Cathy, I'm really glad that mixed bag worked out for you. However there is one problem with it. Saving seed becomes problematical, as there may or may not be crosses.

But now that you've gotten your feet wet, so to speak, with heirlooms let's talk about it early enough next year so we can set you up with choices that make sense for you, and which you can then save seed from.

That sounds like a plan Brook, I was beginning to wonder about seed saving. And as you stated having gotten my feet wet I am leaning more towards the Brandywine tomatoes for next season! I like all of them but the size and flavor of the Brandywine can't be beat! There is a variety that the flesh stays green on and they are tasty-only drawback is knowing when they are ripe!

Janie where do you find all the adorible cartoons? I want to get an Avatar by my name and have no idea how to get a picture to do that. HELP!!! Thanks, You made me smile this morning and I woke up having a bad dream and (no kiddin) I was crying like a baby. I was asking some guy to give me my chihuahua back and he wouldn't [long story] and so I began to cry, and woke up squalling like a baby! So I needed a good laugh to cheer me right up! You Rock!!!

Just do a search online for clipart.
I looked for worm clipart.

Im glad it made you smile.
You may have guessed when I did those it was way past my bedtime AND I had taken lots of allergy pills lol.

You can grow more than one variety, Cathy. But you have to separate them by a minimal distance to assure seed purity. I'll explain all that to you when the time comes.

I used to joke that the two metaphysical questions of the 21st century are:

1. How do you know when sour cream is spoiled?
2. How do you know when a green-when-ripe tomato is ripe?

But the fact is, the green-when-ripe tomatoes (there are a number of them, actually, including Tom Wagner's famous Green Zebra) take on an amber haze when ripe. Sort of an underglaze. It's hard to describe, but you can't miss it when it happens.

It's like when standard tomatoes turn into that "ok, I'm ready to ripen" green. Nobody has ever adequately described that color change. But anybody who grows tomatoes knows exactly what it is.