Heirloom Tomato Descriptions
2008 Thieneman’s Heirloom Tomato Varieties
Ace 55: Ace 55 Tomato is an extremely low acid variety of tomato; in fact, so low in acid that it cannot be canned by the hot water bath method. Produces a large crop of oblong, medium sized red tomatoes
American Beauty: Indeterminate, medium size, round, slightly flattened red/pinkish fruit, good production.
Amish Paste: Large, acorn- to heart-shaped, red paste tomato that is very meaty, with few seeds and a rich flavor that intensifies when used for sauce or paste. If you want a big yield from a small number of plants this is the one to grow. Big sprawling plants with regular foliage. Indeterminate.
Arkansas Traveler: 89 days; Indeterminate. Pre-1900 heirloom grown throughout the South from northwest Arkansas to North Carolina. ‘Arkansas Traveler’ is an old Southern heirloom much esteemed for its ability to produce flavorful tomatoes under conditions of drought and high heat where many other varieties fail. Medium-sized fruits are pink, and of wonderful flavor. Keeps well.
Atkinson: Open Pollinated, red, indeterminate, 75 days, vigorous, heavy foliage, firm, smooth light red flattened globes, 6-16 ounces, from Hastings Seed Company back in 1984, originally developed by Auburn University for southern climate. Seed no longer available commercially.
Aunt Ruby’s German Green: Get ready for outrageous flavor with a slightly spicy afterglow! Tangy, sweet, intricate, earthy, unforgettable flavor. You are going to love this tomato. The pink blushed interior is a surprise to the gorgeous light green, pleated exterior. A vigorous plant that rewards you with a big crop of 1 lb. fruits. Handed down from Aunt Ruby Arnold of Greenville TN. 75 – 80 Days; Indeterminate.
Australian Heart: Joe Thieneman was first of all a farmer and then established a small nursery later in life. He acquired his seed from Bud Singler, who acquired them from a Service Man who spent time in Australia before coming home after serving in WWII. Both have been dead for some years now. Charlie, Joe’s son, is the only source of this seed now; he has tried to preserve the seed since his father died. For the last eight or so years the family has grown these plants for the public and it is a local favorite. “Joe Thieneman’s” Australian Heart: Family Heirloom, 85 days, indeterminate. Regular leaf plants produce fruit that are large, red, heart-shaped tomatoes with few seeds. It is unlike many heart shape tomatoes which have wispy growth; it is a strong and vigorous plant and produces well!
Beauty King: 80 days, indeterminate, regular leaf with high yield of 5-10 oz yellow and red bi-color fruit, very good flavor.
Beefsteak: One popular tomato! Produces a good strong crop of slightly flattened, irregular red tomatoes up to two pounds in weight. The thick meaty flesh is blessed with a good flavor and is useful for slicing, salads and for canning. Popular since the 19th century.
Black Cherry: A perfectly round cherry with classic black tomato flavor, sweet yet rich and complex. Fruit picks clean from the stem and is produced in abundance on vigorous, tall plants. These cherries are irresistibly delicious and a unique addition to the color spectrum of cherry tomatoes now available. Indeterminate; 65 days.
Black Krim: Dark brown-red tomatoes are large, 10 to 12 oz., and very richly flavored with just a hint of saltiness. Color is darker in hot weather, and fruit seems to set well even in the heat. Prone to cracking, but a very heavy producer. Heirloom from the Black Sea of Russia. Indeterminate. 75-90 days.
Black Prince: Deep burgundy, round fruits really load up on these plants that stay fairly small. Tomatoes are medium-sized and full of juice and good, rich flavor. Originally from Siberia. This variety should be a favorite in most gardens. Indeterminate. 70 days.
Box Car Willie: 84 days. Very large, orange red fruits. Average yields, fruits weigh about 1 pound.
Brad’s Black Heart: Brad Gates has been breeding tomato plant varieties for eight generations now, and has refined several varieties with unique names. Brad’s Black Heart is one of these; Indeterminate and seed is difficult to find.
