A garden in north Louisiana, USA.

BACKGROUND OF QUESTION:
Am recalling tomatoes raised by
father when I was a child. He
planted several varieties, all very
acidic (which is what I prefer).

I recall that one variety would
come up year after year without
being replanted. Dad called
them TOM-a-toes (the caps for
stressed syllable) and, sometimes,
"wild tomatoes." They would
come up along the edges of
the garden each year from fruit
that had fallen on the ground the
prior year and were more hardy,
more drought resistant, more
parasite resistant and more disease
resistant than any other variety --
and produced all summer long,
while other varieties produced
early, or late, or lost their blooms
prematurely in high temperatures.

The only disadvantage of the
TOMatoes, so far as I can recall,
was their small for use in a
sandwich. For salads, they were
perfect. Some would ripen when
not much larger than a marble.
They were acidic and rich in taste
and seemed to have a long shelf
life, as best I recall.

In recent years no tomatoes I have
purchased as supermarket produce,
nor that I have grown from plant
sets purchased at a supermarket or
at a seed and feed store, have been
acidic enough for my taste (despite
the fact I have ASKED for the
most acidic varieties available.
Last year, HOWEVER, a neighbor
raised some TOMatoes,
and gave some to me, and they were
like the ones I remembered from
childhood. Afterward that neighbor
took a job in another city and we
have lost contact.

QUESTIONS:

1. Are all TOMatoes the same?
2. Are they really capable of
growing in the wild?
3. Can you tell me where I might
get some seeds to get some
started in my garden, with a
reasonable expectation they
will come up yearly if I prepare
a special bed for them?

Any information or advice will
be appreciated.


g