Generations of Good Taste

• Heirloom tomatoes, as opposed to their commercial cousins, are those that have been passed down from generation to generation, without interference designed to make them hardier, redder, rounder or more easily trucked to markets. These tomatoes are often grown from seeds saved by gardeners and traded or sold in small batches. Seeds for heirloom tomatoes are also available from some commercial seed companies.
  
  

Growing Heirlooms

• Heirloom tomatoes come in many colors, shapes and sizes. You might find white, pink or yellow heirlooms that are as tiny in grapes or as large as softballs. They also can be perfectly round, oblongs, almost flat disk-shapes or any shape in between. These tomatoes, because they aren't genetically manipulated for ease of growing, are more difficult than hybrid or commercial tomatoes to grow. Heirloom tomatoes are usually indeterminate, which means they continue to grow and produce all season. They must be contained in larger cages than commercial tomato plants and sometimes trimmed with care to avoid damaging the plant.
  
  

Taste

• Heirloom tomatoes have not had their flavor traded for hardiness as commercial tomatoes have. The flavor of a homegrown heirloom tomato can be dramatically different, and often better, than that of the tomatoes available in the produce section. These tomatoes have different purposes, some are grown for saucing, some for eating fresh. Tiny grape or patio tomatoes are tasty in a salad or as is for a fresh-from-the-vine snack. While commercial tomatoes are artificially bred for hardiness, color and size, heirloom tomatoes are organically bred for taste as gardeners save the seeds from their best plants year after year.
  
  

A Piece of History

• Growing heirloom tomatoes and saving their seeds for yourself and to share with other gardeners is an important part of the history of tomatoes. Growers have passed their favorites along in families and to neighbors for centuries. These tomatoes are often collected and enjoyed as a hobby. Because of the delicate nature of the fruits of these plants, heirloom tomatoes are often sold in small batches by growers at farmer's markets and farm stands, rather than in grocery store produce aisles. They are only available in season, making them a special summer treat.