Gleckler’s Time Traveller Tomato Collection
‘Gleckler’s Seedsmen’ (Ohio) were ahead of their time. In the 1950s and 1960s, they were selling unique tomato varieties and other rare veggies that were head and shoulders above what other seed companies were offering. Their folksy seed catalogues were fun to read but also filled with valuable growing and historical information.
In honour of their keen eye for good varieties and their daring to think outside the box, we are offering a ‘Gleckler’s Time Traveller Tomato Collection’. This seed collection includes tomato varieties that Gleckler’s introduced to the trade in the 1950s and 1960s.
The collection includes 6 varieties. You will gets seeds of beefsteak-type tomatoes (Caleplata, Plamar & Texto 2); an early round tomato (Cluster-Mato); a paste tomato (Laketa); and a compact variety with plum shaped tomatoes (Hardin’s Miniature).
The collection includes 1 seed pack of the 6 varieties. Each package is a standard size of 20 seeds (or more). The collection is $20 (rather than $25.50, the cost of buying each pack individually).
The collection includes (in order of as pictured above):
Tomato 1: Caleplata. Here is the description of Caleplata from the 1954 Gleckler’s seed catalogue:
“Another tomato developed by Prof. Abelardo Piovano at the University of Argentina, the man who developed the Peron tomato. The outstanding characteristics of Caleplata is its extreme drought and disease resistance. Large indeterminate vine growth with dense, heavy, dark green foliage. Maturity in season with Rutgers. Fruits ripen to a medium red, evenly colored, fine flavor, mildly acid and having an average size of 10 ounces. Highly crack resistant, exceptionally solid. This variety will be of value to tropical areas and extreme Southern States needing a variety with extreme resistance to drought and disease.”
Our notes: A wonderful deep-red, sweet and rich tasting beefsteak tomato. Although we aren’t sure, we think it has the ‘High Crimson’/’og’ gene (and therefore is high in lycopene) because of its brilliant red colour and sweet-rich taste that is characteristic of the High Crimson/og tomatoes. Plants are about 3 ft tall. (See our section on ‘Old Gold/ High Crimson’ tomatoes for more details.)
Tomato 2: Cluster-Mato. Here is the description of Cluster-Mato in the 1956 Gleckler’s catalogue:
“Our own extra early selection for staking or ground culture, for the first on the market. Extremely solid and meaty, large to medium in size, borne in generous successive clusters … Although slightly flattened in the first setting, becomes globular-shaped in the following clusters. The meaty interior, thick outer walls and tough skin resist cracking and bruising. Very mild in flavor, together with the juicy and meaty texture, present a real table treat. Delightfully smooth and free of blossom-end scars. Plants are very adaptable for staking and semi-open at ripening time. Cluster-Mato has a most notable characteristic of setting fruit in cooler temperatures than permissible with other extra early varieties.”
Our notes: This hardy, very productive, good tasting tomato has beautiful round fruit that are about 100 g in size. Plants are about 2 feet in size.
Tomato 3: Hardin’s Miniature. Here is Gleckler’s description of Hardin’s Miniature in their 1957 catalogue:
“A plant only four inches tall bearing small red plum-shaped, mild flavored fruit. A novelty and curiosity when grown as potted plants as well as bearing tasty edible fruit. It is believed to be the smallest plant in the world. A very prolific bearer for its size; extremely early maturity. A few flower pots of these among your winter house plants indeed [are] a sight and talking point to your friends.”
Our notes: Hardin’s Miniature is a very productive micro-dwarf. It has unique plum shaped tomatoes (with a little pip) that help it stand out in a crowd! Depending on where you grow it (garden or pot), Hardin’s Miniature will vary in height. It will be about 12″ in the garden or about 6″ in a pot.
Tomato 4: Laketa. Here is Gleckler’s description of Laketa from their 1957 catalogue:
“The most unusual paste tomato discovered to date. Fruit averages somewhat larger than San Marzano, but has a distinct pointed fruit characteristic … LAKETA has the highest degree of fruit solids of any other tomato even when dead ripe has the solid feel like a lemon. Skin is a purplish pink and the almost completely solid flesh is a blood red color. Flavor is mild and extremely delicious. Vines are indeterminate, flat sprawling nature. Elongated leaves when young have long queer sawtoothed edges. Fruits of LAKETA was sent to two experimental stations for identification, neither of them and including ourselves, were able to classify this strain. However, it is apparently of the San Marzano type. LAKETA’s extremely solid fruit characteristic lends value for breeding purposes in other tomato strains, say nothing of its present use with high quality fruit.”
Our notes: Laketa is a beautiful large pink paste tomato. The elongated fruits mainly range in size from 80g to 140g. Plants grows to about 3 feet tall. The leaves have a beautiful wispy look to them (described as ‘saw-toothed’ in the paragraph above). But don’t mistake the wispiness for fragility, Laketa is a hardy plant.
Tomato 5: Plamar. Here is the description of Plamar in a 1950s Gleckler’s catalogue:
“A new development from the University of Puerto Rico. A cross of their native variety, ‘Platillo’ and Marglobe. Possess a notable characteristic of setting fruit under extremely hot climatic conditions. Vines are very vigorous, excessive, healthy and extremely rapid in growth. Slightly flattened fruits average medium in size, with thick placental walls. Ripens to a medium red color, possessing good keeping qualities after ripe. Cracks are very limited. We recommend Plamar for Southern States where other varieties do not set fruit under abnormally hot and dry climate. Very resistant to early blight and fusarium wilt.”
Our notes: A very productive, easy to grow tomato. You will get lots of baby beefsteak tomatoes. Mild taste, but the tradeoff is its great production and reported drought and disease resistance.
Tomato 6: Texto 2. Here is the description of Texto 2 from the 1957 Gleckler’s seed catalogue:
“A ‘green wrap’ tomato developed for Texas as an improvement over the much used Rutgers strain, which has become susceptible to all major diseases common to Texas. Texto 2 is also resistant to collar-rot and blossom-end rot. Fruits round to oblate, firm, medium size, smooth on both shoulder and blossom ends and dark green color in the green wrap stage. Ripe fruit is an attractive red. Indeterminate vines. Maturity is about the same as Rutgers. The advantages over Rutgers is up to 100% greater yield, higher disease resistance, less puffiness and less subject to cracking”.
Our notes: Texto 2 tomatoes impressed us with their high yields and big fruit size (up to 245 g). Being a ‘green-wrap tomato, pick Texto 2 tomatoes when they are still green. Bring them inside and let them ripen indoors, which they do within 1 week or so (they aren’t longkeepers). The sturdy plants are about 2.5 ft. Texto 2 would be a good tomato to grow if you want to ‘control’ the ripening of your tomatoes. Pick a few, let them ripen in the house, and then pick a few more as needed. Taste-wise they are on the mild side (a pinch of salt helps).
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This has been such a fun collection to put together, we hope you enjoy growing these tomatoes!
