Mortgage Lifter
Heirloom tomato · Solanum lycopersicum
- Breeding
- Heirloom
- Growth habit
- Indeterminate
- Days to maturity
- 80-85 days
- Fruit
- pink, beefsteak
- Weight
- 16-32 oz
- Bred by
- -
Origin & history
Developed in the 1930s-40s by M.C. 'Radiator Charlie' Byles of Logan, West Virginia, who crossed his four biggest tomatoes for six years, then sold plants for a dollar apiece and paid off his mortgage, the origin story is documented in recorded family interviews. Huge meaty pink fruit.
Measurements
| Measurement | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Days to maturity | 80-85 days | Consensus range across the cited sources, which include both independent references and commercial catalogs. |
| Fruit weight | 16-32 oz | Typical range for the cultivar, as a consensus across the cited sources. Not a measured mean from any single crop: fruit weight varies with season, spacing and where on the plant the fruit set. |
Traits
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistance, typical of heirlooms and older open-pollinated varieties. See tomato diseases for the cultural playbook that fills the gap.
Related varieties
- heirloom
Aunt Ginny's Purple
78-85 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Brandywine
80-100 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Brandywine, Sudduth's Strain
85-95 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Hungarian Heart
80-85 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Marianna's Peace
85-90 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Omar's Lebanese
80-90 days · Indeterminate
Head to head
Explore all tomato varieties · compare any two · when to plant it where you are
Sources & References
Evidence: 3 sources, including 1 independent reference.
- Victory Seeds variety histories · Victory Seed Company, Seed Catalog
- Seed Savers Exchange catalog & variety histories · Seed Savers Exchange, Community Collection
- Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners · Cornell University Cooperative Extension, University or Government