Mortgage Lifter Beefsteak Tomato
solanum lucopersicum

days to maturity: 80 days
plant spacing: 2 square feet per plant
sunlight requirement: 8 - 14 hours
look out for: These vigorous vines benefit from strong staking or caging.
harvest notes: Pick tomatoes when they are as ripe as possible.
season: fall, winter
indeterminate

Mortgage Lifter is part of Slow Foods US Ark of Taste and was bred in America in the 1930s. There are a few differing stories about who bred the original mortgage lifter, if it was Willam Estler of Barboursville, West Virginia or M.C. "Radiator Charlie" Byles in Logan, West Virginia. Either way, the tomato is a beefsteak variety that can weigh up to 2 pounds and it was given its unique name because it was said you can pay your mortgage selling the large fruits & seedlings of the variety. If you are hoping to grow mostly large tomatoes in your South Florida garden beware; over the years we've learned that the smaller varieties do better here, especially in gardens. Make sure you balance out your varieties with some small and some large fruit for the best yield.