Johnny's Open-Pollinated Revival Project: 3 Resurrected Heirloom & Heritage Tomato Varieties

As a plant breeder at Johnny's, my job was to help imagine the future of our food system and feed this vision with new varieties. But the work of a plant breeder is less like scrying into a crystal ball than solving a riddle for the ages that has been passed down through generations. We inherit the puzzle, and the work, of those who came before us. Then we stand on the shoulders of these giants, weaving their legacy into a new history of our own design.

Though plant breeders have no shortage of grower problems to solve or new directions to explore, one thing is certain: we are already heirs to a collective fortune. One cannot naïvely dismiss heirlooms and other "old-fashioned" open-pollinated (OP) varieties as relics of the past. These "relics" are our heritage as well as the vital building blocks of breeding programs. They reflect our past and help lay the foundation for a better future. In this way, they are really more like gifts of the past than relics.

One of the best parts of this job is unearthing these gifts. Each year in the breeding nursery, Johnny's grows just some of the cornucopia of older varieties that remain, in search of different traits that could prove valuable if incorporated into our germplasm. Sometimes varieties or unique strains are discovered that are already quite special in their own right: gifts that are worth saving and sharing with future generations — despite the flaws which leave the next generation of plant breeders room for improvement — because of the exceptional qualities they do preserve.

It is our pleasure to offer three of these gifts to you in our catalog:   'San Marzano II,'   'Blue Beech,'  and  'Wisconsin 55'.  Each of these open-pollinated varieties was selected because of its unique history, outstanding quality, and adaptability to short seasons or low-input environments.

Let's take a closer look at these three gems.

1 • San Marzano II

'San Marzano' is regarded as one of the best paste tomatoes of all time.

'San Marzano' is considered one of the best, most flavorful paste tomatoes of all time. Whole tomatoes peel easily, and cook down to sauce quickly.

Various strains of 'San Marzano' exist; this particular strain came from the USDA gene bank, an institution established in 1958 to preserve genetic diversity and increase food security. The strain originates, however, from Parma, Italy, where it was developed for the 1950's canning industry.

Compared to other 'San Marzano' strains we've tested, the fruits borne on this strain have outstanding flavor and a very traditional 'San Marzano' shape, as well as a more vibrant red color.

(Indeterminate, 78 days.)

Photo courtesy:  Allison Vallin • Finch & Folly

2 • Blue Beech

'Blue Beech' is a sausage-type heirloom paste tomato that fairly brims with flavor.

'Blue Beech' is an heirloom variety known as a "sausage-" or "pepper-type" paste tomato — producing large, elongated fruits that are easy to process into sauce. While it makes for an excellent canning tomato, it also has very good fresh eating quality.

This variety was originally brought from Italy during WWII; its name is said to derive from the Vermont farm where it was first introduced to the U.S.

'Blue Beech' is well-adapted to cooler, northern climates and resists disease and blossom end rot better than most heirloom sausage types we tested.

(Indeterminate, 82 days.)

3 • Wisconsin 55

'Wisconsin 55' is a resurrected strain of a classic, flavorful slicer.

'Wisconsin 55' is a popular OP variety developed at the University of Wisconsin, Madison that has been a workhorse with farmers' market growers for over 60 years. A great slicer for fresh eating, but also well-suited to canning, especially stewed tomatoes.

Along with its classic tomato flavor, 'Wisconsin 55' offers some tolerance to early blight and Septoria leaf spot.

There are several strains available, many of which have drifted away from the original and changed over time. The strain we offer is a rare, older source that we acquired from the University of Wisconsin, Madison plant geneticist, Ted Bingham, who had frozen seed that was purchased in the 1960's. This strain produces healthier plants and more consistently sized fruits with fewer plant defects than other commercially available strains.

(Indeterminate, 80 days.)

We trust in the results of Johnny's trialing and breeding programs, but are always able to learn from growers like yourself. We encourage you to try these resurrected heirloom and heritage tomatoes for yourself, and let us know what you discover. We developed a Survey Form for Johnny's Open-Pollinated Tomato Project, so you can track your observations as you grow and harvest these varieties, then send your feedback our way so we can continue to improve our offerings.

(There is also a feedback survey form for this article below, if you would like to share your thoughts.)

Meanwhile, we'd like to share some of the love we've already received from our grower-partners about these three gems. Come next season, we hope you'll join us in hash-tagging #GrowWithJohnnys on shots of your own plants and fruits from these OP varieties. Most of all, we hope you'll enjoy sharing and savoring the abundantly rich, flavorful eating experiences — the fresh and sun-dried slices, slivers, and salsas, the gently simmered sauces, pastes, and jams — that come of them.

Box of 4 open-pollinated, heirloom and heritage-type tomato varieties.

Clockwise from top right:  1. 'San Marzano II' OP.   2. 'Blue Beech' OP.   3. 'Wisconsin 55' OP.   4. 'Cherokee Purple' OP.

View all our open-pollinated tomatoes…

Learn More

Learn more about Johnny's classical plant breeding program, our certified-organic research and trialing farm, and the different types of seeds we produce and offer.

• About Our Seed
• INFOGRAPHIC • Plant Breeding at Johnny's
• Seed Variety Trials at Johnny's: Our 7-Step Trialing Process Article
• Survey Form for Johnny's Open-Pollinated Tomato Project Downloadable, Printable 2-pp PDF