Brandywine Pink: The plant has “potato-leaf” foliage with very large, boat-shaped, pink fruits averaging between sixteen and twenty four ounces each. The flavor is exceptional and of good quality. Fruits ripen gradually over the season. 90 days, Indeterminate
Bulgarian Triumph: 81 days. Indeterminate, fairly even in ripening, about 4 oz. red fruits.
Burbank Slicing: 77 days. Determinate plants, 6 to 8 oz. orange/red, uniform, round globe fruits with above average yields.
Caspin Pink: 80 days, heirloom from Russia. It has large, kind of flat (oblate) shaped, pink fruits weighing up to eleven ounces. Taste is mild and sweet. A favorite of many. Indeterminate.
Cherokee Chocolate: Midseason, indeterminate, Regular Leaf, high yield of reddish/bronze fruits in the 10 to 12 oz. range, a stable mutation from Cherokee Purple where the epidermis has gone from clear to yellow.
Cherokee Green: Medium fluted green fruits with gold blushing when ripe. Plants have strong growth habits & production is good.
Cherokee Purple: Midseason, indeterminate, Potato Leaf, high yield of purplish/pink, oblate fruits in the 12 oz. range, represented as an heirloom from the Cherokee Nation in Tennessee. Seed from tomato grower Bill Jeffers, Evansville.OI.
Chris Ukranian: Early, indeterminate, regular leaf, excellent yield for a 1 to 2 pound fruit, light pink fruits, good balanced taste with some sweetness, firm dense flesh.
Clustermato: 72 days. Indeterminate plants, 5 to 7 oz., round, red globe. Large numbers of fruits hanging in clusters on the vine. A selection made by Gleckler’s Seedsmen prior to 1954.
Dagma’s Perfection: 73 days, medium size 12 ounce, slightly flattened, pale-yellow fruits with delicate, light red striping, flavorful with overtones of tropical fruit and subtle hints of lime, firm and juicy, indeterminate
Delicious: A tomato introduction by Burpee’s Seeds in 1979. Huge, red, meaty fruit with a good taste. Produces tomatoes up to two pounds with regular care. This variety also produced the world’s heaviest tomato – a giant weighing over 7 pounds!
Dr. Wyches Yellow: Midseason, indeterminate, regular leaf, good yield of about 1 pound fruits that are gold at maturity, sparse foliage, some green shoulders, nice balanced taste. Dr. Wyche was of Cherokee heritage and traveled the world with the Cole Brother’s Circus of which he had part ownership; he collected seed/plants and shared them with SSE.
Dwarf Champion: Tree-type — Determinate, good flavor & texture for slicing. Compact, rugose leaf plants with three to six ounce red fruits.
Golden Grape Cherry: A bright and sweet variety of grape tomato that is great for fresh eating. The Golden Grape bears bite-sized fruits with a sharp but full sweetness, much sweeter than the common grape tomato. Fruits ripen to a golden orange. 80-85 days. Indeterminate.
Granny Cantrell German: This meaty beefsteak type tomato is named after Lettie Cantrell of West Liberty, KY. Only tomato she ever grew in her 97 years; it is pink 1 pound plus fruits, indeterminate, regular leaf. This variety was named best tasting tomato of the year at the 2006 Heirloom Garden Show at Baker Creek.
Green Grape: Ripe fruits are yellow-green: green at the shoulder, green with yellow veins at mid-section, and translucent yellow-green at the blossom end (resembling large Muscat grapes). Flesh and juice are green. Fruits are one inch plus and are borne in clusters of 4 to 12, good flavor
Grub’s Mystery Green: Green-when-ripe beefsteak type fruit, slightly flattened and slightly ribbed, 12-16 oz, amber color when ripe, meaty flesh with few seeds, good taste, indeterminate. This variety has exhibited different characteristics through mutation; it may vary slightly in size and color.
