A tomato variety rescued from just four seeds nearly 50 years ago is now part of Seed Savers Exchange’s national collection. The organization introduced Peg O’ My Heart as a new “From the Collection” offering in its Fall 2025 catalog after producing seed and evaluating the variety at Heritage Farm.
The tomato’s story began when Peg Davis received a packet from a ninth-grade agriculture student she was teaching. The student said the seeds came from her family’s tomato, which her deceased grandparents had grown throughout their lives in Pennsylvania. Because the student’s parents were not interested in gardening, she worried the variety might disappear.
From four seeds to a preserved variety
Davis succeeded in sprouting all four seeds. Since then, she has saved seed from the best fruit and selected plants year after year, cultivating stronger specimens. Those efforts refined what Seed Savers Exchange describes as the tomato’s balanced flavor and texture, along with other traits that set it apart from other varieties.
The result is a hearty beefsteak tomato that Davis sells with other varieties at the Staunton Farmers’ Market in Virginia. There, customers travel from miles away to buy the tomato, and Davis is known as the “Tomato Lady.”
For Davis, having the variety shared through Seed Savers Exchange represents more than another market opportunity. The organization’s catalog and preservation work connect her family’s tomato with gardeners across the country.
Heritage Farm grows 88 plants
In 2025, Seed Savers Exchange grew 88 Peg O’ My Heart plants in high tunnels at Heritage Farm. The plants were used for seed production, evaluation and a tomato-tasting event held in September.
Davis, who presented a workshop at Seed Savers Exchange’s 50th-anniversary event, visited the high tunnels to inspect the plants. Corbin Scholz, the farm director, said Davis found the Iowa-grown tomatoes matched the flavor of those grown in Virginia.
The variety’s inclusion also reflects the organization’s broader effort to collect and preserve stories connected to seeds. Seed Savers Exchange said donor support helps make that work possible.
Davis’s enthusiasm for the tomato remains central to the story. I believe in that tomato; it’s truly special. A documentary about her and the variety, Peg of My Heart, is streaming on the PBS website, according to Seed Savers Exchange.