Mortgage Lifter

Family: Solanaceae Nightshade

Planting Schedule

Provide your location or planting zone to unlock dates and add Mortgage Lifter to a garden.

Sink your senses into the first blush of Mortgage Lifter’s massive fruits—warm, sun-kissed red with a famously meaty, old-fashioned heft.

The flesh is richly textured and juicy, with a balanced, sweet-tangy flavor that shines in thick slices and hearty spoonfuls of garden flavor. Grow it for standout beefsteak presence at the peak of the season, when its weighty shoulders and generous interior make every harvest feel like a triumph.

Light: Full SunMaturity: 90 DaysHabit: Indeterminate

Botanical illustration of Mortgage Lifter

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Mortgage Lifter Planting Dates by USDA Zone

Estimated US hardiness-zone windows for sow, transplant, and harvest. Enter a US ZIP above for exact local dates, or open a zone below.

Zone	Start Indoors	Sow / Transplant	Harvest
Zone 1a	Protected Environment Only
Zone 1b	Protected Environment Only
Zone 2a	Apr 6th	Jul 20th	Oct 18th – Aug 29th
Zone 2b	Mar 27th	Jul 10th	Oct 8th – Aug 25th
Zone 3a	Mar 27th	Jul 10th	Oct 8th – Sep 1st
Zone 3b	Mar 31st	Jul 14th	Oct 12th – Sep 21st
Zone 4a	Mar 27th	Jul 10th	Oct 8th – Sep 24th
Zone 4b	Mar 25th	Jul 8th	Oct 6th – Sep 27th
Zone 5a	Mar 20th	Jul 3rd	Oct 1st – Sep 30th
Zone 5b	Mar 16th	Jun 29th	Sep 27th – Oct 5th
Zone 6a	Mar 13th	Jun 26th	Sep 24th – Oct 10th
Zone 6b	Mar 7th	Jun 20th	Sep 18th – Oct 16th
Zone 7a	Mar 2nd	Jun 15th	Sep 13th – Oct 20th
Zone 7b	Feb 20th	Jun 5th	Sep 3rd – Oct 28th
Zone 8a	Feb 11th	May 27th	Aug 25th – Nov 5th
Zone 8b	Feb 2nd	May 18th	Aug 16th – Nov 12th
Zone 9a	Jan 16th	May 1st	Jul 30th – Nov 26th
Zone 9b	Dec 22nd	Apr 6th	Jul 5th – Dec 9th
Zone 10a	Continuous Production
Zone 10b	Continuous Production
Zone 11a	Continuous Production
Zone 11b	Continuous Production
Zone 12a	Continuous Production
Zone 12b	Continuous Production
Zone 13a	Continuous Production
Zone 13b	Continuous Production

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	90
Sun Requirements	Full Sun
Growth Habit	Indeterminate
Support Needed	Cage
Planting Depth	Deep
Germination Temp (°F)	75
Min Soil Temp (°F)	60
Min Night Temp (°F)	50
Harden Off (days)	10

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

Mortgage Lifter is a beefsteak built for starring roles: big, meaty interior means it slices clean and holds sauce, instead of flooding the plate. Choose it when you want tomato flavor that’s thick, scoopable, and still bright—perfect for hot summer days and no-nonsense eating.

Best Uses

thick sandwich slices on sturdy bread (won’t turn to soup)
seasonal tomato-and-salt plates with a slick of olive oil
rough chopped salsa for spooning—chunk stays intact
slow-batched sauce where the flesh breaks down into hearty, spoonable body

Flavor Profile

meaty, gel-light flesh with substantial chew sweet-tang balance that reads bright on the palate juicy but not watery—more “slice and scoop” than “drip” old-fashioned tomato savor with a warm, sun-kissed finish

Kitchen Pairings

extra-virgin olive oil garlic aged cheddar fresh mozzarella balsamic vinegar sea salt

Frequently Asked Questions

What pest or disease most commonly affects Solanum lycopersicum (Mortgage Lifter tomato), and how do I treat it?

Early blight (Alternaria) is a common tomato problem, showing as brown, concentric target-like spots on older leaves that spread upward. Remove affected lower leaves promptly and improve airflow by spacing plants and pruning only for airflow, then apply a labeled fungicide if the disease is progressing. Avoid overhead watering and water at the base to keep foliage dry and slow spread.

How often should I water Mortgage Lifter tomatoes during the main growing phase (from flowering through fruit set)?

During flowering and fruit set, keep soil consistently moist but not soggy: aim for about 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm) of water per week, adjusted for heat and rainfall. Water deeply at the root zone 1–3 times per week so the soil goes several inches down, and reduce the frequency after fruits begin sizing to prevent cracking. Mulch helps stabilize moisture, which reduces blossom-end rot risk.

How can I tell when Mortgage Lifter tomatoes are ready to harvest at about 90 days?

Harvest when fruits are fully colored for the variety (deep red) and the shoulder is no longer green, with a firm-but-giving feel. Pick at least a few times as they ripen, because tomatoes left too long on the vine are more likely to split or develop soft rot. If they show any cracking, harvest immediately and check frequently over the next couple days.