Mortgage Lifter, Radiator Charlie's TOMATO .16g seed, USDA Certified Organic
	Quantity in Basket:none Code: 49128 Price: $2.95
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(vw, fw1) 79 days (Indeterminate) [Developed by M.C. Byles in the 1930's and released to SESE as an exclusive variety in 1985 with all rights reserved. A legendary tomato always in demand in the Mid-Atlantic states. The following history is based on portions of our 1985 taped interview with M.C. Byles who developed this tomato in the early 1930's while in Logan, WV. Mr Byles is affectionately known as "Radiator Charlie". He earned that nickname from the radiator repair business he opened at the foot of a steep hill on which trucks would often overheat. Radiator Charlie had no formal education or plant breeding experience, yet he created this legendary tomato by cross-breeding four of the largest-fruited tomatoes he could find: 'German Johnson', 'Beefsteak', an Italian variety, and an English variety. One of the four varieties was planted in the middle of a circle. Then, using a baby's ear syringe, he cross-pollinated the center plant with pollen from the circle of tomatoes. Next year he selected the best seedlings: he planted the best seedings in the center and the rest in a circle around it. The pollination and selection process was repeated six more years until he had a stable variety. After Charlie developed and named this large tasty tomato, he sold plants for $1.00 each (in the 1940's) and paid off the $6000 mortgage on his house in 6 years. Each spring, gardeners drove asfar as 200 miles to buy Charlie's seedling tomatoes.] Fruits of 'Mortgage Lifter' can average 2-1/2lbs and may reach 4 lbs when well grown. Plants are very productive, disease resistant, and continue to bear until frost. These large, slightly flattened, pink-red tomatoes are meaty and flavorful with few seeds. Pkt. Photo Copyright Laura Sutherland courtacy of Bill Van Doren and Laura Sutherland.