- Heirloom
- Beefsteak
- 85 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Pink
Mortgage Lifter
Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter
Heirloom beefsteak from USA. Enormous mild pink beefsteak, bred in 1930s West Virginia and sold as seedlings to pay off a mortgage. Ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 9, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Beefsteak 16–32 oz (450–900 g) · Flattened globe (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Days to harvest
- 85 days (estimated) from transplant · Mid-late
- Plant height
- 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) Tall
- Spacing
- 24 × 35 in (60 × 90 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Polytunnel · Open ground
- Container growing
- Not suited to pots
- Difficulty
- Challenging (estimated) 4/5
- Skin
-
- Pink
- Interior
-
- Pink
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
Mortgage Lifter is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Flavor
“Enormous mild pink beefsteak, bred in 1930s West Virginia and sold as seedlings to pay off a mortgage.”
Growing calendar
85 (estimated) days from transplant Mid-late
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Slicing
- Juicing
- Heirloom classic
- Gift worthy
- High yield
Origin
Marshall Cletis Byles, "Radiator Charlie", ran a radiator repair shop in Logan, West Virginia. In the 1930s he planted a beefsteak, an Italian and an English variety in a circle around German Johnson, hand-pollinated the centre plant, and saved seed from the best fruit each season until the line was stable. Through the Depression years he sold seedlings for a dollar each, people driving up to two hundred miles for them, and the sales paid off his house. The fruit is enormous, one to three pounds, mild and low in acid. Several other strains carry the name, among them the Estler family's from Cabell County, so seed packets are not all the same tomato.
Sources
- Mortgage Lifter, Tatiana's TOMATOBase (infobox: midseason, indet., regular leaf, pink, oblate/beefsteak, heirloom, USA; parents German Johnson, Beefsteak, unknown English and Italian; separate pages for named strains) ↗
- The Historied Mortgage Lifter Tomato, WVU Extension, J. Friend, 2024 (Byles, Logan WV, 1930s, four parents, $1 per seedling, paid off mortgage, 1-3 lb fruit, Estler strain) ↗
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked daily- Botanical InterestsSeeds
Packet size not listed
Check availability
$2.69Checked Nov 1, 2026 - Tomato Growers Supply CompanySeeds
Pack (30 seeds)
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$3.35Checked Nov 1, 2026 - True Leaf MarketSeeds
250 Mg Packet
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$3.39Checked Nov 1, 2026 - Eden BrothersSeeds
Packet
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$3.84Checked Nov 1, 2026 - BurpeeSeeds
125 Seeds
Check availability
$4.95Checked Nov 1, 2026
Links may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices checked Nov 1, 2026.
All photos
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Mortgage Lifter tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover -
A truss of Mortgage Lifter tomatoes -
Mortgage Lifter tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine -
A ripe Mortgage Lifter tomato held in a gardener's hand -
Freshly picked Mortgage Lifter tomatoes -
Mortgage Lifter tomato sliced in the kitchen
Questions
How do you grow a Mortgage Lifter plant?
A Mortgage Lifter plant grows 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) tall (estimated). Space plants 24 in (60 cm) apart in rows 35 in (90 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–14 days (estimated). It needs full sun.
How long does Mortgage Lifter take to mature?
Mortgage Lifter is ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Does Mortgage Lifter need staking?
Mortgage Lifter is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Can Mortgage Lifter be grown in a container?
Mortgage Lifter is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Mortgage Lifter resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Mortgage Lifter.
