a little fertilizer
and pruning, you’ll be enjoying delicious tomatoes all summer long.
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| | | Where Do I get Help?
 Many tomato
growers share their knowledge on the web, and this increased
communication has helped the heirloom community expand significantly.
Many sites feature growing hints and tips as well as discussion forums.
Windowbox.com
offers a detailed tomato growing
guide (download here)
that is a great help throughout the season, and if that’s not enough,
their group of online experts
shares basic growing tips and answers specific questions.
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