Write to Us
513.354.1482Heavy yields, heavy fruits
Mortgage Lifter Tomato
Heavy yields, heavy fruits
- Heirloom variety
- Drought-tolerant
- Very heavy yielding
- Large 16- to 24-ounce fruits
- Very few seeds
- Indeterminate
The Mortgage Lifter Tomato is a drought-tolerant heirloom variety that produces extremely heavy yields of large, low-acid pink fruits. The fruits from this plant have very few seeds and an excellent, mild flavor. Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes usually grow between 16 and 24 ounces, but some have reached 4 pounds! Expect vines to grow up to 9 feet. An indeterminate plant, mortgage tomatoes grow continuously throughout the season, with a mature time of approximately 83 days. The Mortgage Lifter Tomato was originally developed by a gardener named M.C. Byles in the 1930s who was successful in growing and selling enough of these plants to pay off his mortgage!
How to Grow Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes
- Plant Mortgage Lifter Tomato seeds in spring or fall. For spring planting, start the seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost.
- Plant the seeds ¼ inch deep in loamy soil. Space them 18 - 24 inches apart, with 3 - 5 feet between rows.
- Prune by cutting out suckers (auxiliary shoots between the stems and the leaves) to produce larger mortgage tomatoes.
- Harvest tomatoes after approximately 83 days, when they have fully matured.
- For more, check out our top 10 tips for growing tomatoes!
- Botanical Name: Lycopersicon lycopersicum 'Mortgage Lifter'
- Season: both Spring & Fall
- Sun/Shade: Full Sun
- Height: 72 - 72
- Spacing: 18 - 24 inches between plants, 3 - 5 feet between rows.
- Zone: 3-9
- Spread: 3-4 feet.
- Color:Yellow
- Foliage:Green foliage.
- Depth:Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep. When transplanting, set the plant deep, up to the first true leaves, by digging a deep hole or digging a trench. The stem will develop roots along it's length.
- Germination: 5 - 8 Days
- Days to Maturity: 83 - 83 Days
- Yield: 100 lbs. per 100 foot row.
- Fruit: Large meaty pink fruit with few seeds; Mild and smooth. Large, 16 - 24 oz. fruit.
- Soil Preference: Loamy Soil
- Growth Rate: Will grow to full maturity and produce fruit in one growing season.
- Pruning: Prune by cutting out suckers (auxillary shoots between the stems and the leaves) to produce larger fruit. Fruit also ripens earlier since the sun can reach it more easily.
- Form: Vegetable, fruit, tomato, heirloom, open pollinated, indeterminate
- Flowers: Yellow flowers.
- Seed Count: Approximately 30 seeds per packet.
- Pollinator: Self pollinating.
- Size: 30 Seed Pkt
Orders for in-stock seeds and hardgoods are typically shipped within 5 business days.
Plants will be shipped at the proper planting time for your area of the country during the shipping timeframes outlined below:
| Fall 2022 Shipping Schedule | |||
| Zones | Blueberries | All Other Fruits | Perennials, Bulbs & Flowers |
| 1A-4B | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 5A - 5B | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 6A - 6B | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 7A - 7B | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 8A - 8B | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 9A - 10B | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 |
| Last Order Date | All Grow Zones: Oct 24, 2022 |
All Grow Zones: Oct 24, 2022 |
All Grow Zones: Oct 24, 2022 |
| Fall 2022 Shipping Schedule | |||
| Zones | Vegetable Plants & Starts | Seeds | Hardgoods, Foods & Supplies |
| 1A-4B | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 5A - 5B | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 6A - 6B | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 7A - 7B | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 8A - 8B | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 |
| 9A - 10B | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 | 6/1/22 - 10/28/22 |
| Last Order Date | All Grow Zones: Oct 24, 2022 |
All Grow Zones: Oct 24, 2022 |
All Grow Zones: Oct 24, 2022 |
| Fall 2022 Shipping Schedule | |||
| Zones | Select Perennials, Hibiscus & Iris | Trees & Shrubs | Select Strawberries |
| 1A - 3B | 10/10/22 - 11/11/22 | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/6/22 - 10/7/22 |
| 4A - 4B | 10/10/22 - 11/11/22 | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/6/22 - 10/7/22 |
| 5A - 5B | 10/10/22 - 11/11/22 | 9/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/6/22 - 10/7/22 |
| 6A - 6B | 10/10/22 - 11/11/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/6/22 - 10/7/22 |
| 7A - 7B | 10/10/22 - 11/25/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/6/22 - 10/7/22 |
| 8A - 8B | 10/10/22 - 11/25/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/6/22 - 10/7/22 |
| 9A - 10B | 10/10/22 - 11/25/22 | 9/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 9/6/22 - 10/7/22 |
| Last Order Date | Zones 1A-6B: 11/7/22 Zones 7A-10B: 11/21/22 |
All Grow Zones: 10/24/2022 |
All Grow Zones: 10/03/2022 |
| Fall 2022 Shipping Schedule | |||
| Zones | Nematodes | Encapsulated Compost Worms | |
| 1A - 2A | 5/10/22 - 10/28/22 | 5/10/22 - 10/28/22 | |
| 2B - 3B | 4/26/22 - 10/28/22 | 4/26/22 - 10/28/22 | |
| 4A - 6A | 4/12/22 - 10/28/22 | 4/12/22 - 10/28/22 | |
| 6B - 7A | 4/5/22 - 10/29/22 | 4/5/22 - 10/29/22 | |
| 7B - 8B | 3/8/22 - 10/28/22 | 3/8/22 - 10/28/22 | |
| 9A - 10B | 2/22/22 -10/28/22 | 2/22/22 -10/28/22 | |
| Last Order Date | 10/24/2022 | 10/24/2022 | |
The type of product you order or the weather in our area or yours may affect the anticipated shipping schedule.
Trees and shrubs are kept in the nursery row until fully dormant for optimum stress protection.
In all cases, we choose the fastest, most efficient way to send your order--via the U.S. Postal Service or United Parcel Service. Large orders may be shipped in more than one package.
Please note that we cannot ship outside of the continental United States.
