Brandywine Tomatoes
Get the most from this heirloom variety
If you're a tomato gardener, you already know a lot about how to succeed with the mainstay hybrids (Beefmaster, Early Girl, etc.). These standards have been developed to have consistent, excellent results.
Maybe you've heard the buzz about "heirloom" tomatoes and want to get in on the action. The Brandywine tomato variety Beier's added to its usual line is a great place to start. These plants are slightly different from the ones you might be used to growing, and benefit from just a little more attention.
- Use 1-3 inches of mulch (mulch keeps your tomato crop clean, reduces weeds and helps trap moisture)
- Vines tend to sprawl, so use tomato cages
- The skins might crack, so pick them promptly when they're ripe
- The leaves look a lot like potatoes
- No two plants look identical
- They usually produce about 90 days after transplanting
- Fruits are more pink than deep red
- Fruits weigh 1 to 1 1/2 pounds (that's big)
- They are intensely "tomato-y" so prepare for taste bud overdrive
Keep these tips in mind when you grow Beier's heirloom Brandywine tomatoes. Be sure to mulch and use a cage, and pick them promptly. You'll be rewarded by these sensational tomatoes all season.
History of this variety
In 1982, Ohio gardener Ben Quisenberry brought the Brandywine variety to the Seed Savers Exchange. He traced its history back to Doris Suddith Hill, who claimed the seeds had been in her family for 80 years.
Brandywine seeds were advertised in the Burpee catalog as far back as 1882. There's even a rumor that Amish settlers brought Brandywine seeds with them when they came to the United States.
By the way, www.seedsavers.org is a really wonderful website with information on heirloom, rare, and organic seeds. It's fun just to browse the vegetable and flower information they have there. For instance, did you know that lemon balm was the favorite tea of French King Charles V?
Sources: VictorySeeds.com, University of Arkansas, seedsavers.org
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