What’s New

Welcome to the ‘UPDATE’ page

This is where to come for all ‘News’ and info…

Last updated 1/22/06

Notes from 2005

1 Deer Suck!!!

2 Man, Do dear suck or What???

3 Lord, PLEASE!!! … You get the idea.

4 Armadillo Suck!!!

5 Squirrels…

It would be funny if those weren’t my real notes.

Anyway…

The experiences of the last year have brought a few minor changes; no more out of state shipping, a limited number of ‘Plant Sales’ and no more orders made up of only red colored tomatoes (I’ve found these folks have absolutely NO sense of humor). Please see the ‘Shipping’ page for all the new “rules”.

On the personal front my first goal is a new, better, impermeable if you will, fortress for vegetables against the assault from deer, armadillo, and squirrel. An eight foot fence, a twelve inch fence, and an attitude much like Bill Murray’s Carl in ‘Caddy Shack’ towards those menacing little tree rats! This spring and on into the summer I intend to decorate my roadside fencepost with the carcasses of these fur-tailed, beady-eyed, too slow for my truck-but too quick for my ‘maters demons. You know who you are.

Another goal for this year is to plug in this two year old printer so I can file and process paperwork a little more “professionally”, I think that would be really special!!!

A few new varieties of tomatoes and a couple of other cool new veggies are now available. Those who have already placed your orders can add these on to your existing order without any additional freight/handling charge. I’m working with Chris to get these on the new “Last Minute Additions” button, if you have any ??? or problems email me [email protected]

All are $2.00ea. Sorry, no early shipping option for these. Very Limited Supply.

Aunt Ruby’s German Cherry

Selected from the renowned “Aunt Ruby’s German Green”. The much smaller 1-2 oz. fruit are shaped like little beefsteak tomatoes and have the full-sized tomato flavor packed into these bite-sized snacks. The plants produce loads of fruit, but some may still be red- colored, as this selection has not been fully stabilized yet. Rare and colorful.

Ananas Noire or Black Pineapple
Our most exciting new tomato this year, it is wonderful in every way. This unusual variety was developed by Pascal Moreau, a horticulturist from Belgium. The multi-colored, smooth fruit (green, yellow and purple mix) weigh about 1 1/2 lbs. The flesh is bright green with deep red streaks. Everyone loves their superb flavor that is outstanding, being both sweet and smokey with a hint of citrus. The yield is one of the heaviest we have ever seen! Be the first at your farmers market to have this new classic.

Big Zebra Tomato
85 days. Plant produces good yields deep red and green striped tomatoes on the outside and green and pink striped on the inside. One of the most unusual tomatoes you have ever seen. The tomatoes are medium to large in size and has a mild sweet flavor. Excellent gourmet variety. A variety from the USA.

Black Pear

Very beautiful 4-6 oz, grayish- red, green shouldered pear shaped-fruits. Plants produce prolifically. Sauced, it is spicy and sweet and a sight to see. It also makes a dramatic presentation sliced in half atop salad greens. Potato leaf.
Indet. 80 days

Cherokee GreenCherokee Green
86 days, indeterminate — Another variety submitted by Craig LeHoullier who writes, “In 1997, I grew out Cherokee Chocolate from another seed saver. One plant gave me fruit that stayed green when ripe with delicious flavor. Suspecting it was a cross, it has nonetheless proven to come true from saved seed, indicating that it may be a mutation. It is essentially like Cherokee Purple or Cherokee Chocolate in plant habit, fruit shape and size and flavor, but the interior ripens bright green and the skin takes on a yellowish hue when ripe.”

Indian StripeIndian Stripe
85 days, indeterminate — Similar to Cherokee Purple, very productive, very good flavor. It is productive, a compact indeterminate plant, fruits are oblate, a bit smaller than Cherokee Purple, shoulders not as dark, but color similarly dusky rose with some occasional green striping. Flavor is best when fully ripe.

Madagascar

Sprawling vines produce mini, rose-pink plums with a very pretty magenta blush that appear in profusion. You’ll enjoy their unique rich sweetness. From Mari Seeds.
Indet. 75 days

Mexican Yellow

If you love yellow tomatoes and lots of them, this one is the one to try! One of the most productive plants I’ve ever seen.

Very meaty, mild, and sweet. 12 oz. to well over a one lb.beefsteaks. A real winner!
Indet. 85 days

Mirabelle Blanche

Lovely cream colored cherries with pale rose blushing. They make a dynamic presentation atop a bowl of mesclun greens. Delicately sweet. I wouldn’t be without this special tomato in any garden season.
Indet.80 days….

Patio Orange
It was love at first taste with this perfectly shaped, 2-4 oz. salad tomato. The bright orange globes are delicious, flavorful and quite sharp tasting with smooth texture. The compact, stocky plants produce heavy yields and are great for growing in pots. Good disease resistance

Purple Pear Brandywine

Exclusive. Sport from a Purple Brandywine plant. Fruits are pear shaped, some doubles. Flesh is deep, dark, purplish-rose and intensely sweet. Makes excellent sauces.
Indet. 75 days .

