Tomato 'Mortgage Lifter' |
Origin: USA cultivar
Preferred Situation: Full sun, well draining fertile soil.
Harvest Date: Saturday 17 September, 2011
Seed count: 15-20
Description:
80 Days. A West Virginia heirloom with quite a history…lets just say its creator paid off his mortgage in 6 years selling this variety. People came from hundreds of miles around to buy these plants that produce 1-3 pound pinkish red meaty, nearly seedless, extremely flavourful beefsteak tomatoes. An excellent tomato for salads or for slicing. Good natural disease resistance.
Notes:
Open pollinated. Bigger the roots at transplant (mid May) bigger the harvest. Prune sparingly. Protect from rain; water at plant base never foliage except foliar feeds. Heavy feeder; use balanced organic fertilizer. Excess nitrogen= leaves no fruit; no calcium=blossom end rot; extreme heat=blossom drop.
Cultivation:
Sow 5 mm deep. Keep moist; plastic cover improves success. Opt. germination temp: 18-25 C. Days to germ: 5-10. Most varieties of tomatoes drop their blooms when temperatures reach 85 F or greater, so make sure your tomatoes don't get over heated. Blossom end rot is a nutritional disorder where a lack of calcium causes the fruit to rot from the blossom end so be sure you use something like rock phosphate (22% calcium) when amending your tomato beds. Use mulch to retain moisture or prevent water from splashing up on your plants as tomatoes hate having their foliage wet...NEVER WATER FROM ABOVE...its like someone splashing a cold bucket of water on you!
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