100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden

Dr. Carolyn Male is a world-class gardener and prolific internet tomato forum poster and this book is THE bible for heirloom tomato growers. Dr Male knows more about each variety of he hundreds of heirloom tomatoes than most people probably know about tomatoes in general. There is some solid, though brief, info on gardening tips and tricks in the first section, especially good is her guide to saving seeds for future plating or sharing with other gardeners to preserve these special fruits. The main bulk of the book is her encyclopedic look at 100 of the better heirlooms available, each plant displayed with a beautiful full-page photograph opposite her description covering growth habits, best uses, history and taste of the fruits. I only wish there was about 5 more volumes of this wonderful book. This along with Amy Goldman's "The Heirloom Tomato" are by far my favorite tomato references in my collection of dozens of such books.

We love tomatoes and try different varieties each year along with the ones we've found to be keepers. I rarely grow any hybrids for several reasons.There are so many varieties of heirloom and open pollinated tomatoes to choose from and most (not all) offer more diversity of flavor, size and color than the hybrids.When I find varieties that we especially like and do well in our garden, I like knowing that I can save seed and not have to purchase new seed each year to continue growing them.I purchased this book and another large book on heirloom tomatoes. While both contain many varieties I haven't tried yet, neither of them contained some that are among my favorites.One gardeners' experience regarding yield and flavor does not indicate another garden or gardener will have the same experience. Varieties grown in the same garden, by the same gardener using the same techniques, will vary from year to year due to differences in temperature, water, shade, nutrients and many other factors.Where we live, most tomatoes stop setting fruit when our temperatures get too high. Some plants survive the long hot period to set more fruit later and many do not.Those that perform well and taste great become repeaters in our garden and those that don't perform well will probably not be grown again.Ironically, my experience with some of the varieties that others have found to provide high yields has been the opposite. Some people prefer tomatoes that are sweet, some prefer acidic tomatoes and some like a balance of sweet and acid. We like variety of flavors, sizes and colors because one size does not fit all needs or purposes.If I can pick up a few tips from someone else's experience or learn of a variety that might perform well in my climate and conditions, I'm grateful.For instance, Aunt Ruby's Green tomato is always mentioned by heirloom growers. I've tried growing it 2 or 3 times now and been disappointed each time I did. The plants did not set many tomatoes for me and I always ended up regretting allotting the space for it. Cherokee Green performs much better for me. One year during the long hot spell, a single Creole tomato continued to set fruit. The other mid to large sized tomatoes just dropped blossoms.People should not expect any book written by someone else to describe what their experience will be with a plant.I enjoy reading about open pollinated and heirloom plants and since there are so many heirlooms, no single book is likely to cover all of them. I feel this book deserves a spot on my shelf, along with several others on the subject.

This is not a book about growing tomatoes but a very wonderful book about tomatoes with a history. Tells about flavor , productivity, growth habits,etc that has inspired many gardeners to try heirloom tomatoes that we never would have known about without this book. i have bought 2 copies just in case i ever misplace one. my favorite gardening book ever.

I have a small greenhouse and sell organic heirloom tomato plants. This book is my tomato bible! I am growing many of the plants she lists. Some I already knew about, some will be new this year, based on the information in this book. In addition, this book contains the simplest and clearest instructions I have found for saving seeds.Her pictures - well, they are REAL! What a concept! Instead of pictures of these pristine tomatoes that were probably airbrushed, the pictures of her cherry tomatoes show a little crack here and there, and she unabashedly shows scarring and other blemishes. She shows top views, bottom views, and each picture shows a cut tomato so one can see the flesh. For a tomato grower like me, this is great information.Her descriptions are frank, and since I was already growing some of these tomatoes myself, I know they are honest. You ever notice how the descriptions of the tomatoes in the catalogs imply that EVERY tomato is the BEST tomato? Dr. Male tells it like it is! In fact, she describes some of them having some faults, but has listed them for other reasons. (We agree - Amish Paste? Ho-hum. But historically significant and in spite of its faults, a very popular tomato.)If you are a tomato aficionado, then you must add this book to your library! I will have a copy at my booth at the farmers market - and I bet it will be dog-eared by the end of the tomato season! I may have to buy another!

I ordered this book years before I started gardening. It was an excellent first choice because it made it easy to skip the corporate hybrids and go straight to growing from seed, once I was ready to make this a serious hobby.This won't tell you how to start from seed (well, it does a little), but the real value is in establishing vision as to where you want to go with your tomatoes, in terms of how awesome you want them to be. At least, that's what it did for me. I especially appreciated her recommendations as to which heirlooms would be best for the novice, market farmer, and for other growers.Dr. Male writes with the authority of an expert, but the comfortable familiarity of a backyard neighbor, chatting with you over some ice tea. She left me wanting more, and I'm not talking about the tea. I've thumbed through all these pages many times, and no doubt will again in the future.For the above reasons, I've given the book five stars, because it is SO worth the money. If she ever decides to write another book about tomatoes, I would want to buy it no matter what she actually decided to say. However, I would hope it would be different in the following ways: more stories from her rich past, more varieties of heirloom tomatoes and more details about how to get started.The book is also a well designed, printed with quality in a format that is easy to browse.

