Lillian's Yellow Heirloom

• General Info
• Seed Availability

Lillian's Yellow Heirloom
Maturity	late
Growth habit	indet.
Leaf type	potato
Fruit color	white, pale yellow, bi-color
Fruit shape	beefsteak
Fruit size	large
Fruit type	slicer
Variety type	heirloom
Country	USA

B.C KO T

Indet., potato leaf, pale yellow beefsteak fruits, mostly medium size in my garden, but I think they can be much larger in better growing conditions. 8-12 oz. Excellent taste, but low productivity. This variety is not very suitable for our cool Pacific North West climate.

Seed source:

1. ONT HU J 06 (Jennifer Hutson of Ontario, Canada)

2. MI FL J 08 (Jeff Fleming of Augusta, Michigan) / NC LE C 96 (Craig LeHoullier of Raleigh, North Carolina) / NY RI R 89 (Robert Richardson, New York)

3. Fedco Seeds 13

Year grown: 2011 (crop failure), 2012 (#2 and B.C KO T 12 / MI FL J 08), 2012(3)

Location: Zone 7b, PNW, Anmore, BC, Canada (760 ft above sea level)

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MI FL J

Large plants need caging or staking. For me first maturity can be anywhere between 72 and 100+ days, it has been highly variable and perhaps due to poor fruit set if weather conditions are not conducive when the plants produce their first flowers. Moderate production of medium to large 8-14 oz (but I have seen them up to 24 oz) medium yellow smooth oblate fruit, sometimes with green shoulders. The fruits are meaty and produce few seeds. They have a creamy texture (not overly hard nor soft) and the flavor is absolutely luscious, a complex and slightly sweet blend that makes this one of my favorite varieties. Despite the fickle yields and sometimes long wait for ripe fruit, they are well worth the challenges. This is one variety of a short list that I absolutely must find room for in my garden every year.

Source 

Craig LeHoullier of Raleigh, North Carolina

Year: annually since 1996

Location: Augusta, Michigan

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IL LO N

90 days, indet., potato leaf plant with a fair yield of 12-16 oz yellow beefsteak with good flavor.

Source 

MI FL J 06 (Jeff Fleming of Augusta, Michigan) / NY MA C 96 (Carolyn Male of Latham, New York).

Location: Oblong, Illinois

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TX GU R

90 days, indet., potato leaf, 12-20 oz, few seeds, excellent taste, productive.

Source 

 ?

Location: Pasadena, Texas

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TX AN S

90-100 days, indet., potato leaf foliage, tall vigorous plants. 12-20 oz pale yellow fruits, sometimes with a pink blush at blossom end, few seeds, superb, luscious taste, especially for a yellow. Average to high-average productivity. Usually very late for me, even here in Texas, but well worth the wait. Frequently tends to have deep radial cracking, but it usually does not extend too far past the stem end, and is easily enough cut off before eating.

Source 

Can't recall, been growing it on and off for several years

Location: Bastrop, Texas

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GERM SC K

Source 

Manfred Hahm-Hartmann

Year: 2011, 2012 (crop failure)

Location: Quitzdorf am See, Germany

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History

• Sent to Craig LeHoullier by Robert Richardson (NY RI R) in 1989 as "Lillian's Large Yellow #2". Robert received it from Lillian Bruce of Tennessee. Craig named it "Lillian's Yellow Heirloom" and introduced it via an SSE Winter Yearbook listing the following year.
• Lillian's Yellow Heirloom is another of the 100 varieties described in Carolyn Male’s book "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden".
• The Garden Seed Inventory 6th edition noted 16 sources in 2004.

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Related

• Lillian's Yellow Heirloom Cross

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Picture Gallery

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom (MI FL J) - seedling planted. 2011-05-01.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom (ONT HU J) - seedling planted. 2011-05-01.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom (MI FL J) - plant. 2012-06-21.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom (MI FL J) - flower. 2012-06-28.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom (B.C KO T 12 / MI FL J) - flower. 2012-06-28.

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  Klaus-Peter Schurz (GERM SC K). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - ripe fruit. July 2011.

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  Klaus-Peter Schurz (GERM SC K). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - ripe fruit. July 2011.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - ripe fruit. 2012-10-03.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - ripe fruit. 2012-10-03.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - ripe fruit. 2012-10-16.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - ripe fruit. 2012-10-16.

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  Jeff Fleming (MI FL J). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom. 2006

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  Jeff Fleming (MI FL J). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom sliced. 2006

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  Susan Anderson (TX AN S): Lillian's Yellow. 2008.

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  Klaus-Peter Schurz (GERM SC K). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - sliced fruit. July 2011.

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  Klaus-Peter Schurz (GERM SC K). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - sliced fruit. July 2011.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - sliced fruit. 2012-10-03.

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  Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - sliced fruit. 2012-10-16.

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Seed Availability

Year	Commercial Vendors	Seed Savers Yearbook (Member listings)	Seeds of Diversity (Member listings)
2018		.	.
2017		.	.
2016	Tatiana's TOMATObase Seeds	.	.
2015	Tatiana's TOMATObase Seeds	.	.
2014	Tatiana's TOMATObase Seeds Diane's Flower Seeds Gleckler Seedmen Solana Seeds Tomato Growers Supply TomatoFest Victory Seed Company	.	.
2013	Tatiana's TOMATObase Seeds - new Delectation of Tomatoes - new Fedco Seeds Knapp's Fresh Vegies Sand Hill Preservation Center Solana Seeds Tomato Growers Supply TomatoFest Two Wings Farm Victory Seed Company	.	.
2012	Gleckler Seedmen Tomato Growers Supply Victory Seed Company	14	4
2011	Fedco Seeds Gleckler Seedmen - new Knapp's Fresh Vegies Marianna's Heirloom Seeds Sand Hill Preservation Center Solana Seeds Tomato Growers Supply TomatoFest Two Wings Farm Victory Seed Company	12	5
2010	Fedco Seeds Knapp's Fresh Vegies - new Marianna's Heirloom Seeds Sand Hill Preservation Center Solana Seeds Tomato Growers Supply TomatoFest Two Wings Farm	13	3
2009	Marianna's Heirloom Seeds Sand Hill Preservation Center - sold out for 2009 Solana Seeds Tomato Growers Supply TomatoFest Totally Tomatoes Two Wings Farm	14	.
2008	Marianna's Heirloom Seeds Sand Hill Preservation Center Solana Seeds Tomato Growers Supply TomatoFest Totally Tomatoes	17	.
2007	Marianna's Heirloom Seeds Sand Hill Preservation Center Solana Seeds Tomato Growers Supply	16	.