Oxheart tomatoes

My neighbor saves seeds and grows tomatoes and cukes every summer. His tomatoes are very different than the ones I get at Farmer's Market, but they are tasty, and I appreciate his sharing so graciously. One of the tomatoes is an unusual-shaped one called Oxheart. I had never heard of it and never saw them anywhere except for the ones he shares. Does anyone know of them? Do you use them for salads or cooking?

[Jenise]

Never had one but am aware of them, tomato-obsessor that I am. They get pretty huge, right?

Oxhearts are heirloom tomatoes that have been around a long time. I've never grown or eaten them, but their name is sure descriptive.

Yes, Jenise, they can get very large, not a favorite of mine as far as taste goes, but great in a casserole. They are also fine for eating. I add a little salt, and they are just fine. I love that the neighbor shares with me; he has his own seeds and works hard every year to raise several types of heirloom tomatoes.

[Robin Garr]

We grew them for years at our previous abode, carefully saving seeds every fall to ensure getting them back the next summer. I liked them for eating raw and for cooking.

Good to know, Robin. My neighbor's tomatoes are all different-looking from what I am used to. He says they are heirloom but does not know their names. The Oxheart is such a different shape, so I took a picture, and Google Lens gave me the info. I have not done it with the rest of the tomatoes yet.

Oxheart heirloom tomato seeds are widely available here.

I bought some in Arles in France and saved the seeds to grow at home, but not a great success for two reasons
- They take such a long time to grow and ripen
- I'd come into the greenhouse and find ripest one splattered on the ground, growing too heavy for the vine.

I now grow only cherry tomatoes as they
- grow and ripen fast
- are prolific
- are great in salads as you pop them whole in your mouth and when you bite there's an explosion of flavour!

This year I'm growing orange, black & red coloured toms.

Peter, they are very large, and I wondered about what you mentioned about being so heavy for the vine. Sometimes the ones I get are getting soft, so I make sure to get those used up first. They do not seem to hold well once picked.

Sometimes the ones I get are getting soft, so I make sure to get those used up first. They do not seem to hold well once picked.

Agreed. This is why I don't buy them, or their cousin, Italian Heart. They're big and plush but go soft very quickly. Among heirlooms, I stick to the classics (e.g., Brandywine) or the high-acid ones (e.g., Green Zebra).

I've never grown heirloom tomatoes, but if you want to use the seed year after year I would imagine that you have to be careful that the tomato flowers are fertilized by the same heirloom variety. Otherwise you'd get a hybridization problem. Is this the case?

-Paul W.

Oxheart is a descriptor of a large heart-shaped tomato, not a variety name, that is there are different varieties called oxheart.

According to American author Craig LeHoullier in his book Epic Tomatoes prolific US tomato breeder Alexander Livingstone first used the name 'Oxheart' in 1925 for a tomato which 'was likely a shape mutation found by a customer. It was the first example of a large, heart shaped tomato.'

LeHoullier includes 'Yellow Oxheart' in his list of Ten Tastiest Tomatoes. He bought the seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. He says 'it delights the senses with dense, succulent flesh and a perfectly balanced flavor'

I've never grown heirloom tomatoes, but if you want to use the seed year after year I would imagine that you have to be careful that the tomato flowers are fertilized by the same heirloom variety. Otherwise you'd get a hybridization problem. Is this the case?

Craig LeHoullier in his book Epic Tomatoes says 'I use the first ripe tomatoes for seed saving to reduce the chance that the bees will have pollinated the seed in the tomato.'

He says tomatoes tend to self pollinate the vast majority of times - over 90%

Thanks, Peter.

-Paul W.