Heirloom Tomato crisis!

[soladragon]

Ok guys, I am in crisis over heirloom tomatoes. I live in the North West of the UK and need some advice on what Heirloom tomatoes do best outside here. I would love to have a variety that I can carry on year after year and pass on.

So far my observations have led me to think about getting.

Blaby
Brandywine
Striped Roma
Gardeners Delight
Russian Black

Any advice on what types are available to me and any you would recommend would be really kind.

[Leeds_lad]

Where about in the North West are you?
Stick your location on your profile page and it will show up in the top right, will make people giving feedback easier then =)

[solway cropper]

As LL says, the north west of the UK could be anywhere from Carlisle to Ullapool. I live near Carlisle and have trouble getting a decent crop from toms grown outside so all mine are in the greenhouse. Sub Arctic Plenty is one you could try but it's pretty tasteless and I don't really understand this 'heritage' business anyway.

[soladragon]

Liverpool =)

[Two_Sheds]

I can't grow tomatoes outside because late summer blight always destroys them before they ripen. You may have that to consider, and either abandon the idea (!) or construct Zazen's patented plastic Blight Defender, details available in an older thread

[SarzWix]

I live on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border and the only tomatoes that have cropped reasonably outdoors for me are 'Losetto', a basket tomato from T&M, and 'Sungold', both of them F1 cherry types. The main problem is that our season isn't really long enough to get a decent crop before the nights turn cold, unless you start them off early, and move them inside every night and back out in the morning until about mid-May. You could try one of those mini-greenhouses (otherwise known as blow-aways) which will give some protection, and extend the season slightly at either end, but you'd probably only fit 2 plants in.

[smc999]

I can't really help as I grow mine under glass but I think this thread title would make a great name for a band!

[taff]

try looking for varieties that are short cropping in other countries, like Poland. I have one variety that's about 20 days earlier than any other . I can't remember the name it at the moment, it's in the tomato box somewhere else....it might be Jantar...

[Thelma Sanders]

we all want to know now

[Alison]

I'm not that far from you and have done very well with Red Alert outside in the past. Don't grow it anymore as I have enough from my indoor crops (now have a polytunnel) and prefer to use the outside space for something else.

[Rabidbun]

I am further south but Red Alert always crops insanely early for me outside, def a good un.

[Lavenderblue]

I am Leicester and can recommend Galena - a yellow cherry that crops well outside. Blaby tomatoes are dreadful, had no luck with them at all and they are supposed to be from round here. They need to be grown under glass.

[Newton]

Hi soladragon. I'm over the water in wirral. I have successfully grown marmande outside for the last 2 seasons. My Allotment neighbour grew Shirley outside. Neither are heirloom. I grew black cherry and a stripy variegated? Type I can't remember the name of in the GH.

Welcome to the vine.

[Incy]

I'm in Manchester and have done well for the last few years with Bloody Butcher outside. As they are early cropping I usually manage to get a decent crop before blight hits. Also 100's and 1000's as a basket tomato. They seem pretty resistant to blight which is a bonus.

[CimaDirapa]

In the Severn vale, for me the only tom that do well outside and managed to stay blight free (almost) is Ferline, like other here I don't do outdoor tom anymore as the polytunell let me grow five plants of different varieties. Farline is a good all-round but I wouldn't call it exceptional in terms of flavor.