Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Goose Creek and Creole ramblings in history

Blueaussi · January 2, 2010

I certainly agree with the comments on the ethics, or lack there of, of folks trying to make a bunch of money off heirloom or open pollinated varieties of any plant. Brushing all that aside for the moment, however, I'm wondering about the actual history of the Goose Creek tomato.

How possible is it that it is an actual family heirloom, that the ancestress did bring seeds of a tomato from the West Indies; but over the years it cross-pollinated and/or was selected to get the tomato we know as Goose Creek? That is is a family heirloom, just not exactly what they think it is?

I'm interested because of its association with South Carolina. I I help out every year with a plant booth at the Historic Camden Revolutionary War Park twice a year. We operate on donations, and the money goes to Historic Camden. Although we'll take anything, I like to bring in plants with some history, and sometimes if we can trace it back far enough, one or two of my plants end up in a garden there. So, while I'm very interested in growing Goose Creek for myself, I would also like to have a couple of plants to take to Historic Camden for their garden. If, that is, the history cleared up a bit.

January 2, 2010	#7
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	I certainly agree with the comments on the ethics, or lack there of, of folks trying to make a bunch of money off heirloom or open pollinated varieties of any plant. Brushing all that aside for the moment, however, I'm wondering about the actual history of the Goose Creek tomato. How possible is it that it is an actual family heirloom, that the ancestress did bring seeds of a tomato from the West Indies; but over the years it cross-pollinated and/or was selected to get the tomato we know as Goose Creek? That is is a family heirloom, just not exactly what they think it is? I'm interested because of its association with South Carolina. I I help out every year with a plant booth at the Historic Camden Revolutionary War Park twice a year. We operate on donations, and the money goes to Historic Camden. Although we'll take anything, I like to bring in plants with some history, and sometimes if we can trace it back far enough, one or two of my plants end up in a garden there. So, while I'm very interested in growing Goose Creek for myself, I would also like to have a couple of plants to take to Historic Camden for their garden. If, that is, the history cleared up a bit.