Haley’s Purple Comet Cherry: Haley’s Purple Comet is a large cherry tomato, almost round, dark purple with green shoulders. Indeterminate; vigorous grower. Very good early in the season and turning remarkable late in the season, from Wild Boar Farms.
Hastings Midglobe: Midseason indeterminate, medium size pink fruit, 6 to 12 ounce, mild flavor with a hint of sweetness. Plants are large and vigorous; fruit set is moderate to heavy. Introduced by the Hastings Seed Company of Georgia in 1942.
Heart Of Compassion: A huge, 4 to 5-inch, slightly flattened, jade-pink, heart-shaped, very meaty heirloom tomato with thin skin, few seeds and terrific taste. Sure to become one of your favored garden ‘jewels.”
Indiana Red: Some what early tomato for such a large oxheart type, an extremely large red tomato with very “wispy” and drooping regular leaf foliage. Excellent taste with moderate production. This is a tomato that will remain on my grow list! Seed shared by gardening friend, Horace “Red” Boynton Jr, of Bethelridge, KY. He passed away Feb 27, 2008.
J.D.’s Special C-Tex: 80 days, indeterminate., pink/black beefsteak fruit, 12-20 oz, outstanding flavor, high yield, a Brandywine x unknown black cross and stabilized by the late JD Whitaker in Conroe, TX.
Julia Child: The tall, indeterminate, potato-leaf plant produces lots of 4-inch, deep-pink, lightly-fluted, beefsteak fruits that have the kind of robust tomatoey flavors and firm, juicy flesh that invites tomato feasting and seed-saving.
Kanner Hoell: Midseason, indeterminate, large 1 pound and up, red fruits.
Khaborovsky 308: Four-foot plant produces a slightly oblong rosy pink salad sized tomato that tastes good.
Kimberly: 50 days. Indeterminate, potato leaf plant, small size red fruit, very good flavor. Developed in the mid-1980’s by John de Rocque of Kimberly, BC, Canada from a Siberia x Tiny Tim cross. They’ve been carefully selected for hardiness, early ripening and quality. Sets fruit at unusually low temperatures. Good also for greenhouse culture, very productive.
Kosovo: Seed given to Glen Parker of New Zealand by a former U.N. worker. Glen shared with Gary. Large 10 to 18 oz., deep pink heart-shaped fruit has a sweet rich flavor and is very meaty with just enough juice and how tasty! Productive and indeterminate, 75-80 days.
Lady Lucy: From the Nantahala Forest area in Northern Georgia, comes this large oblate red tomato with sweet complex flavor with an acid zing, good for slicing/canning, vigorous potato leaf, indeterminate
Large Red Cherry: A 19th century heirloom tomato that produces a huge quantity of small, red cherry tomatoes with a sweet flavor. The classic Cherry tomato.
Limbaugh Potato Leaf: Midseason, indeterminate, oblate, 12 to 16 oz., pink flesh and skin, average yield, very sweet, delicious. Popular in the Pittsburgh, PA area.
Lime Green Salad: Smaller plants bloom with large sprays followed by loads of small lime green tomatoes that ripen to amber. 3 to 5 oz. fruit is chartreuse inside and full of juice and good, tangy flavor that is somewhat spicy. This is a good variety for growing in containers or border gardens since plants stay small yet provide a big harvest. Early 58 days; determinate
Livingston Globe: Midseason, indeterminate, regular leaf, 4 to 8 oz. fruits, good flavor. Introduced as a main crop variety in 1905.
Livingston’s Main Crop: Midseason, indeterminate, pink 4 to 6 oz., globe-shaped fruit.
Lollipop Cherry: 79 days. Indeterminate Fruit looks like lollipops and have a lemony flavor. Seed from friend, Merlyn Niedens, master grower. The fruits hang on the plants like lollipops, color is creamy yellow, and the flavor is sweet and lemon-like. Average 6 per cluster, occasionally as many as 10 per cluster, productive even under continuous high temperatures, day and night.
Lumpy Red KY: A family heirloom from Corbin, KY, very productive and yields fluted, medium to large red fruits which have that “tomato” taste you remember from years ago. Indeterminate, regular leaf, 80 days.
