Mortgage Lifter, Tomato Seeds

Key Attributes

Sun
Sun: Full Sun
Packet
Packet: 25 Seeds
Days To Maturity (# Days)
Days To Maturity (# Days): 82
Botanical Name
Botanical Name: Solanum lycopersicum

Mortgage Lifter, Tomato Seeds

The large Mortgage Lifter Tomato is an heirloom plant that has the best yields for beefsteak type varieties. The large, pink smooth tomato that reaches to be 1 pound! This variety was developed by M.C. Byles "Radiator Charlie", who had no formal plant breeding experience, and created this legendary tomato by cross-breeding four of the largest tomatoes he was able to find over six years. Once he got a stable variety, he offered it to the public saying that "one tomato could feed a family of 4." Gardeners drove from far away places just to get their hands on this variety! He sold each plant for $1 each and was able to pay off his $6,000 mortgage on his house, hence giving this tomato its name. The slightly flattened, pinkish-red tomatoes ranges from 1 pound all the way to 3 pounds and are meaty, very flavorful and only have few tomato seeds. The Indeterminate Mortgage Lifter is vigorous and one of our best sellers.
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Key Attributes

Sun
Sun: Full Sun
Packet
Packet: 25 Seeds
Days To Maturity (# Days)
Days To Maturity (# Days): 82
Botanical Name
Botanical Name: Solanum lycopersicum

Product Details

Weight

0.005

Depth

0.025

Height

4.5

Width

3.25

Vine

Indeterminate

Plant Height

3-5'

Botanical Name

Solanum lycopersicum

Seed Type

Seed

Additional Characteristics

Low Seeds

Seeds Per Gram

335

Seeds Per Pound

152,000

Tomato Leaf Type

Regular Leaf

Row Spacing

4'

Packet

25 Seeds

Sow Depth

1/4"

Seeds Per Ounce

9,500

Fruit Color

Red

Breed

Open-pollinated

Sun

Full Sun

Types

BEEFSTEAK TOMATOES

Maturity

Main Season

Fruit Weight

16-48 oz

Growing Conditions

Field Production

Fruit

Main Season

Life Cycle

Annual

Sow Method

Transplant

Plant Spacing

36"

Categories

Tomato

Germination

11,12,13,14,5,6,7,8,9,10

Days To Maturity (# Days)

82

Heirloom

Heirloom

Seeds Per Acre

1 oz.

Growth Habit

Indeterminate

Components

Growing Instructions

    Learning Download: How to Grow Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the most common plants grown in the garden, but they are usually grown from transplants bought at the store and not seeds. However, growing a tomato from seed allows for more options when it comes to the type of tomatoes a gardener wants to grow. Tomatoes range from typical red to yellow to seedless and heirloom varieties. Homegrown tomatoes taste delicious fresh, or they can be used for canning, sauces and other recipes.

Before Planting: Tomatoes should be grown in a sunny location with good soil drainage.

Planting: Start seeds indoors under controlled conditions. Use soilless grow media. Place in a sunny window with at least 8 hours of sunlight. Water only when soil feels dry to touch. No fertilizer is needed until transplanting. Using a heating pad to keep the soil between 70-80°F. Slowly introduce your tomato seedlings to the outdoor environment one week before transplanting. Each day add more time outside. Start with shade and no wind outdoors and work your way up gradually to sun and wind. Transplant after last frost date and soil temperature has reach 60°F.

Watering: Water at least 1 inch per week. Always water the base of the plant and not the leaves.

Fertilizer: Add 1 ounce of high phosphorus fertilizer (5-10-10) in hole before transplanting. Fertilize again when first tomatoes begin to appear and then again when first tomato is picked.

Days to Maturity: Tomatoes are ripe when they have reached the right color – red for red tomatoes, yellow for yellow tomatoes and so on – and are slightly soft when squeezed. This is usually 65 to 80 days after planting.

Harvesting: Fully vine-ripen fruit only for local retailing or use. To deliver sound fruit, pick fruit less ripe the further the distance and the longer the time between the field and the customer. Store firm, ripe fruit 45-60°F for 4-7 days. Some varieties will store longer.

Tips: Learn the common tomato diseases in your area. Select resistant varieties. For prevention, use young, healthy transplants, avoid overhead irrigation, plow in tomato plant refuse in the fall, rotate crops, and do not handle tobacco or smoke before handling plants. Fungicides can reduce certain diseases when properly selected and applied. Prevent Blossom End Rot by providing abundant soil calcium and an even supply of soil moisture. Use row covers to protect young seedlings from flea beetles. Tomato hornworms can be controlled with bacillus thuringiensis. Use spinosad for potato beetle larvae and adults.

Avg. Planting Rates: Avg. 785 seeds/667 plants to produce 1,000 ft. of row. Avg. 8,540 seeds/1 oz., to produce 1 acre of transplants, 18″ between plants in rows 4′ apart (7,260 plants needed).

Shipping Schedule

Our Seed Promise

"Agriculture and seeds" provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.

The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political, and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, to genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems, and ultimately to healthy people and communities.

To learn more about the "Safe Seed Pledge" please visit www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org.