Quick & Easy Heirloom Tomatoes

Seems like every morning I receive a few emails asking about heirloom tomatoes. Brown and green thumbs alike are wondering.... What's good? What's bad?  

Bad? Well, I don't believe there is a bad heirloom. You don't get to be this old by slacking on flavor.

They're also asking...  What's easy? What's fast?

Fast and easy? 

Now that I can answer.

My mountain growing season is pathetically short but I've discovered a number of cold hardy, quick-growing heirloom tomatoes that do well in higher elevations.  

Here are a few of my faves:

Paul Robeson ~ This Russian original is probably the tastiest, easiest heirloom to grow. Hefty, black-red tomatoes, bursting with flavor, ready for picking in about 65 days.

Black from Tula ~ If you’re big into BBQs, Tulas are absolutely worth the effort. Ready for harvest in about 80 days, with a bold, delicious smokey flavor. Roast the Tulas, place them on a burger and learn, first hand, the meaning of love at first bite.

Peacevine Cherry ~ Think Napa Valley and all those luscious grapevines... If you have a fence bordering your garden, consider planting this crazy rambler. She’ll stretch a good 15 – 20 feet along the fence line and display big clusters of tasty little tomatoes, ready for picking in less than 60 days.

Elfin Grape Tomato ~ This little guy is great in a flower pot on your sunny deck. Nothing small, at all, about the flavor. Tasty 3/4 inch grape tomatoes are ready for a salad in about 2 months.


* Before you get all wild and crazy with chemical fertilizers, please think about it. You're planning to eat these goodies. Miracle-Gro and other chemical, synthetic fertilizers, are prohibited from use in certified-organic farming.