Roughwood Golden Plum

Imagine a processor with the creamy texture and yummy favor of Yellow Brandywine and the meatiness of San Marzano and you have Roughwood, a cross of the two. Heavy yields make this one of my favorites in the kitchen.
Indet. 85 days

Sunray
75 days, indeterminate — Golden-orange colored fruit, uniform size, deep-globular shape, up to 7 ounce in size, on indeterminate plants. Sweet, solid, meaty, very mild in flavor. Good fusarium resistance. Does well in most parts of the U.S. It is a stabilized cross between ‘Pan American’ and ‘Jubilee’. Developed by Dr. W. S. Porte at the Beltsville, MD Sunray TomatoesStation and released in 1950.

Qty:
1

Packet – $1.95
Item 3401741

Wapsipinicon Peach
Light, creamy-yellow, almost white fruit have superb taste and texture! One of the best tomatoes I have ever tried. The taste is complex, with its spicy, sweet and very fruity flavor. The fruit are small, around 2” and the skin is slightly fuzzy like a peach! This Iowa heirloom is named after the Wapsipincon River, a favorite fishing spot of mine.

CUKES, MELONS, AND SUCH…

“Jelly Melon”

120 days. (African Horned Cucumber) An exotic variety origin, with clusters of spiny, oval, 3″ fruits on vigorous vines that ramble up to 10 ft. Yields are highly dependent on hot, dry growing conditions. Fruits mature from yellow-green to bright orange, while the pulpy, seeded flesh turns a brilliant lime green. Often strained for juice, used as garnishes, or displayed for decorative purposes. Harvesting can be a challenge, but market demand proves that this variety is worth the trouble.

West India Burr Gherkins
65 days. -Cucumis anguria- Not a true cucumber, but used much like it. Will not cross with C. sativus-Very beautiful long vines and hundreds of small tasty fruit. Yields better than any cucumber. These are becoming rare. They do great in hot humid weather. Introduced to the USA in 1793 from Jamaica, and used pickled or boiled by the Colonies in Jamaica.

Lemon Cuke
60 days. The shape, size and color of a lemon but the flavor is sweet and mild! This heirloom was introduced in 1894, and is still a favorite today

Melons…

Golden Sweet
Totally groovy looking, with their gorgeous, lemon colored rinds and small size. The flesh is white, crisp and good. The skin is so thin that many people do not peel them prior to eating, but enjoy them straight out of the garden. This Oriental variety is also very early, and the compact vines produce like crazy! This is a sure hit at markets. Pick fruit when they turn golden color. Easy to grow; these are popular in Taiwan. We love this one!

Tigger
The most amazing melon we have grown. The fruit are vibrant yellow with brilliant fire-red, zigzag stripes, (a few fruit may be solid yellow), simply beautiful! They are also the most fragrant melons we have tried, with a rich, sweet intoxicating aroma that will fill a room. The white flesh gets sweeter in dry climates. Small in size the fruits weigh up to 1 lb. – perfect for a single serving. The vigorous plants yield heavily, even in dry conditions. This heirloom came from an Armenian market located in a mountain valley. It was the most popular melon at our Garden Show last August and makes a unique specialty market variety.

Notes from 2004

Heirloom Tomatoes of Texas was started with the best of intentions; one guy’s ‘hobby’ to be shared with as many as possible. It is exciting to find so many other folks with the passion and devotion to such a fascinating subject. There were some substantial ‘bugs’ in the initial shipping process, which I believe have been stomped out. A few crop failures of popular varieties…one or two always go south and you never know which it will be.

As is always, the number one concern with any type of plant marketing business is timing. If there is anyone out there who can predict what Mother Nature will deal out, let’s go to Vegas, because you’re missing your calling! In an attempt to get a handle on this I am going to try something new, split shipping. Those tomato varieties which require a longer growing season will be started a full month earlier than their typically smaller fruited cousins. I believe this will benefit most of you die-hards allowing for you to bump-up or set out (if you dare!) our transplants. I have cut the handling cost in half this year for this reason, so you can split your orders, early and regular season. Of course this will result in two freight charges, but of lesser amounts (by weight).

The typically a-typical Texas weather did not fail us. Copious amounts of rain accompanied by prolonged cloudy skies proved challenging even to the most veteran gardener. Fungus problems taxed our resolve and when the skies finally parted the over-grown and tender foliage was ravaged by the sudden exposure to our ‘normal’ summer sun. Yet some of you were lucky enough to produce good tomato crops. {I offer those of you so lucky a long stream of humorous %#&!@ expletives!} This was a perfect year which proved that based on a guarantee of production; there is no ‘BEST’ tomato variety.

 As you can tell by the many pictures throughout this site, I ventured out to the Carmel TomatoFest® this past September and sampled almost three hundred tomato varieties (I can’t remember how many wines;)) I met a lot of nice folks, found some new ‘mater varieties, and even managed to bag a couple of otters! Take that P.E.T.A.!!! I learned a lot about this new venture in 2004, a few simple changes should make it run a little easier and keep it the fun, good natured, hobby-shop type pursuit I always intended it to be; I hope you’ll share the fun along with me.