Marammano: Heirloom variety from Central Italy. Determinate. Small (3 ounce) bright red fruit grow in clusters. Excellent taste, for fresh eating and also for canning.
Marglobe: Developed in 1917, the Marglobe Tomato was introduced by the USDA in 1925 and later went on to become one of the parents to the famous Rutgers tomato. Produces a huge crop of perfectly round, smooth, solid fleshed red tomatoes. Excellent tomato for commercial and home use.
Marianna’s Peace: Midseason, oblate, large pink fruits with good taste.
Marvel Stripe: Beefsteak originally from Oaxaca, Mexico. Largest of the bi-colored tomatoes. May get over 4-inches and 2 pounds. Sweet, mild fruity flavor.
Mikado Ecarlote: 69 days. Indeterminate, normal leaf, 6 to 8 oz., red globe fruit.
Milka’s Red Bulgarian: Good yield of medium size red fruit with a good flavor and crack resistance.
Mortgage Lifter: The Mortgage Lifter tomato was developed in the early 1930’s in Logan, West Virginia by a radiator repairman, M.C. “Radiator Charlie” Byles. Without any experience in breeding, he made a successful cross of four of the largest tomatoes he could find – German Johnson, Beefsteak, an Italian variety, and an English variety. Radiator Charlie sold the first seedlings of his new tomato in the 1940’s for one dollar each. Charlie managed to pay off his $6,000 mortgage in only six years with his tomato sales. This large, meaty, mild-flavored tomato has few seeds and is the perfect tomato-sandwich tomato. Indeterminate plants bear pinkish-red, two and a half to four pound tomatoes all summer long.
Mr. Bruno: During WW11 an Italian prisoner of war was assigned to a farmer in Australia. He proved such a good worker that the farmer made contact with his ’employee’ in Italy and sponsored his return to Australia as a migrant. He arrived in the early ’50’s and like many European immigrants he brought with him vegetable seeds including some favorite family tomato seeds. By the late ’50’s he was keeping the seeds of his most productive tomato and continued to grow this variety until 3-4 years ago. For many years he helped the local hospital by selling tomato seedlings at the hospital’s annual Spring Fair. The word spread among the local gardeners and ‘Mr. Bruno’s tomatoes’ were eagerly sought after. Mr. Bruno is still alive and now resides in a Senior Citizen’s home. He can no longer grow his tomatoes but you can. It is a heavy producer of 7-8 oz slicing, even-sized tomatoes, ribbed with a balanced flavor leaning perhaps towards sweet rather than acid. Bush is a strong regular-leaf, needs support.
Mrs. Houseworth: Heart-shaped, 3-4 inch luscious, pink fruit. A prized heirloom from the 1930’s, originally from Mrs. Houseworth’s garden in Centerville, Pennsylvania.
Mule Team: Midseason, indeterminate, regular leaf, large set of globe fruits near one pound, usually blemish free, great taste, bred by Joe Bratka’s father of New Jersey who also bred Box Car Willie.
New Jersey Champion Weigh In: Grow a winner from seed obtained from New Jersey’s Largest Tomatoes grown last season. Perhaps you will have a Blue Ribbon winner as well! Good Luck!
Pale Perfect Purple: Midseason, indeterminate, regular leaf, high yield of 6 to 8 oz. dusky pink globes, juicy, excellent taste, bred by Tom Smith from a cross between Purple Price and Ozark Pink.
Pan American: Rare, 75+ days, indeterminate, red globe shaped 6-10 ounce tomato, meaty slicer. Once popular because of high wilt resistance, good market variety.
Peacevine Cherry: 65-75 days. Cherry tomato that is high in vitamin C. Grows delicious red fruits and occasional yellow fruit, indeterminate.
Persimmon: Late, indeterminate, large, 1 pound slicing tomato, average yields, high quality flavor.
