Growing Heirloom TomatoesAnd Saving SeedMy father and grandfather before him grew heirloom tomatoes but they did not think to call them heirloom tomatoes. They were the tomatoes they had grown for years, and they gathered seed each year to share with neighbors. Gnomes from Russia and Europe brought seeds with them too and shared new varieties.
Many of those old varieties are no longer available as developers labored to make the perfect, evenly red, perfectly round, disease resistant tomato. Alas, the end product also had a thick skin that would be good for transporting across the continent, and no taste. In fact Martafrank will not buy them at all. Fortunately seed from many of these treasured varieties, such as Green Zebra, has been saved over the last few years, and people again want to grow them because the taste is far superior to any commercial strain. But, there is a problem. You cannot easily buy these wonderful tomatoes in the store. You must grow your own from seed, just like our forefathers did. 
Growing Heirloom Tomatoes from SeedHeirloom tomato seed is now available from many places on the internet, making the choice difficult. You will have the choice of traditional canning tomatoes, striped tomatoes, green, red, orange and white tomatoes, not to mention those that fit neatly into a patio container. Here are some links to online catalogs that carry a good selection:When you have made your selection, you will have to plant the seeds indoors in some good potting soil, about 6 weeks before your last frost date. Cover the seeds with a little soil, water and keep covered until they germinate (about 7 days). When they have appeared, it is important that you give them good light for at least 12 hours a day. This generally means putting artificial light over them, at least for a week or two. When the seedlings have put out about 6 real leaves, they will be large enough to transplant into bigger pots where they can grow until it is time to put them into the ground. Give your tomato plants plenty of sun so that they grow well and thrive. Saving Heirloom Tomato SeedOne of the best parts of growing these time proven varieties is that they are open pollinated rather than hybrids. That means that what you collect in seed will come true to the same plant bearing the same type of tomato.Hybrids are a complex mix of characteristics from two different strains of tomato and the seeds will each contain a mix of those parental characteristics. The resulting plant will not be the same as the parent plant. Open pollinated heirloom varieties have not been allowed to cross pollinate with other varieties, so the seed you buy is pure and will grow true to the characteristics of the parent. This is an important attribute that has made it possible for many of the older varieties, like Cherokee Purple, to survive. If you intend to save seed from your heirloom varieties, grow them apart from other tomatoes, so that the plant will self pollinate and not cross with other varieties. That will keep your seed pure to the parent, as well. Allow the fruit to fully ripen, and then scoop the seed and pulp from the fruit. Let it ferment for a few days in and glass jar on the kitchen counter. Then, wash the seed loose from the pulp and let it dry on a paper towel for a couple of days. When dry, you can store the seed in an envelope in a cool dark dry place until next year. Along with great taste and variety, many heirloom tomatoes come with great stories behind them. The infamous Mortgage Lifter is one that became very popular in the depression, and is very likely to be popular again! Happy gardening, Geefrank
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