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Heirloom vegetables , pass on down through generations , are easy to grow and offer higher-ranking flavor . Today they are among the most popular crops for home gardeners .
Assorted heirloom tomatoes in an stupefying range of colors , sizes and shapes . photograph by : D. Cavagnaro .
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
LATIN NAME:
Lycopersicon esculentum
APPEAL:
Only among the heirlooms ( varieties give down by generations of gardeners and Farmer ) can you glimpse and taste the comprehensiveness of tomato plant multifariousness . There are hundreds in an astonishing regalia of colouration , sizes , shapes and flavors .
LEFT : ‘ Eva Purple Ball ’ . exposure by : Rob Cardillo . RIGHT : ‘ Yellow Ruffled ’ . Photo by : Saxon Holt .
ZONES:
All
SOIL:
Well - drained , rich in constitutional matter
SIZE:
Determinate varieties ( shaggy-coated ) , to 36 inches . undetermined varieties ( sprawly , vinelike ) , 3 to 6 feet or more .
EXPOSURE:
Full sunlight
CARE:
Plant seedlings late with soil up to the first stage set of leaves ; buried stem will develop root . place plants 1 1/2 to 3 feet apart . Stake undetermined varieties . keep consistent soil moisture : 1 inch of pee each week . utilize 3 to 4 inches of organic mulch . Harvest when tomatoes are unwavering and fully color . Learn to grow tomatoes .
LEFT : ‘ Soldacki ’ . RIGHT : ‘ Russian Persimmon ’ . exposure by : Saxon Holt .
VARIETIES:
‘ Eva Purple Ball ’ , brought to America from Germany in the 1800s , produces 4- to 5 - ounce smooth , round fruit . Pleated fruit of ‘ Yellow Ruffled ’ make it good for stuffing . From Poland about 1900 , ‘ Soldacki ’ move over 1 - pound obtuse and substantive fruits . Sweet tone is the stylemark of the 3- to 4 - inch ‘ Russian Persimmon ’ .
HEIRLOOM SQUASH
Cucurbita maxima , C. moschata
Some relish winter squash for their rich , sweet - savour flesh ; others concenter on their challenging looks . Among the wide regalia of heirloom , the multifariousness of sizing , shapes and colors would be impossible to guess were it not lawful .
LEFT : ‘ Jarrahdale ’ . RIGHT : ‘ Red Kuri ’ . Photos by : D. Cavagnaro .
fat , well - drained
Vining types spread 6 feet or more
Plant seedling or sow semen directly in tender soil of late spring , other summer . Sow six seeds 1 inch bass and 2 to 3 inch apart over a 1 - metrical foot - diam dress circle or hill . blank space hills 5 or more feet apart . slight to two plants per Alfred Hawthorne . piss to keep soil moist . Harvest when the skin has inure , prior to a strong frost ; track stems 1 inch from the fruit .
The ticket - grey-headed skin of ‘ Jarrahdale ’ conceals Orange River - chickenhearted slightly sweet , stringless build . Each fruit weighs about 6 to 10 pounds . ‘ Red Kuri ’ produces sweet - fleshed 4- to 7 - dog pound fruits . Both varieties are fantabulous sliced and broil or used for soups or pies .
COLORFUL HEIRLOOM CORN
Choose from hundreds of heirloom corn smorgasbord . Photos by : D. Cavagnaro .
5 to 12 animal foot tall , depending on variety
Plant seeds in warm soil 1 column inch cryptical , 6 in aside in blocks of four to six rows . outer space row about 30 column inch apart . slender seedling to 12 inches apart . Be indisputable to keep entire root zone moist . Harvest once inwardness wrench severely and glossy . Peel back husks , and dry in an airy location for 4 to 6 workweek . spin Zea mays everta kernels off the cob , and salt away them in chalk jars .
There are hundreds ! choose according to flavor , size and appearance , but also days to maturity . An early popcorn like ‘ Tom Thumb ’ needs only 85 day to mature , while ‘ bally Butcher ’ need 112 days and may not have fourth dimension to ripen in the far North .
