Growing Heritage tomatoes

Bear Claw Tomato's, named after the chief of the Black Feet Tribe

This very interesting post about Heritage Tomato's was sent to us to share with you all. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we have! We would like to thank David for sharing his knowledge.

British gardeners are pretty conservative, many growing the same vegetables year after year. For a nation who has embraced foreign food, it's surprising gardeners have not been more adventurous. I have been growing heritage tomatoes in greenhouse and outdoors for years and each variety I have found, brought an aura of expectation and surprise.

They are exceptionally diverse in colour from almost black to bright yellow,and some stripey or mottled, so are visually appealing in a garden . Shapes vary and are irregular, as is size , and one of my favourites is "Bear Claw " whose body resembles a series of claws, which is illustrated above. Yields are not normally high, but many positive aspects compensate for this.

They are open pollinated, where seeds collected and sown in future will be that variety. Most have thin skins , unlike commercial varieties whose hybridisation produces thick skins to make them easier to withstand travel and handling, but adds nothing to taste or flavour. I was introduced to several different varieties by my friend and "seed detective ", Adam Alexander, who has travelled worldwide collecting heritage vegetable seeds. Initially he gave me some Syrian Stuffer tomato seeds brought from Aleppo in 1970 just before their civil war it has been rewarding to have grown these plants and been able to give them to some Syrian refugees living in Dorset and Somerset to remind them of home.

I 've tried many ways to grow Heritage tomatoes  and found they grow best in large pots which have good soil depth unlike grow bags, which are usually coloured red and dark colours  absorb heat, so dry out  the shallower root system quicker, especially during sunny weather. Why manufacturers don't use white grow bags continues to puzzle me .

Cherokee Purple Tomato, with a sweet smoky flavour

Some of my favourites have an interesting history, where seeds have been passed down for generations. These include "Amish Paste " from the Amish community in Montana USA  passed  down in 1870 , " Cherokee Purple " with sweet , smoky flavour , obtained from the indigenous Cherokee Indians  who  hybridised  this variety by cross pollinating wild tomatoes, and " Black Krim " originating from Crimea found in 1990 on the Isle of Krim on the northern  coast of The Black Sea. Another favourite is "Brandywine " which so often tops the list of best flavoured Heritage tomato from American growers. I would recommend a brilliant book on all aspects of Heritage tomatoes written by the American "guru " Craig Le Houllier entitled "Epic Tomatoes "and beautifully illustrated . 

                                                David From Dorchester