Pink Climber: Midseason, indeterminate, potato leaf, very vigorous vines, 12 to 16 oz. flat globe. It yields a mountain of pink tomatoes, 1 pound and up.
Pink Ice Cherry: Mild flavored, oblong, pale pink fruits. Good foliage cover.
Pink Ruffled: Midseason, indeterminate, very unique pink ruffled fruits. Very productive. Superb yields, very attractive.
Pink Russian: Late, indeterminate, oblate, large, 10 to 16 oz. fruits.
Polish C: Early, indeterminate Potato Leaf, moderate yield of deep pink beefsteaks in the 1 pound range, taste is complex, a bit assertive and a favorite of many.
Pritchard’s Scarlet Topper: Midseason, indeterminate, oblate, red globe. In the 1943 Burpee Seed Catalog it states, “The ideal, all-purpose tomato for growing in soil of high fertility. The self-topping habit prevents excessive vine growth under all conditions. Developed by Dr. Pritchard of the USDA.”
Red Calabash: 3-4 oz. Flattened red globes that are highly ribbed or ruffled; indeterminate.
Red Fig: Grown in American gardens since the 18th century. Heavy yields of 1″ pear-shaped tomatoes; indeterminate. Great for fresh eating but also used as a substitute for figs years ago by gardeners who would pack away crates of dried, preserved tomatoes for winter use.
Red House Free Standing: Rare 4-6 oz. Red fruit, early variety sets and produces fruit at temperatures too low for most tomatoes. Fusarium and vericilium wilt resistant. 30 inch determinate vines.
Red Robin Cherry: 55 days. Good yields of 1 ¼” extra sweet red cherry tomatoes. This small plant is perfect for pots and containers. Suitable for growing indoors all year. Determinate. Plant is only 12″ tall.
Red Russian: Midseason, indeterminate, regular leaf, outstanding yielder of 2 to 4 oz. fruits.
Risentraube Cherry: These have been grown by the Pennsylvania Dutch as early as 1855. ‘Riesentraube’ translates from the German as “giant bunch of grapes”. One of ‘Riesentraube’s’ outstanding features is the large number of flowers produced per cluster. The red fruits have excellent full-flavor similar to that found in flavorful beefsteak tomatoes. An excellent salad tomato, great for snacks, indeterminate.
Rose: Midseason, indeterminate, slightly oblate, 1 pound, pink skinned fruits with intense, deep pink flesh.
Russian #117: Midseason, indeterminate, regular leaf, 16 to 25 oz. Great yield for a heart shaped variety, fruits from 1 to 2 pounds, most are double flat hearts, good crack resistance, excellent taste.
Russian Silvery Fir Tree: 58 days – A Russian heirloom with unique carrot-like, silvery leaves. This early maturing variety bears plenty of red, 3-4 inch, tasty fruits. A good choice for container growing due to its petite, 24 inch height. Determinate vines.
Rutgers: A 1934 introduction from Campbell’s Soup Company and Rutgers University. A prolific producer of scarlet red, round tomatoes. Once the most popular tomato in North America!
Sabre: Midseason, indeterminate, juicy pink slicing tomato, 6 to 10 oz. round globe shape.
San Marazano: From Italy. Compact and good producer of bright-red, slim, 2-3 inch, plum-type, fruit over a long season. A paste tomato with pointy end, heavy walls and little juice, so it’s great for tomato sauce. Crack resistant.
Santorini Salad: From the Greek isle, prolific through heat and drought, this flattened, slightly scalloped, red, 2-3 oz tomato has that old time flavor that you expect from an heirloom. Indeterminate.
Shaker Large Red: 85 days. Indeterminate, original seed from the USDA. Prior to the Civil War, one of the most commonly grown and best-documented tomato varieties in the country. Listed in the 1843 Shaker seed catalog at New Lebanon, NY, the ‘Large Red’ tomato is vital for antebellum garden re-creations and historic farms. Fearing Burr in his 1865 book stated that: “From the time of the introduction of the tomato to its general use in this country, the ‘Large Red’ was almost the only kind cultivated, or even commonly known.” The deep red fruits of ‘Large Red’ are heavily ribbed or lobed and flattened in shape and quite distinguished from modern tomatoes. Fruits typically measure 2″ high X 4″ wide. Flavor is sweet with a bit of tang and some flavor intricacy. Vines provide medium foliage cover.
