You will be 100% satisfied with the quality of our Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato Seeds, especially if grown in an organic vegetable garden. Qty. Mortgage Lifter Tomato is a drought-tolerant heirloom variety that produces extremely heavy yields of large, low-acid pink fruits. Tomatoes are usually between 16 and 24 ounces, but some have reached 4 pounds! A red-pink beefsteak tomato with an excellent sweet flavor, this is the go-to heirloom variety people often try first.. 2. Mortgage Lifter Tomato (Heirloom, 77 Days) 3. The Tomato of the Month for April is the Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato.The Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato may have a strange name, but it has some awesome qualities. 1. An excellent all-rounder that's vigorous and productive. Store at 50 - 60ºF and 85 - 95% humidity to ensure the longest shelf life. The story is that a gentleman named Radiator Charlie bred this variety with crosses between German Johnson, Beefsteak, and other varieties. Order heirloom tomato seeds online. He started selling them and word quickly got around. This variety originated in West Virginia, and as the story goes, a man started selling this variety to pay off his mortgage—which he did in under five years! Mortgage Lifter was originally developed by a gardener in the 1930s who was successful in growing and selling enough of these plants to pay off his mortgage! Add to Cart. He spent years crossing the biggest, tastiest tomatoes he could find until he finally produced what he wanted. Available direct from Incredible Seeds, a Canadian Heirloom and Heritage Seed Company, offering only the best natural, non-GMO, open pollinated and untreated seeds, located in Nova Scotia, Canada. PLANTING. Mortgage Lifter. Storage . "Radiator Charlie" Byles. Mortgage Lifter; Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Maturity: 85 days: Type: Heirloom: Vine: Indeterminate: Plant height: 9 feet (2.7 m) Fruit Weight: 1 1 ⁄ 2 –4 pounds (0.7–1.8 kg) Leaf: Regular leaf: Color: Red (pink) Shape: Beefsteak: Mortgage Lifter is the name given to a cultivar of tomato developed by Willam Estler of Barboursville, West Virginia, in 1922. This heirloom variety has a very interesting history that starts back in the 1930's in Logan, West Virginia. He was able to earn enough income selling the seed to pay off his mortgage during the great depression. Consult your buyers on what stage they would like their tomatoes harvested. Developed during the 1930's by a radiator repairman named M.C. $ 1.95. Heirloom | Heritage: USA, 1940's | ‘Mortgage Lifter’ is an all time favourite producing large pinkish-red beefsteak fruit. Brandywine. People would drive 200 miles to get Radiator Charlie's tomatoes. Grow your own mortgage lifter tomatoes from seeds. According to legend, M. C. Byles of Logan, West Virginia, created Mortgage Lifter through an unorthodox crossing technique. These hearty tomatoes are slightly flattened. However, please note that the more red the tomato the shorter the shelf life. Afterward, he paid off his mortgage by selling the seedlings. Harvest tomatoes when 60 - 90% red for fresh markets. 25 seeds. Mortgage Lifter is an heirloom variety with a bit of folk-lore behind it. Very large, pink skinned, very sweet tomatoes.