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For the tomato grower who seeks to make a profit, or perhaps even a living in growing tomatoes for sale to the public, the question is often asked: Should I grow heirloom tomatoes or should I grow hybrid tomatoes to offer to my customers?
This question is in fact, perhaps contrary to the first impression, more than just a moral question or a simple marketing dilemma. The fact is, beyond the idea of the old versus the new, both the heirloom tomatoes and the hybrid tomatoes have their own particular advantages and disadvantages. These differences go quite beyond the realm of a simple matter of personal tastes and extend well into a wide array of areas, of which we will examine to some extent.
Heirloom Tomatoes:
The question is often asked of this writer: Just what is an Heirloom Tomato and how do they differ from other tomatoes?
The answer to that question is not at all a simple, straight forward one, nor has the answer actually remained the same over the years.
Originally, the term “heirloom", in reference to gardening, was coined during the early 1970’s to identify those vegetable and flower varieties that had originated with a particular family of people and had subsequently been passed down from one generation to the next up to modern day. Typically, these varieties were obtained a single source who had maintained them so many years. Often these varieties were completely unique and had been limited to only one or two gardens per era. This not only made these varieties very rare, but also made them very desirable by gardeners who revelled in the idea of preserving a very small part of agricultural history, and probably most importantly, in the idea of being one of only a few people with the variety.
For a few years, the above definition proved to be satisfactory, but as heirloom seeds, and in particular, heirloom tomatoes became more popular, the definition soon changed. Chances are, due primarily to the seed and plant dealers who wished to capitalize on the heirloom market, many old non-heirloom varieties of tomatoes such as Marglobe, Livingston’s New Stone, Henderson’s Ponderosa or Rutgers, suddenly became marketed as “heirlooms". Meanwhile, as the plant collectors became more and more obsessed with heirlooms, many of these people sought out previously unknown foreign varieties and introduced them as heirlooms. As one single example, one of the best known varieties of “heirloom" tomatoes is the Black Prince Tomato. Though in the United States the variety is regarded as a “rare Russian heirloom", in reality, the Black Prince Tomato is actually a very popular commercial variety in both Russia and the Ukraine and is of a relatively recent origin. With that in mind, it’s not technically an heirloom, but it has become a sort of honorary one.
In more recent years, probably the most common definition of what an heirloom tomato is, is that an heirloom tomato is any tomato variety that is not a hybrid and has been in cultivation for at least fifty years.
Advantages of Heirloom Tomato Varieties:
There are numerous advantages in growing heirloom tomatoes for the small market, be it for selling as mail order produce or for strictly the local market.
The first obvious advantage is in the fact that the terms “heirloom" or “heritage" or “old fashioned" are all very much in vogue at the moment and have a particular selling power to the general public. As well, most heirlooms have a particularly rich and well documented history. In no small degree do these histories - the more interesting, the better - help to sell the variety to the public. These two facts alone help to sell a great many heirloom tomatoes to the public at markets across the Western world.
As well, the unusual shapes and colors of many heirloom tomatoes often immediately attract a certain number of customers who are interested in anything truly out of the ordinary.
In addition, due to the fact that most heirlooms have been cultivated by backyard gardeners, they typically have a superior taste to commercial tomato varieties.
As well, as heirlooms are open-pollinated, that is, purebred varieties, one can easily save seed from the tomatoes they grow year after year oppose to having to buy seed again.
Disadvantages of Heirloom Tomato Varieties:
Despite the obvious advantages of heirlooms, they also have their disadvantages.
The first disadvantage is also listed above as an advantage in that the unusual shapes and colors of heirloom tomatoes is in reality a catch 22. The fact is, where something unusual and unique can attract a certain number of customers, it is also capable of repelling just as many customers who may be much less open to trying something new. On that subject, introducing your tomatoes to the public by providing a small sample taste is advised if you are choosing to grow more unusual varieties.
