Sue and I in front of Triple Falls in DuPont, Nov 4, 2022

Here is the result of my three year “hybrid vs heirloom” competition - it is actually published as an appendix in my book Epic Tomatoes. For completeness, I’ve included it here - after all, it is an article published in Off The Vine! Also - this is the last article in Volume 3, Number 2. All that remains will be the six articles in Volume 3, Number 3 - and two from the never issued, never completed Volume 4, Number 1. So - after this one - 8 more articles to go!

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The Great Competition

by Craig

Those of us who enjoy growing open pollinated (non-hybrid) vegetables are constantly bombarded with doom and gloom warnings of the disasters that will inevitably strike our gardens. The words shriek at us from articles in newspapers, seed catalogs, nurseries, and even some of the popular gardening shows on television. “To have reliable yields, high quality and the best flavor, you must grow hybrids!” “It is foolhardy, and a total waste of time, to grow open-pollinated varieties in your gardens, since they have been surpassed by such obviously superior hybrid varieties!” Alas, it must be true. Just go to the local nursery and see what sort of tomato seedlings, or even seed packs, they carry. Or, take a trip to the local farmer’s market in the summer, and check out all the carbon copy, perfect looking red globes that are masquerading as tomatoes! They can fill a basket with ‘em, and days later, even the bottom ones are as shiny, pretty and perfect as can be!

But, as is the case with many things that are pleasurable to the eye, it is what you cannot see that counts the most. Buy some of those prize winning tomatoes, bring them home, slice them down (you should get a sharp knife), and take a bite! What sorts of adjectives come to mind? The ones that I use most frequently are dry, bland, tasteless, worthless, and even dangerous (I am sure that, if hit with one of those hybrid commercial tomatoes, severe damage would occur!). Well, this was my mind set back in 1986, when I finally grew tired of my hybrid-infused garden plot. Sure, there are good hybrid tomatoes available, ones that are more succulent than the types that the local farmers and other commercial growers seem to need to grow. Remember, though, that the farmers have to sell them to a public that has been programmed to expect its tomatoes scarlet, round, firm and perfect. But, this did not satisfy my yearning for better tasting, more interesting looking vegetables. Isn’t it ironic, then, that it is the distant past, not the high technology future, that provided the answer to my search. It was when I joined the Seed Saver’s Exchange, and started to dabble in the multitude of treasures that were accessible, that my gardening experience became one of fulfillment, wonder and excitement. Needless to say, I jumped right in with total abandon; no looking back for me. Ah, but there were all of those warnings to be concerned with. Could I possibly grow these disease-prone, obsolete, low yielding varieties successfully? Would I have anything to show for my efforts, besides some blemished, misshapen fruit on spindly, disease-ridden vines?

Being a scientist, I felt that the best way to approach this issue was to carry out an experiment. So, in 1987, I grew, side by side, some of the most popular hybrid tomatoes and a few of the more highly regarded and “famous” heirlooms. Records were kept with regard to maturity dates, yields, fruit size, flavor, and observations about how each variety held up to disease. When all was said and done at the end of the growing season, I could compare the total number of tomatoes and total weight of fruit per plant, and develop a sense for the performance of each variety with regard to flavor and visual interest. The results were so fascinating that my original one year experiment with a limited number of varieties was expanded to three years, and eventually involved many different tomatoes of all sizes, colors, and shapes. The best way to judge the results is to look at where my garden efforts have become focused, as I have now moved almost exclusively into growing open pollinated varieties. There is simply very little, if any, reason for the home gardener to restrict themselves to hybrids.

Since I have never shared the results of this experiment with anyone (except my family), I feel that this is a good time to do so, in hopes that it will have several effects on the readers. If you had doubts about delving into the world of heirloom tomatoes, maybe this will persuade you to join in the fun. If you are already a convert, then this will just confirm what you already have discovered. And, it also gives you a good idea about what to expect from many tomatoes that you may have been interested in, but have never grown.

I grew the tomatoes on stakes or cages, if they were not indeterminate. The plants were pruned to two or three main stems, and allowed a few suckers to develop as well. The determinate varieties were not pruned at all. The experiment was carried out for three years, 1987-89. In general, 1987 and 1989 were excellent tomato growing years, and 1988 was relatively poor. This fact was reflected in the performance of the plants. It is interesting to see that the hybrids did relatively better in 1988. A recent conversation with Rob Johnson affirmed that hybrids tend to be more consistent despite variable growing conditions.

In 1987, I grew 13 heirlooms/open pollinated tomatoes, and 5 hybrids. Yellow Cherry yielded over 750 tomatoes. From Tiger Tom I picked 170 fruit, and from Czech’s Excellent Yellow, 140 fruit, weighing over 26 pounds. The plum tomato Veeroma gave me 220 fruit, nearly 35 pounds worth! That’s a lot of tomato sauce. The large heirloom beefsteaks made up in size what they lacked in number. Pineapple, Persimmon, and Ruby Gold did yield 25 or more tomatoes, but at an average weight of 1 pound. The best hybrid was Lemon Boy, with nearly 60 fruits, 25 pounds total. Two notable disappointments were the well-known hybrids Moreton, with small fruit and boring flavor, and Supersteak, only 13 large fruit, 11 pounds total.

In 1988, among the 13 OP’s and 8 hybrids, the best heirloom performers were Bisignano #2, with 45 fruit, 23 pounds total, and Sabre, 34 fruit, 21 pounds total. Some heirlooms did quite poorly due to uneven weather and an outbreak of tobacco mosaic virus in one part of the garden. It was a very difficult year for Brandywine and Yellow Brimmer, especially. Among the hybrids, Big Pick, Whopper, Better Boy, Firebird were all around the 18 pound mark with 6 to 7 ounce average fruit. A few gave very good yields, but were not a flavor favorite. Both Early Cascade and Big Girl were flavor failures. Though relatively light yielding, I discovered that Gurney Girl hybrid was quite delicious.

Finally, in 1989, the heirlooms sang once more. There were 29 heirlooms and 4 hybrids in the garden. Ester Hess yellow cherry produced an amazing 730 tomatoes; that is nearly 30 pounds! The real eye openers were Yellow Bell, with 245 tomatoes and a total weight of 46 pounds, and Hugh’s, 35 tomatoes with an average weight of 20 ounces, over 40 pounds total! Many other heirlooms performed outstandingly, such as Fritsche, Viva, Anna Russian (this was the year that I fell in love with that tomato), Polish, Believe it or Not, and Pesta’s Mortgage Lifter. Among the small number of hybrids, Sweet Million produced an astounding 1000 tomatoes. Valley Girl yielded well, but was very ordinary on the palate.

The idea was not to show necessarily that all heirlooms or open pollinated tomatoes are superior in all respects to hybrids. In truth, the data shows that there are excellent and average examples in both categories. In fact, the data shows perhaps how variable the open pollinated varieties are when compared to the somewhat more consistent (in terms of yield) hybrids. This, along with the fragile, relatively higher perishability, is probably why hybrids will always be more popular to commercial growers. Home gardeners do not have these concerns, however.

Here is what I learned from my three year experiment. The open pollinated tomatoes, including all of the heirlooms, did not show any more likelihood of succumbing to disease as the season progressed. The condition of the foliage throughout the year between the heirlooms and the VFN disease resistant hybrids was remarkably similar all year long. Finally, there are some really good hybrids out there, but there is a sameness between them all (except for the unique and excellent Lemon Boy). It is a lot more fun to explore the huge range of colors, shapes, sizes and flavors available with heirloom tomatoes. Are you convinced yet?