Mortgage Lifter heirloom tomato was developed in the early 1930’s by a man named M.C. ‚”Radiator Charlie” Byles. Byles was a radiator repairman who, like many of his countrymen, struggled to keep his finances in order during the Great Depression. As the story goes, Radiator Charlie cross-bred the largest tomatoes he could find in his hometown of Logan, West Virginia, and sold the resulting plants for a dollar each. The profits he earned were substantial enough that he was able to pay down his mortgage with them!
Mortgage Lifter is an indeterminate tomato variety, which means that the plants will grow vines and continue to grow taller as the gardening season progresses. Without pruning, the plant will continue to grow longer. To allow the plant to focus on growing higher yields of fruit, pinch the suckers on the tomato vine, and stake the plant well.
Growing heirloom tomatoes from seed is not a difficult task, even for beginner vegetable gardeners. Sow Mortgage Lifter tomato seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost. Seeds should be sown in the seed starting medium of choice 1/4″ deep, placed in a seed starting tray and covered with a plastic dome or plastic cling film in a warm room out of direct sunlight until seedlings emerge. Use of a heating mat designed for seed starting may be useful in cooler climates.
When the Mortgage Lifter seedlings begin to emerge, remove the plastic cover and position the tray under a fluorescent light, 1 to 2″ above the seedling. As the seedlings grow, keep the light about an inch from the top of the growing leaves. Regular fluorescent shop bulbs work just fine. After the first set of true leaves appears, fertilize the seedlings weekly with a diluted solution of 20-20-20 fertilizer. Transplant the seedlings into larger pots, if necessary, to facilitate root growth.
The small Mortgage Lifter tomato seedlings will need to be introduced gradually to the outdoor weather and sunshine, or they may be burned. Set the seedlings out for an hour or two at first, in filtered sunlight, and sheltered from the wind. Increase the time the seedlings spend outdoors each day, allowing them a chance to become accustomed to outdoor growing conditions.
The growing plants will require staking, as the fruit reach an average of 2 ½ pounds each.
Mortgage Lifter will yield fruit 80 days after transplanting. When harvesting the heavy fruits, cut the stem above the fruit, rather than pulling, to avoid tearing the flesh.
The flesh of Mortgage Lifter is thick, tangy and juicy, with relatively few seeds. According to the Jefferson Monticello website, ‚”This large, meaty, mild-flavored tomato has few seeds and is the perfect tomato-sandwich tomato.” This tomato also tastes wonderful drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, some fresh leaves of Italian basil tucked between the slices.
This bright and luscious tomato is guaranteed to become a favourite tomato in any vegetable garden.
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