Yes, the German Johnson heirloom tomato is open-pollinated and true to seed. Gardeners have passed down seeds since the early 1900s. You can save seeds from your harvest and grow the exact same plants next year. Nothing changes in flavor or size when you plant saved seeds from your garden.
I first grew German Johnson about eight years ago after a friend shared seeds from her family. The plants gave me huge fruits weighing over a pound each. That sweet and tangy balance made me crave them fresh off the vine. No other beefsteak variety I've grown matches that rich taste.
My neighbor tried growing German Johnson the following year after tasting mine. She became hooked after her first harvest and now grows six plants each season. We trade seeds and growing tips each spring. This kind of sharing is how heirlooms survive through the generations.
The German Johnson tomato history starts in Virginia in the early 1900s. Families there grew it in gardens and saved seeds each fall. A man named Cletis Byles found this variety in the 1930s. He ran a radiator shop in West Virginia so folks called him Radiator Charlie.
Charlie placed German Johnson in the center of his garden beds. He surrounded it with other strong tomato plants like beefsteak and oxheart types. Bees carried pollen between them and made natural crosses. Charlie saved seeds from the best fruits over many years. This is how he bred the famous Mortgage Lifter tomato.
What makes this a true heirloom comes down to open pollination. Hybrid tomatoes don't breed true when you save their seeds. Your next crop turns out different from the parent plant. With German Johnson you get the same pink heirloom tomato year after year without any surprises.
This variety stands out among Virginia heirloom tomatoes for good reason. The large meaty fruits have few seeds inside their thick walls. They slice thick for sandwiches and taste great with just salt. Families kept these seeds because the flavor made all the extra work worth doing each season.
You can expect your plants to fruit in 80 to 90 days from transplant. German Johnson grows as an indeterminate type that keeps making tomatoes all season long. Give your vines strong stakes or sturdy cages. Those heavy fruits will snap branches if you skip the support.
Plant in full sun with rich soil mixed with compost before you put your transplants in. Water deep and keep moisture steady to stop your fruits from cracking. Start with two or three plants and you'll have plenty of pink tomatoes to share with friends. Save some seeds at the end of summer and you can grow this heirloom for many years ahead.
Read the full article: Best Heirloom Tomato Varieties to Grow
