Tomato 'Mortgage lifter'

Stake or cage plants. Fertilize when first fruits form to increase yield.

Mortgage lifter likes a position of full sun and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Mortgage lifter is thought of as tender, so remember to wait until your soil is warm and the night time temperature is well above freezing before moving outside. Mortgage lifter requires a loamy soil with a ph of 5.0 - 6.0 - it grows best in moderately acidic soil to weakly acidic soil.

Sow 6-8 weeks before last spring frost. Sow seed 1/4" deep. Keep moist. Germination is in 7-14 days at 70-80F

Try to aim for a seed spacing of at least 2.60 feet (80.0 cm) and sow at a depth of around 0.78 inches (2.0 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 12°C / 54°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Mortgage lifter about 42 days before your last frost date.

Transplant out when around 15cm (6 inches) high.

Plant to first set of leaves to promote strong roots.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Mortgage lifter is a tender plant.

Expect harvests to start to occur in mid summer.

It was named Mortgage Lifter because M.C. Byles who created this variety used it to literally pay off his mortgage during the great depression and save his house from foreclosure.

M.C. Byles was the creator of this tomato. He used it to save his house, selling it for a dollar per plant in the 1940’s in order to pay off his mortgage. When his radiator repair business slumped during the Great Depression, he started cross-breeding his four best tomato plants, until he came up with a stable derivation which he felt tasted better and had larger fruit. He promoted it as being able to feed a family of six, therefore getting the sky-high price of one dollar per plant, and paying off his house in just four years.

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