I had bought this book previously, but it got lost in my move. I have a nice garden area at my new place, so I wanted to get another copy of the book.The information is great, and the photos are awesome. If they don't get you excited to grow your own tomatoes, nothing will. ;)

This is the book for anybody who has ever bitten into a store-bought tomato and wondered whatever happened to rich, juicy flavor. Three years ago I was asking myself that same question when I stumbled across Dr. Carolyn Male's 100 HEIRLOOM TOMATOES FOR THE AMERICAN GARDEN.Written by an avid Seed Savers' Exchange member after she had grown more than 1,000 heirloom varieties of tomato, this book is an introduction to open-pollinated (as opposed to the unjustly popular hybridized) tomatoes for home gardeners. Dr. Male manages to discuss the historical and present significance of cultivating these heirlooms in a rational voice while yet relaying her passion for the flavorful heritage they represent to her. The field guide has full-page photographs of each kind with notes on their colorful origins, flavor types and everything else you could want to know about these personal treasures. Soon you will find yourself caught up in the mania to seek out the assortment of seeds that will yield tomatoes with character, lore and unbeatable taste.Although it has a truncated field guide format and flexible cover, 100 HEIRLOOM TOMATOES also serves as an excellent primer for general tomato culture. In the first 42 pates you will learn about selecting the right heirloom for your purposes, germinating and transplanting, common diseases and conditions, saving your own seeds, etc. Dr. Male looks at various standard schools of thought thoughout this section while presenting good arguments for her own practices.I found this book to be one of the more honest examinations of tomato varieties, from Dr. Male's frank mention of both pros and cons down to the photos, which displayed typical physiological flaws alongside more perfect examples of the fruit and foliage. After growing and sampling for myself several of the tomatoes recommended here, I can testify that the descriptions are spot-on while leaving some room for differing climatic and cultural conditions. Dr. Male's degree in microbiology and her regular gardening magazine article contributions further reinforce her as a noted authority in this field. This is a guide that the home gardener can have confidence in.Recommended for any home vegetable gardener and not a few specialty market gardeners besides.-Andrea, aka Merribelle.

I confess to a passionate love of growing tomatoes that goes back to childhood. And I have an equal love for the taste of those sun-warm, acid-sweet juicy fruits that make summer taste like summer. This year, finally moving to a tomato-friendly climate for the first time in two decades, I rushed to plant an heirloom tomato even in a container, before I could cultivate a true garden.Heirloom tomatoes come from seeds saved by tomato enthusiasts who have done us all the huge favor of preserving varieties of tomatoes that taste great, look interesting (all kinds of colors) and far better than the F1 hybrid boring red globes palmed off by the average seed company. While F1 hybrid tomatoes are easy and reliable and very disease-resistant, they often lack that huge tomato taste we all remember from childhood. (These hybrid tomatoes do have their place, however. Some of the modern hybrids will mature in a very short time, thus are the only tomatoes you can grow in hostile climates like Germany and New England.)This book has all the information I need for next year's adventure in tomato culture. It lists 100 heirloom varieties, gives their strengths (resistance to common tomato ailments, pleasing taste, form) and their weaknesses as well. In addition, Dr. Male provides the history of the variety, which is interesting reading.The pictures by photographer Frank Iannotti are not only mouthwateringly lovely, but they accurately show a typical batch of tomatoes from a given cultivar--not all the fruits are perfect, some have typical defects such as stitching, weird shapes and other oddities. This gives you an accurate idea of what to expect.I compared Dr. Male's description of Yellow Brandywine to my experience this year. Right on every point, and her explanation of "Blossom End Rot" (an ailment that produces soft black disgusting spots at the blossom end of the fruit) was excellent. I found out my tomatoes were stressed by our constant brisk winds here in Delaware, not a deficiency of calcium in the soil or water. I know now I must plant a variety that is not prone to this defect, because it is often breezy here.The front section of the book is devoted to tomato culture, and is very complete, showing staking and trellises, saving seeds, transplanting starter plants, and more.I rate this a big green THUMBS UP and will be salivating all winter as I plan my next tomato garden for 2003.

This book got me hooked on vegetable gardening at the age of 62. It is simple, strauight forward,and encouraging. Dr. Male's book introduced me to heirloom tomatoes and the explantions of what to expect and how to solve or avoid problems made me feel comfortable to go forward. I bought the book two years ago, and I still go back to review and look up things that I forgot. The book also has great pictures of the tomatoes that she writes about.

While I was impressed with the exhaustive (yet lively) informationprovided by Dr. Carolyn Male, perhaps MOST IMPORTANT to tomatogrowers are the realistic pictures. Instead of 100 photos of"perfect tomatoes" - you see the imperfections associated witheach variety: i.e. if the tomato is prone to cracking, greenshoulders, or catfacing... she tells you this AND providespictures! Two years ago, I was kicking myself for producing oddlyshaped and sometimes ugly heirloom tomatoes. Sure wish I had thisbook back then.If YOU plan to grow heirloom tomatoes... BUY THIS BOOK!!!

This book is so well organized and the information provided for each of the featured tomatoes is impressive. Really liked how each tomato has a full page color photograh of it with its foliage, and how some maters are sliced in half to show the inside characteristics. The only thing that could be better is to have a sequel book with another 100 different varieties.

Best guide ever for beginning to learn the intricacies of heirloom tomato varieties to grow at home. Warning - this book can lead to addiction.

This is a great book. I especially love the pictures with cross-sections of each tomato so you can see the meatiness before you buy. I also appriciate that the taste of each one is described in detail. My only complaint is that a lot of great tomatoes are missing from this book. I hope the next volume has about 500 varieties to truley reflect the unique color, taste and shape variations in heirloom tomatoes.

Dr. Male is one of the foremost authorities when it comes to Tomatoes. She has dedicated her life to interbreeding of new cultivars and enlightening others to the world of growing tomatoes. Her book includes many pictures, descriptions, and backgrounds about 100 different varieties. If you have a passion for tomatoes, this book is a must for your reading collection.

takes all the guess work away and lets you focus on the tomatoes that are worth growing.I think a must have book