Just bought Carolyns book today on Amazon. Can't wait till it arrives. None of the book stores in San Antonio had it either. They could order it and I would get it in about 6 weeks at twice the price. The price isn't such a problem as time. I need to pick some seeds out for a fall garden.

anytime you want a book, just go here.

[url]http://www.fetchbook.info/100_heirloom_tomatoes.html[/url]

now click on the compare prices. and fill in your country of origin and it will do the shipping charges. it will later remember your country of origin.

Carolyn, I have a new Heirloom. been grown for 100 years. I will send you some tomatoes later and you can eat the best tomato you have ever tasted and save some seeds besides. I want to ask your help on what to do with this find and how to name it. it is a big beefsteak type. I know the farmer who saved it since 1907. he brought it with him in 1907 from Portuguese Azores. it was his jewel of his life. well he is in heaven right now. but his son had a few start plants for me. he gave me 10 plants. so I should have plenty for you. unfortunately the son is now very old and will not be able to carry on the genetics. no one else is interested in keeping it going.

I like this site much better than GW. just my preference.

My mother , god bless her soul, had a similar problem as you have. You will be in my prayers every day.

Organic,

This thread is not really the place for discussing your new heirloom, but the thread you started below is.

And I'd be glad to help you name it, as perhaps would others.

There's a variety called Neves Azorean Red, also from the Azores, and actually I started a thread at GW to allow folks to see what goes into naming a new unnamed heirloom. And then I sent free seeds to all 22 folks who participated in that thread. :)

So why don't you continue posting about this new heirloom in the thread you've already started? I think that would be best.

Organic_nut...thanks for that link! I just ordered the book, at a price which I will not reveal in Carolyn's presence! :oops: Let's just say it was a real steal.

I gave Carolyn's book to my mother this past Sunday for her 80th B-Day. She just loved it! She has been growing tomatoes for as long as she can remember. She recalled helping her mother and father break soil on their "dirt farm" in Nebraska during the depression to grow tomatoes.

For years she has only planted hybrids--Big Beef, Celebrity, etc. It has only been in the last couple of years that I have gotten her interested in heirlooms. Last year she tried Brandywine for the first time and really loved them. This year she has a few Rutgers, Black Prince and Sioux.

We spent a good amount of time together reading through the book and discussing varities to grow in the future...while talking about this she stopped and said...Gee, I may be getting ahead of myself...I am 80 you know! I looked to her and said she has a good many years to come growing tomatoes! She is in good health and I pray she does...

She spoke to her local nursery and they were kind enough to offer to grow out any seeds she brought in...so I suspect we will be spending the summer talking tomatoes and buying new seeds!

"She spoke to her local nursery and they were kind enough to offer to grow out any seeds she brought in...so I suspect we will be spending the summer talking tomatoes and buying new seeds!"

Adenn, how wonderful to share your love and knowledge of tomatoes with your Mom! That is really special! And that is so wonderful that the local nursery will grow out seeds for her so she can try new kinds. My mom is soon to be 84 and I cherish every day with her.

I am a book addict and loved this book. Good, straight-foward information and the pictures were beautiful yet totally in keeping with what any home gardener might see in their own garden. So many times you get gardening books that depict the biggest and best of everything; and you're left wondering "Heck, what did I do wrong?" Kinda like the Hollywood celebrity. You might want to look like that but you never will, LOL. It was refreshing to see perfect fruits and some not-so-perfect because that is what really happens.

I bougt my copy a few years ago after I heard discussions about it on GW. It sat on my end table in my bedroom and was my pre to bed reading almost the entire winter. It is still in my office whenever I need a refresher. It is just a great book. I have grown out many of the tomatoes in the book and have always been pleased with the selections.
Great read!!

I wanted to add my thanks to Carolyn as well for her wonderful descriptions and photos. I'm constantly going through the book for one thing or another (which ones does she say she's never seen BER on, or what might be some good hearts, or which are noted as consistently high production, or...) People have finally quit trying to put it away somewhere when they straighten up the house, because i'll just drag it back out and leave it somewhere. Seriously, just a wonderful reference. I bought a couple of other books when I ventured into tomatoes, and Carolyn's is the only one I actually look at.

Carolyn's Great Book
 

I have found only one other tomato book that catches my interest like "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden." And I bought that book based on the reccommendations Carolyn made.

"Livingston and the Tomato" is somewhat of a tougher read, but is loaded with all sorts of interesting information.

But, back to Carolyn's book. I would hope that she may try another. Since there are thousands of heirloom varieties, perhaps maybe she'd like to focus on 100 European varieties that do well in the American climate?

Thanks to Carolyn and Craig, I've got a Golden Queen and a Paragon producing scads of tomatoes this summer.

What does "blemish-free" mean?
 

Carolyn, I don't know if you ever visit this thread, but I have a question if you do. It's specific to some phrasing in your book, so I didn't really want to start a new thread for it. When you say that a variety has "blemish-free" fruits, does that include BER? I've been carefully reading through to try to find varieties that are less likely to have BER, so have been particularly watching for those where you say you've never seen BER, but am also looking at others where you describe them as blemish-free. I'm totally fine with cracking or rough shoulders. I've definitely had better luck this year than last, but I do have that extra year of experience under my belt now too. :lol: At the moment, I'm restricted to containers. We cut a couple of trees down in the back and there's enough light back there now that my poor shade garden is suffering, so I may be able to have a few tomatoes in ground next year. I so appreciate your book and your help on the forums. Thank you!

Supergirl,

Sure I read this thread as you asked. Haven't you seen the several posts I've made when you read through? :)

When I say blemish free I'm not talking about BER. I'm talking about lack of black stiching, hollows and high points, large blossom scars, belly buttons and the like.

All of the varieties in the book I've grown several times, some more than others and when i say I've not seen any BER that pertains to my conditions where they were grown, how I grow them and all else, and should not and cannot be applied to other regions and how others grow their tomatoes and the weather in those areas and how much they irrigate if they don't live in an area such as mine where the water falls from the sky .

Growing in containers is a whole other issue and none of the varieties in my book were grown by me in containers for almost always they are grown by sprawling in a large field.

But hopefully those that have little to no BER for me might be ones to take a look/see at to see how they do inground in your own area.

Carolyn, thank you for your very quick answer! I knew you checked in now and then, but wasn't sure how regularly you visit a particular thread, since there are so many other threads (and forums) needing your attention as well. :)

I appreciate your very helpful clarification. That's what I suspected, since you did specifically call out BER for some varieties. I'm having better luck this year with the varieties I picked using the book for guidance, especially Boxcar Willie. Though I've still been able to inflict BER on a couple of varieties that you hadn't seen it on. :oops: I'm really enjoying the learning experience, though!

Carolyn,

Just bought another copy of your book and shipped it off to my sister for her birthday. She's been growing tomatoes for years, but just recently started to invest more time in heirlooms, just like me.

Barnes and Noble should keep more copies of that book in stock. I had to drive all over town to get my copy. I know my sister will enjoy it very much.

I know this question must have been asked of you time and time again, but is there a chance that you'll write another book? A followup to the first one?

Great Book. Haven't put it down since it arrived. Unfortunately I don't have the garden space for a 100 Tomatoes hehe but this book certainly makes me wish I did. I love the layout you used for the variety section. It is a nice guide book and I will deffinetly be adding my own notes to each variety I grow in the handy little space below your own notes! As others have said I really hope in the future there is perhaps a chance of a follow up book. I love just reading about each variety and maybe you can do a new book tittled a 1,000 Heirloom Tomatoes To Read About In Bed! :P