Tomatoes: Vilma or Venus?

[Sylvan]

T&M have sent me a £5 voucher.
I'm havering between 2 varieties of bush tomato: 'Vilma' and 'Venus'.
Has anyone grown either of them?

[Rabidbun]

Yeah, didn't hugely rate either tbh, but of the two Venus were nice for snacking in my hanging baskets. Split easily on picking though which put me off em. Vilma were ok but nothing hugely special imo. I remember them dropping fruit a fair bit if I haven't mixed em up with Balconi Red that is. I like Red Alert myself, though large bush plants those.

[Sylvan]

Thanks Rabidbun. I'll look for summat else in the catalogue.
I'm trying Balconi Red and Red Alert this year

[Rabidbun]

Remember the free del code working till monday if you order before then - WEB1124. Min spend £10 though.

Plus the seed sale is still on by the looks of things!

[Sylvan]

Thanks

[Rabidbun]

Np, hope you spot something! Just been tempted by the potato planter offer meself.

[Sylvan]

Get behind me Santa!

We got our potatoes last week, at their sale prices, plus 10% discount code and free p&p.

British Queen
Cara
Charlotte
Desiree
International Kidney
Kestrel
King Edward
Lady Christl
Maris Piper
Pentland Javelin
Ratte
Rocket
Sarpo Mira
Swift

We may have got a little carried away
The dog's complaining that the kitchen floor's too crowded.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Sylvan, do you own a 'chippy' LOL.

Colin

[Rabidbun]

Lol,that is a Lot of tatties! Really wanted to try Ratte but I've not got room anywhere!

[Sylvan]

I have three 6'4" men Colin. Does that count?

The allotment used to be a field, growing thistles and nettles. The committee had the whole field ploughed/rotavated , then left it for a year and had it done again.... after which they left it for another year...

Grumpy and the dog have spent 8 months digging up thistles. He says he has eight 30'x4' beds ready for planting so far, but we're bound to get zombie thistles and nettles in them, so bring on the potato trials (Windy site, high altitude, pretty far north, no water on site, poor soil... which will grow best for us with a certain amount of neglect/taste best/be most versatile/keep well in the study...)

It's only 14 varieties. I have 63 types of tomato on the go so far this year...

[Sylvan]

(It's called perseveration... )

[Potstubsdustbins]

either that word or..................madness.


Colin

[Sylvan]

Last year we had 58 tomato plants and they only produced 1.14kg ripe tomatoes.
(We didn't weigh the green ones we picked at the end of September, 'cos we were in a bit of a hurry, but they filled 16 500g butter tubs when they had been cooked).

The land is classified as "Severely Disadvantaged" and the weather tends to be a bit weird.

This year I have quite a few "Very Early" tomatoes and Russian, Ukrainian, Polish and American ones that are supposed to do well in cold, dreary summers (You watch - we'll have a scorcher!) and lots of cherry types 'cos they seemed to work best for us last year, as well as the heritage varieties that were sown in February and early March last year and didn't produce anything at all. If sowing them in January doesn't solve the problem I'll just give up on them.

[Sylvan]

Auntie Madge's managed a few flowers but no fruit.
Black Cherry - 3 fruits (from 2 plants), only one of which ripened outside.
Back Krim - no fruit
Black Trifele - 3 or 4 fruit - none ripened outside.
Brad's Black Heart - no fruit
Carbon - 5 or 6 fruit but none ripened
Cherokee Purple - no fruit
Christel's Plum - no fruit
Cream Sausage - no fruit
Gardener's Delight - 2 fruits, totalling 20g (That was just weird I've had succes with them for decades!)

...nuff said!

32 Sungold (374g) and 42 Tumbling Tom (248g) - guess what we're definitely growing again

[Potstubsdustbins]

Sylvan I see you like Tumbling Tom, I grew this when the original Tumbler went of the market for a couple of years soon as Tumbler reappeared I switched back.

Now I know you have quite a few vareities but may I suggest you give them a try.

Colin