Well, this is about the 5th article I've seen posted about Ramapo. LOL They certainly have their PR folks working hard. And yes, I think it's a very good variety, and yes, we used to grow it back home on the farm,and yes I dehybridized it several years ago and there are many folks who are now growing the F6 generation from seeds I distributed and those who knew Ramapo F1 before it was pulled from seed production feel that the OP version is very close to the F1 hybrid they are now selling, from seeds produced in Israel. Carolyn

There are a lot of good suggestions above re good to grow varieties. Here are a few I would add. Lyuda's Mom's Red Ukrainian, Druzba, and Burgundy Traveller. Eva Purple Ball is excellent as mentioned above. Re tomatoes growing in the heat, higher temps improve tomato flavor in every way you can imagine. But STRESS reduces flavor much faster. Most complaints about heat should really be talking about stress. In high temps with full sunlight, the plant has maximum photosynthetic ability and produces the highest level of plant sugars and other flavor compounds. If the plant is stressed by lack of water, disease pressure, pests, nematodes, etc. there will be a significant reduction of flavor potential. So my rule of thumb is to keep plants healthy and un-stressed to get the best flavored tomatoes possible. Heat is not a problem for a healthy plant. DarJones

Well, judging by his handwriting (Parkinson scrawl) I believe he was up there in age when he sent it to me. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that the one who gives me a tomato, having been the one who maintained it over many years, has the right to name it. So I try not to change the name they give me. I have distributed Baker Family Heirloom via informal seed swaps, and I think in the next couple of years it will start to gain in popularity. Just in the last two of years I've probably sent out 30 or 40 packets. "Heirloom" has certainly become an abused term. I know at least one seed company which calls all open pollinated vegetables "heirlooms." When I first started seed saving in earnest I was drawn to the unusual. Over the years I've recognized that there are some superb tomatoes which are simply... red and round. After ten years of gardening in Oklahoma, I've concluded that I really need "hardy and dependable." Our conditions can be truly awful. Now, back to the original post here, after reading more carefully I am not so sure I'd recommend Baker Family Heirloom for container gardening. The plants are truly huge and have very extensive root systems, which is a big part of why they are so hardy and productive. I suspect this variety might require a REALLY BIG container in order to thrive.

Probably the most "regulated and consistent" program (aside from hydroponics of course) is fertigation - feeding diluted nutrients through your drip irrigation system every time or every other time you water. That is the most efficient method for dealing with larger numbers of plants. The frequency depends on the product you use and how often you have to adjust your watering regimen. Next would be side-dressing a row or rows of plants every 2 weeks with a well balanced granular fertilizer that also contains micro-nutrients and then watering it in well. While the frequency is pretty much set, the amount used would all depend on the fertilizer used and the nutrient content has to change along with the growth cycles of the plant. In other words you don't use the same fertilizer every time. And that's the primary point - know your fertilizers and how they work. Not all are the same, not all work the same way or at the same rate. For example, there may be a time for something like 10-10-10 but in most cases it is too high in N once the first fruit has set, has way too much phos and K and essentially no micros. You can compensate for some of its issues by first diluting it in water and then diluting it down to something like 2.5-2.5-2.5 and applying it more frequently. But it still isn't ideal. In general, water soluble supplements give you better and more accurate control than any granular will. But dry granulars also have their place - pre-planting soil amendment for the most part. I'm not stipulating either organic or synthetic - that's your choice - as long as your first understand that dry organics only provide nutrients IF you have an active soil food web. Otherwise they are just soil amendments. And they are low dose nutrients at best. Dave