Yet another disadvantage, which is somewhat akin to the above, lies in the fact that heirloom tomatoes are not always beautiful or appetizing to the eyes in that they have been primarily cultivated for taste, not uniformity of appearance. With that fact in mind, many heirloom tomato varieties often produce misshapen fruit that can be subject to cracking, cat-facing or other anomalies that can turn customers off. Here again, great care must be taken to gain the consumer’s confidence by offering samples. On the other hand, if one chooses those varieties which were formally the commercial tomato varieties of decades ago, such as Rutgers, Marglobe, Jubilee, Marion, Fireball, New Yorker or others, the problems associated with many heirlooms can be avoided.
Another disadvantage of the heirloom lies in the fact that most heirlooms mature later than most commercial varieties and typically produce less fruit than hybrids.
As well, many heirlooms are often not very resistant to certain tomato diseases and may only perform well in a certain area due to having been acclimated to a single location for so long.
Hybrid Tomatoes:
Where as Heirloom Tomatoes are open-pollinated or purebred tomato varieties, hybrid tomatoes are those which are the direct result of cross-breeding two or more varieties together. Contrary to popular misconception, a commercial hybrid is not just the simple result of haphazard cross-breeding, but typically are the result of a phenomenon called “Hybrid Vigour" that only occasionally occurs when some varieties are crossed. Hybrid Vigour is a phenomenon where in the crossbred offspring of two other varieties are uniformly similar to one another and are typically superior to both parents. However, such hybrids often produce sterile seeds, or at the very least produce seed that yields plants which are not uniform and which are typically vastly inferior to all ancestors. This phenomenon not only occurs in vegetables, but also in other domestic crops and animals. It is in particular, widely sought after in the Poultry industry. In fact, nearly all the chickens currently bred in the United States for human consumption on a commercial level are hybrids, as are many cattle and hogs. Such hybrid varieties, be they vegetables or livestock, are in fact, quite rare as only a very few such cross-breedings yield Hybrid Vigour. With that in mind, many hundreds of crosses may be made before the above is finally yielded, hence a tremendous amount of resources are often involved in the production of such hybrids.
Advantages of Hybrid Tomatoes:
Just like Heirloom Tomatoes, Hybrid Tomatoes too, have many particular advantages to offer the tomato grower.
The first of these advantages is uniformity. Most hybrid varieties yield tomatoes that are more or less entirely uniform to one another. With that in mind, the overall quality of the tomatoes being produced from a hybrid is typically considerably higher than that of heirlooms which are often subject to more variation.
Much the same, as these hybrids are cultivated for commercial use, in appearance, they are bred with the consumer in mind and typically produce a perfectly shaped, smooth red tomato which is exactly what the public believes a tomato should look like.
As well, as hybrid varieties are bred for commercial purposes, they are almost always extremely prolific producers which are bred to produce a great quantity of fruit which can be harvested at one time. Ultimately, this means earlier and more tomatoes available.
Great pains have also been taken to produce hybrid varieties which yield extremely durable tomatoes. This allows the tomato grower to ship his crop just about anywhere in the world, which does not limit him or her to selling only locally.
As well, unlike heirlooms which are produced in relatively low numbers by only a handful of growers, hybrid tomatoes are produced on a truly massive scale. Where as a tomato grower with more than a few acres would very likely have great difficulty in locating enough seed of a single variety to plant his or her entire field, those who choose hybrid tomatoes have absolutely no problem securing enough seed. Even if they have 10,000 acres to plant, there would be enough seed available.
Lastly, great strides have also been made with hybrids so far as disease and pest resistant. Ultimately, this allows the tomato grower to choose a variety which is resistant or possibly even immune to a particular disease that destroys tomatoes in his or her area.
Disadvantages of Hybrid Tomatoes:
While the hybrid tomato varieties certainly have their commercial advantages, they also suffer from disadvantages, many of which are greater than those of heirlooms.
