Trials on tomatoes in 2006

[Jaxom]

This year I will be carrying out taste trials on tomatoes. I intend to grow a large number of varieties. How I will fit them all in an 8x10 green house I will never know? My neighbour and his father, who also have greenhouses, will be joining in the trials. Between the three of us we may have enough space.
Next spring we will be sowing :

Ailsa Craig.
Alicante.
Black Prince.
Flavorino.
Gardener’s Delight.
Golden Cherry.
Golden Sunrise.
Livingston’s White Queen
Marglobe.
Marmande.
Moneymaker.
Millionaire.
Piccolo cherry.
Pink Brandywine.
Purple Calabash.
Red Cherry.
Spear’s Tennessee Green.
Sweet Blush.
Tigerella.
Tumbling Ton, Red.
White Wonder.
Yellow Plumb.

The number of seeds that came my way just grew. I had intended to do it with six varieties on my own. Some of these tomatoes I had never heard of before this year. I will be keeping records of my progress for future reference.
Jax

[Geordie]

This year i will be growing:

Latah - an extra early variety...usually ready when the rest are just forming fruit

Alicante - my main tom crop

Big Zac - grown for very large toms (one per truss, heaviest so far 4lb 3oz)

Bambi - produces zillions of cherry toms
How do people grow their tomato plants? Would you like an explanation of different methods I have tried?

[Lesley Jay]

This year 2005 I grew

Ferline
First In The Field
Brandywine
Inca

Next year 2006 I will be growing

Ferline
Fantascio
Gartenperle
Mortgage Lifter
San Marzano
Riesentraube

I always start my tomato seeds with one seed in a 4 inch pot in the greenhouse. But the tomato plants are grown outdoors.

[andrewo]

This year I will be mostly growing....

On my small garden plot I will be growing:

Idli
Black Russian
Green Grape
Ferline

And will more than likely be doing...

St Pierre
Golden Sunrise
Gardenperle

And knowing me I will pick up some more seed from somewhere else.

Andrewo
PS Envious of 8 x 10 greenhouse...all mine will be in the open.

[Sug]

Sug

Have been trying to buy some seeds of Golden Cherry but can't find who stocks them. Grew them previously and found them really sweet, but can't remember where I got them from - can you help? Please!

[Nicos]

Sug - hi and welcome!
2 stockists ....Edwin Tucker 01364 652233 TOM34....16 seeds for £1.90
Marshalls 01480 44 33 90 1020-2727 15 seeds for £2.25

We are growing these in the greenhouse again this year. Very impressed with them last year.

[Cab]

I'll be growing these ones:
Gardeners Delight
St. Pierre
White tomesol
Plum Fryer
Gigant Limon
Purple Calabash
Ararat Flamed
Pink Brandywine
Tigerella
Red Oxheart
Caspian Pink

plus three others I havent sown yet, namely Alaskan fancy, variegated and another the name of which I have forgotten.

[Patsy]

Sunday on Gardeners Question Time they mentioned "Mirabelle"? tomatoes but I didn't hear all of it. Did anyone else please?

[nick the grief]

I'm impressed with all you Tomato buffs! I'm quite boring, I'm only growing

Gardeners Delight
White beauty (new one for me this year)
and Cedrico also new to me.

I have grown Garden perle before in a hanging basket with basil & Tagetes, they cropped like mad and were OK but I'm boring when it come to toms

[Nicos]

Patsy - you can get back dates of radio programs repeated on the internet! have a fiddle with BBC site. If you have problems finding it, let me know and I will run you through it! this is of course only helpful if you have speakers attatched to your pc!

[Sug]

Thanks Nicos
Will be ordering Golden Cherry tomorrow.
Sug

[nick the grief]

Whilst were on the subject of toms, A friend of mine always grew Craigella (cross between Ailsa Craig & Tigrella I think). Has anyone seen them in the seed cataloguse as they seem to have disappeared, he's a bit stumped now as he liked them.

Cheers ntg

[nick the grief]

Jaxom,

What do you do with all your tomatoes? There's only so many salads and cheese & tom sarnies I could eat

[Jaxom]

Jaxom,

What do you do with all your tomatoes? There's only so many salads and cheese & tom sarnies I could eat

I only intended to grow a few but the seeds seemed to keep coming my way.
I'm going to sow three or four seeds but only grow on one of most types. The spare plants I will be given away to a few people who want to join in the taste testing.
What Tomatoes I can't eat or give away I will put on the compost heap for the following year. I was also thinking about trying to grow a lot out of doors to see which does best.

[Lesley Jay]

Jaxom if you only keep one plant per variety that will be 22 plants. I normally grow about 40 so you will not be snowed under with tomatoes.