Mortgage Lifter Tomato

Description

The large, slightly flattened, pink-red fruits that range from 450g to more than 1kg, are meaty, very flavourful with a delicious, rich, sweet taste and have few tomato seeds. The plants are monsters and will require sturdy staking/trellising. This variety has become very popular in recent years. 85 days.

(Developed by M.C. Byles in the 1930's, this heirloom tomato remains very much in demand in the Mid-Atlantic states. Mr. Byles, affectionately known as "Radiator Charlie" earned his nickname from the radiator repair business he opened at the foot of a steep hill on which trucks would often overheat.

Radiator Charlie, who had no formal education or plant breeding experience, created this legendary tomato by cross-breeding four of the largest tomatoes he was able to find and developed a stable variety after six years of pollination and selection.

He then sold his heirloom tomato plants for one dollar each (in the 1940's) and paid off the six thousand dollar mortgage on his house in six years. It is said that each spring, gardeners drove as far as 200 miles to buy Charlie's seedling tomatoes).

Indeterminate (vine) variety.

Seeds/Packet: (min. 20 Seeds)

Please see the Tomato category page for detailed Growing Instructions or download the PDF guide from this page.