The first obvious disadvantage results from how hybrid tomato varieties are developed. The fact of the matter is, due to the tremendous costs of breeding, registering and copyrighting a hybrid variety, hybrid tomato seeds are in fact, very expensive even compared to some of the rarest of heirloom tomatoes. As a single example, where as the seeds of many heirloom tomatoes can be purchased for only $25 to $50 per quarter of an ounce, the same quantity of hybrid tomato seed may very well cost hundreds of dollars. As a general rule of thumb, hybrid seed, though much more common, typically costs two to five times the price of heirloom seed.
Stemming from the same reason as the higher prices, due to the fact that hybrid seed is produced only commercially and is big business, the developers of such seeds go to great lengths to protect their investment. As such, the seed is copyrighted and the signing of a contractual agreement may be required for a tomato grower to cultivate or even possess the seed. In recent years, some very nasty civil suits have erupted between farmers and large seed companies, in particular relating to soy beans and canola, ranging from contract disputes to seed companies suing farmers for possessing their “genetic material“ after plants produced from their hybrid seed unknowingly cross-pollinated with plants in a neighboring field. This is completely contrary to heirloom varieties, which are in the public domain and do not suffer from these legal problems.
As well, hybrid varieties typically have very short commercial life-spans. Most are available for only a very few years and are soon replaced by another variety. This can create a major dilemma for the tomato grower who has worked very hard to produce a sort of brand that his or her customers have come to demand, simply because if the seed has been discontinued by its developer, once the existing supply of seed is exhausted, it becomes impossible to supply the type of tomatoes that the customer demands. Historically, there have only been about a half dozen hybrid tomato varieties which have stood the test of time, while thousands of others have had life spans of only three to five years. This is not so with heirloom varieties. Though some varieties of heirloom tomatoes can become difficult to find or even possibly become extinct, most varieties are typically offered by several companies and even if dropped by one, remain available from other sources.
Much the same, due to hybrid vigour, seed cannot be often successfully saved from hybrid tomato varieties. Often the seed is nearly sterile, or at the very least produces a mish-mash of vastly inferior mongrelized offspring with little to no value. This is completely opposite of heirlooms which as open pollinated varieties, produce purebred seed which can be saved year after year.
Also, as most hybrids are produced by large corporations and the details regarding the ancestry of such seed is a heavily guarded secret, it is typically assumed that many modern hybrid tomatoes, especially those of more recent development have been subjected to varying types of genetic manipulation. Obviously, as heirlooms pre-date the age of gene-splicing, they are GMO free except in the rare case that they have been polluted by pollen from a nearby commercial GM field (though, sadly, this threat is becoming more and more serious as each year passes). With the threat of cross-breeding to such stock unknowingly now a greater risk, great care should be taken to keep careful watch of the surroundings of your tomato crop.
And lastly, and probably best understood is the issue of the taste. As hybrid tomatoes are bred primarily for their appearance and their production abilities, taste has always been secondary and has been largely neglected. Most of the buying public, of course, knows this to be true, simply because the vast majority agree that the tomatoes they buy in supermarkets do not taste like the tomatoes of old. (Efforts are, however, currently underway at Ohio State University to correct this and the lack of taste is of course, correctable through proper tomato breeding). Heirloom Tomatoes, however, have been largely cultivated with taste in mind and in that department are vastly superior to hybrid tomatoes as a general collective.
Conclusion:
As a general conclusion, based on the advantages and disadvantages listed above, it is likely safe to assume that heirloom tomatoes are the best choice for the home gardener, while hybrid varieties are better suited for the larger tomato producer who‘s primary goal is only maximum profit. Being located somewhere in the middle, the small market tomato grower could very well benefit by growing a balance of both types for the greatest advantage.
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The author, K Spurling, is a seedsman and professional plant breeder by trade.
This article can be published in print or electronically, free of charge as long as it is substantially unaltered and contains the following active links:
http://www.tomatoseeds.net/
http://www.vegetableseed.net/
http://www.seedfest.co.uk/
http://www.eggplantseeds.com/
http://www.uk-seeds.net/
http://www.tomato-seeds.com/
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