This book is the culmination of many years of gardening, with countless tomatoes grown and tasted. The one constant throughout all of those years has been my wife, Susan. The endless support, prodding, and, especially, patience that she provided, starting with our very first garden just after our wedding, made this book, as well as the deep happiness that I experience daily, possible. Susan knew I had this book in me for many years, and, finally, here it is. Susan, my love for you only grows each day, and I couldn’t have done it without your faith in me.
I was fortunate to have expert tomato tasters, and occasional garden helpers, as daughters. Instead of thinking of their dad as “unusual,” they not only took part in and enjoyed our annual tomato bounty but developed a love of gardening themselves. Sara and Caitlin, I am absolutely delighted with who you are, and how you are living your lives.
My love of gardening was initiated by my dad, Wilfred — a noted heirloom tomato grower himself in the twilight of his life — and grand-father, Walter. In fact, my gramps’s tomatoes were the ones that converted me to a lover of the fruit (or is it a vegetable?). His were the first I dared to taste, and it was love at first bite.
My tomato passion was stimulated, molded, and energized by many people over the years. Certainly, the interest expressed by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy during my early years as a member of the Seed Savers Exchange went a long way in giving me the confidence to jump in with both feet. Of my various gardening friends through the years, none has been as steadfast in his support and interest as Jeff Fleming. Many years after meeting at Dartmouth, Jeff and I can still spend hours discussing tomatoes, music, and life in general. Also crucial to my early tomato years was Carolyn Male, who spends countless hours providing useful advice to tomato growers everywhere.
It was always astounding to me that my out-of-control hobby was of such interest to so many, but I did find myself walking through my garden with many people along the way, the result being lovely articles in local newspapers and magazines. I deeply appreciate the kind treatment received from Jane Pepper, John Snow, Jack Ruttle, Debbie Moose, A. C. Snow, and Pam Beck in those early, formative years of my obsession with tomatoes. Many others followed and treated me very well in print, but you were the first to spread the word about what I do.
Each spring since the late 1990s, I get to reunite with so many of our “annual tomato friends” — our vegetable seedlings customers — at the Raleigh Farmers Market or in our driveway. Spreading the stories and joy of growing heirloom vegetables to them has been a joy and helps to energize my own gardening efforts. My wife, Susan, and I have watched families and hobbies grow before our very eyes, and we feel honored and fortunate to have been able to do so.
One of the most interesting recent pieces of my tomato puzzle is the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project, and my project co-leader, Patrina Nuske Small. The project would not have thrived without a way to discuss it collaboratively with all of our many participants, and the Tomatoville website created and managed by Craig Shea is a critical success factor. To the hundreds of volunteers all over the world, thanks for the hard work and exciting results.
Tomatopalooza provided a way to share tomato-tasting experiences locally. Lee Newman, the event cofounder, Lori Wheatley and Brian Sadler, whose organization and photography of many of the events led directly to their success, and Jimmy Holcomb and Fred Stewart, hosts of the most successful examples, all feed into the experiences that are this book.
I’ve met so many others who have contributed to my tomato hobby/addiction/profession. In no particular order, among them are Bill Minkey, Neil Lockhart, Ira Wallace, Sarig Agassi, Jeff and Patti McCormack, Rob Johnston and Janika Eckert, Mike and Denise Dunton, Tatiana Koucharevna, Ted Maiden, Darrel Jones, Keith Mueller, Alex and Betsy Hitt, and all of our wonderful tomato seedling customers and various hosts and hostesses to tomato lectures. Special thanks go to Nancy Butterfield and Reitzel Deaton for answering the tomato SOS for this book. For a hobby that is in the midst of a 35-year run, so many helped me along the way, and for anyone I’ve left out by name, please understand how much I appreciate you.
My two best Raleigh-area friends, Allen Jones and Bob Willoughby, exhibited great patience and attention during our weekly lunch sessions over many years as I regaled them with various tomato stories. I deeply appreciate their encouragement, support, and enduring friendship.
Finally, thanks go to Niki Jabbour for tapping my tomato brain for occasional spots on her wonderful radio show and making the connection with Storey Publishing; to Stephen Garrett, Kip Dawkins, and Marcie Blough for the incredible photographs; to Carleen Madigan for superb editing support and being so gentle and patient with her requests to me; and to Carolyn Eckert for her art direction of this book.
I consider myself fortunate indeed to have received valuable family heirloom seeds from so many gardeners through the years. I've kept all of the letters and consider them priceless. This small sampling shows how unique — and rich with stories — they are.
I’m sending some [seeds] of probably the world’s smallest tomato. My brother in New Mexico, who is a truck driver to Texas (with hay) got these seeds there, said he was told that they came from Mexico. They are more of a josh tomato with a real sweet flavor but is mostly juice & seeds. They don’t mix with any other tomato and come up year after year. . . .They might be wild. They don’t run out until frost. Nothing hinders them.
— Barney Laman, Chico, CA
I talked with the lady that gave me the purple tomato seed. She got them from her neighbors several years ago. The only thing they know about them is that the tomato has been in their family for about 100 years and they were gotten from the Cherokee Indians. . . . I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything more about them.
— J.D. Green, Sevierville, TN
Mortgage Lifter: developed during 1920s or 1930s. This strain was obtained from the Ashland, KY/Huntington, WV area, where it has been raised for several generations. It is a large, pink-skinned tomato resembling a beefsteak type with a sweet mild flavor and relatively few seeds. It has a long maturation period and should be started indoors. It is somewhat slow to develop, but is quite vigorous once it gets going.
— James Halladay, Fairview, PA
Thank you for the seeds. I have enclosed the ones you wanted to try and also my Mortgage Lifter. It is a large dark pink and very delicious. They don’t always grow smooth but when you see their size you get surprised. My dad is 84 and mom is 74 and for family use, they won’t grow any other kind. They raise smooth ones to take to the farmers market but keep all the Mortgage Lifters for themselves. I told them about all my different kinds of seeds and Dad said “Why?” I guess a person can get their mind set and that’s that.
— Charlotte Mullens, Summersville, WV
I have enclosed a small sample of tomato seeds. This variety was given to my grandfather (Kenneth Wilcox) a number of years ago by a Russian immigrant whose family sent him the seed. I have been growing it for several years now but our growing season is not quite long enough for the majority of the fruit to ripen. . . . Please grow these seeds and send me a note on how they do for you.
—Brenda Hillenius, Corvallis, OR
