Southern Living Heirloom Tomato Article

[BlackestKrim]

This month's Southern Living has a nice article on heirloom tomatoes. I can't find it on their website. It is overall positive and informative. However, it starts the article naming Black Cherry as an heirloom, and then later in the article says that

" 'Green Zebra' , a hybrid, is often considered an heirloom but is a result of recent breeding."

??
Black cherry, released in 2003, can be an heirloom, but Green Zebra, released in the 80's, is a hybrid?

They then follow it up with a quoted opinion that to some an 'heirloom tomato' can just mean any tomato grown for taste, quality of fruit, unique size, or colorful flesh; as opposed to tomatoes grown commercially.

I think they should have run their article by a tomato expert like Carolyn before publishing. If they understood the difference between heirloom, OP, and hybrid; that might have helped. GZ, while derived from hybridization, is NOT a hybrid.

Still, the article was meant for a general audience and other than that was very good. It lauded the taste and variety of heirlooms, explained what 'open-pollinated' meant, and had lots of glossy photos of varieties like Flamme, Cherokee Purple, Black Cherry, San Marzano, etc.
It avoided the 'heirlooms will die of disease!" cliche, instead quoted a person saying:

"heirloom types come from a time before disease resistance was crossbred into plants. Instead, most older tomato types have a natural resistance that comes from being grown continually for so many years. 'That doesn't mean an heirloom will survive the whole summer free from our Southern blight, ' she says. 'But if you feed it well and add compost and mulch, your tomato will grow just fine.' "

[nangisha]

pardon me asking this....

what is the difference between OP and Heirloom. I think both the same because they were the not hybrid and you can safe the seed.

[Qweniden]

Originally Posted by nangisha

pardon me asking this....

what is the difference between OP and Heirloom. I think both the same because they were the not hybrid and you can safe the seed.

OP = Open Pollinated = The seed from a plant makes plants of the same type. Think of it as a "stable type".

Heirloom = An OP line that has a history. They can be older family heirlooms or older commerial varieties. How old a line needs to be to be considered an heirloom seems to be a matter of debate.

[Qweniden]

Ive noticed that to the public at large "heirloom" just means a unique looking or tasting tomato. I see hydrids like SunGold being labeled as heirlooms all the time. Sometimes I let the propritiers know and they just ignore me.

[nangisha]

is the any one who ever limited it by years.

[feldon30]

Oh boy...

Green Zebra is not an heirloom because it was bred by Tom Wagner less than 30 years ago. It is not a hybrid, otherwise saving seeds would produce unexpected results.

• All Heirlooms are Open Pollinated.
• All Open Pollinated varieties are not Heirlooms.

and...

• Some say Heirloom means 50+ years old. Others don't like the idea of a sliding definition.

• Some say Heirloom means it comes from before the dawn of modern hybrids (1948). This means 50 years from now, the most recent heirloom tomato variety will still hail from 1947.

• Some say Heirloom means it has been handed down in a generation from mother to daughter, father to son, etc.

There is no consensus on the definition of heirloom. However explaining open pollinated to the guy/girl on the street is like trying to explain quantum mechanics to a crossing guard. I just say heirloom and they know what I mean, even if the definition is a bit muddled. If they show any interest in knowing more, I explain the difference.