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Saturday, February 15, 2003

By Ellen Speicher , Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Did you know that you could grow tomatoes that are white, black, green (when ripe!), yellow, orange, pink, purple and striped?

You can grow round salad and slicing tomatoes, hollow "stuffing" tomatoes, large pointed oxheart tomatoes, meaty paste tomatoes or pear-shaped cherry tomatoes. Sizes range from currant tomatoes the size of a pea to 4-pound beefsteak tomatoes.

	Sources HEIRLOOM TOMATOES Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds -- http://www.rareseeds.com or 1-417-924-8917. Heirloom Seeds, West Elizabeth, Pa. -- http://www.heirloomseeds.com or 412-384-0852. Native Seeds/SEARCH -- Chiapas wild tomato -- http://www.nativeseeds.org or 1-520-622-5561. Seed Savers Exchange -- More than 10,000 varieties of fruits and vegetables are listed in Seed Savers Yearbook. Members list their seed and trade with each other. They also offer a free catalog of seeds for sale. $30 annual fee. http://www.seedsavers.org/ or 1-563-382-5990. Tomato Growers Supply -- Hundreds of varieties -- http://www.tomatogrowers.com or 1-888-478-7333. HEALTHIER VEGETABLES Burpee -- 'Health Kick' tomato -- http://www.burpee.com or 1-800-888-1447. Ferry-Morse Seed -- 'Hystyle' bean -- http://www.ferry-morse.com or 1-800-626-3392. Park Seed -- 'Pot O'Gold' and 'Nutri-Red' carrots -- http://www.parkseed.com or 1-800-845-3369. Seeds of Change -- 'Caro Rich' and 'Double Rich' tomatoes -- http://www.seedsof change.com or 1-888-762-7333. Veseys -- 'Healthmaster' carrot -- http://www.veseys.com or 1-800-363-7333.

Tomatoes are available in both heirloom and hybrid varieties. Hybrids can offer increased disease resistance, shorter plants and heavier yields. Heirloom tomatoes, however, offer a much wider variety of plants from which to choose and what many consider to be superior taste. To be considered an heirloom:

The variety must have been grown for at least 50 years. This date tends to be arbitrary. Some people set the date earlier, some later.

The variety must be stable; able to reproduce itself.

The variety has a known history usually relating to the area where the tomato originated, the people who used them or outstanding qualities.

For example, the 'Brandywine' tomato is well-known both as an Amish heirloom and for its outstanding flavor. 'Banana,' a unique orange paste tomato, originated in the former Soviet Union. 'Cherokee Purple' comes from Tennessee and is thought to have been used by the Cherokee. The pink 'Mortgage Lifter' tomato bears fruits that weigh up to 4 pounds each and was developed in the 1930s by a radiator repairman in West Virginia. He then sold the plants for $1 apiece and in six years was able to pay off the $6,000 mortgage on his home.

As interesting as their histories may be, a great reason to grow heirloom tomatoes is the wide variety available and, best of all, their outstanding flavor. "The Garden Seed Inventory," published by Seed Savers Exchange, lists more than 1,000 varieties of nonhybrid tomatoes. These varieties have the old-time good taste that many of us remember from our childhood. With this many varieties of tomatoes to choose from, the hardest part is deciding which ones to grow. Here are some of my favorites:

The 'Black Krim' tomato has a delicious, unique flavor that has been described as salty, smoky, full-bodied and meaty. The flavor is so tempting that this is the one tomato I will eat like an apple. It has a dark brown-red skin that gets even darker in hot weather. "Krim" refers to the Crimean peninsula on the coast of the Ukrainian Black Sea, which is the region where this tomato originated.

'Orange Strawberry' has a beautiful, intense orange color both inside and out. This is a large oxheart-type tomato, which means it is large with a pointed bottom whose shape resembles a heart. 'Orange Strawberry' fruits range from a half-pound to 1 pound. It has a sweet, rich flavor and is not as acidic as many tomatoes.

For a very different, sweet-tasting tomato, try 'White Beauty.' These tomatoes are indeed white, both inside and out. The fruit is meaty with only a few seeds and is mild and sweet due to a high sugar content.

'Burgess Stuffing' and 'Yellow Stuffer' are excellent stuffing tomatoes, which means they are as hollow as bell peppers. The seeds are clustered near the top, making them easy to remove. This makes these tomatoes ideal for stuffing with cold salads or for slicing into tomato rings. They are easy to grow, have a mild flavor and bear large quantities of fruit.

The small-fruited tomatoes 'Yellow Pear' and 'Red Pear' bear 1- to 2-inch tall, pear-shaped, sweet-tasting tomatoes. 'Green Grape' bears 1-inch, round, yellowish-green tomatoes on very prolific plants. For a real taste treat, grow the sweet Chiapas wild tomato. This plant bears many tiny tomatoes that are the size of peas. They're very sweet and flavorful.

Tomatoes need at least 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water each week. All tomatoes are heavy feeders. Add compost or a slow-release granular fertilizer in spring when planting. Fertilize every two to four weeks throughout the growing season with a 5-10-10 formula. Grow tomatoes in cages, on trellises or tied to stakes. They also can be left to sprawl on the ground (although slugs can become a problem). A 3-inch application of mulch around all your tomatoes will help to keep the ground moist, discourage pests and prevent diseases from spreading from the soil to the leaves of the plants.

Most people readily agree that tomatoes grown in the home garden are far superior in taste to tomatoes that have been shipped long distances.

This is one of a series of periodic columns by staff members of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Ellen Speicher is head of horticulture for Phipps.

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