Grow your own Mortgage Lifter
Can you tell me about the Mortgage Lifter tomato? Does it have good disease resistance?
Mortgage Lifter is an heirloom tomato with a name that always stirs up curiosity. The tomato is a deep pink, beefsteak type with a mild taste; fruits typically weigh about a pound. They are firm and not dripping juicy.
As the story goes, a gentleman named M.C. Byles in Logan, W. Va., cross-pollinated German Queen and several other old, large tomatoes until selecting this as his favorite. He sold seedlings for $1 each to pay off his $6,000 mortgage (it was 1947) in six years!
Disease resistance is not as good as it is in many of the newer hybrids, but don't let that stop you from trying it.
These Tomatoes Are Saucy
My wife wants to make homemade ketchup. We are wondering if the Roma tomatoes in our garden will work or if there is a special variety for making ketchup.
You're in luck because Roma has lots of meat and less moisture than slicing tomatoes, so it will cook down into ketchup well. Other varieties would work too, but Roma and other paste types were developed especially for the purpose of making sauces.
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| Roma tomatoes make excellent ketchup or tomato paste and are the chef's choice for a marinara base. Photo: Liquid Library |
Tomato Troubles
For several years I have tried to stick to organic gardening, but I have trouble with my tomatoes. They always do great until late July and August. the leaves start drying up and falling off. Before long, the whole vine dies. I always put out the most disease-resistant types. Is there any organic remedy for this problem?
First, continue using varieties that are resistant to as many diseases as possible while balancing choices with your taste preferences. Now is the time to buy seeds.
Your tomatoes are victims of Septoria leaf spot, a fungus that is worst in warm, humid weather. Right now, resistant varieties do not exist. The disease overwinters in the soil; but to keep it from building up, pick off infected leaves as they appear, and make sure you never let dead plants stay in the garden.
The best organic treatment is to spray the plants with a solution of baking soda. A good overview is available from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service at www.attra.org/attra-pub/bakingsoda.html.
Several recipes are available. One calls for four teaspoons baking soda, one teaspoon vegetable oil and one-half teaspoon liquid detergent. There is also a ready-made baking soda product called Remedy. Gardener Supply Company carries the product. Call 1-888-833-1412, or visit www.gardeners.com.
Begin spraying before the disease appears so that the fungus never gets a chance to take hold. Obviously, you'll need to do this regularly and repeat immediately after rain. Avoid overhead watering as well.
Also consider planting a new crop of tomatoes for fall. The younger, vigorous plants could fare better against the disease.