Sheyenne: Early, South Dakota variety, 8 to 12 oz. globe, red fruit; it is a favorite of many growers.
Sioux: Early, South Dakota variety, 8 to 10 oz. globe-shaped canning tomato, old fashioned type with superb taste. Once you have grown it you will want again and again!
Sophies Choice: Early, determinate, regular leaf, good yield of about 8 oz. fruits, nice taste, from Edmonton, AB, Canada. A perfect tomato for growing in pots on the patio.
St. Pierre: Midseason, indeterminate, large, 6 to 8 oz. red fruits. French variety.
Sungold Cherry: Gold, orange color cherry tomatoes; sweet and juicy flavor; disease tolerant; indeterminate, most requested variety and the only Hybrid variety in Thieneman’s heirloom collection.
Sunset’s Red Horizon: An excellent red-pink variety of an old fashioned Oxheart; fruits are medium sized and thick/meaty and possess old fashioned tomato taste. 80 days.
Sweetie: Early, indeterminate, large, 1 pound plus, pink beefsteak type that continues to be the earliest pink beefsteak.
Tigerella: 4-6 ounce tangy flavor from unique, red and orange striped fruits. Productive, indeterminate.
Triple Crop Pink: Midseason, indeterminate, oblate, 6 to 8 oz. fruit.
True Black Brandywine: Seed saved over the years by William Woys Weaver of Pennsylvania. It was passed down to him from his Quaker grandfather’s collection dating back to the 1920s. As to its history, Will states “The ‘true’ Black Brandywine was bred sometime in the late 1920s by Dr. Harold E. Martin (1888-1959), a dentist turned plant breeder who is best remembered today for his famous pole lima with huge seeds.” Dr. Martin lived in Westtown, PA, only a few miles from the Weavers. This great-tasting tomato is extra large in size and full of the deep, earthy and sweet flavor that has made blackish-purple tomatoes so popular. Some fruits tend to crack, but the yield is heavy, and the plants are vigorous and do well in the hot summer. Indeterminate.
Tumbler: Cascading yellow cherry for patio basket. Fruits all summer, well branched, high yield, sweet, determinate, 45 days.
Valiant: Medium size, indeterminate, red, 8 oz. plus fruits, globe-shaped with that old time taste!
Wayahead: Midseason, South Dakota, oblate, to 10 oz., red flesh, above average yield.
White Wonder: One of a few white color tomatoes, sweet, medium size fruits which make an interesting contrast when placed with other reds, yellows, purple types. Indeterminate.
Winter Grape Italian: Large, juicy Italian fruit hold on the vine for extended periods and are picked and dried for canning in olive oil. Fresh, they are very tasty and highly prized as well, 65 days and indeterminate.
Winsall: Midseason, indeterminate, regular leaf, pink beefsteak type, 16 oz. Fruit. Received recognition at the 1924 World’s Fair.
Wolford Wonder: Seeds from this variety came from tomato contest winner, Max Wolford. These large, firm, heart-shaped, 4 x 5-inch fruits have thick, pink-red skins, but few seeds. Exceptionally juicy and very tasty. 90 days, indeterminate.
Yellow Brandywine, Platfoot Strain: This special strain of Yellow Brandywine comes from seed saved by Gary Platfoot of Ohio, who felt that it had special attributes that were only adding to an already wonderful variety. The main improvements of this strain are increased productivity and a smoother shape than regular Yellow Brandywine. Otherwise, Platfoot strain offers the same incredibly rich and delicious flavor in deep golden-yellow tomatoes that weigh from 1 to 2 lbs. Tall vines have potato-leaved foliage. Indeterminate. 85 days.
