Tomato Madness!

[Matt94]

generally tomato's self pollinate, and cross pollination is a rare occurance, but if you want to be 100% sure you have to cover them with a mesh bag/favour bag

[soladragon]

Thanks. I am sure it will be fine then

[veggiechicken]

I would also be interested in hearing if people have grown black cherry, as i bought a few hundred seeds last week (its all VC's fault!)

Tut, tut, Matt. Don't try to blame me for your lack of self control

[Matt94]

Tut, tut, Matt. Don't try to blame me for your lack of self control

i was wondering where you had got to

[soladragon]

To be honest Stupice is the tomato I am excited about most.

[taff]

I'm a huge fan of all black tomatoes so far, all of them, for my taste buds, are the bees knackers, but I've also got a sungold plant this year to try those too.
Normal red toms just don't do it for me anymore
I'm happy to give you some seeds of different varieties for you to try next year. Pm me.

[Gemmalaveen]

I tried to grow black cherry last year but the seeds failed to germinate... new packet so I should have returned it!

I have grown Tigerella for the past two years and I just love the taste. Gardener's Delight is also a regular for me because it is tasty and reliable. I would love to try Brandy Wine but am waiting to buy a greenhouse.

I would suggest adding a bush variety like Tumbling Tom (red or yellow) or Maskotka because in my experience they start ripening first outdoors.

[Bren In Pots]

I'm growing Black Cherry for the first time and they're just starting to change colour the two plants outside look like they're going to ripen before the greenhouse ones.

[flowertot]

black cherry, tigerella and beef steak where 3 of the varieties I grew last year and decided where the ones I really wanted to grow again this year along with black russians. The Beef steak where particularly suprising - nothing like the flabby flavourless things you buy in the supermarket. Mine where much smaller but had a lovely flavour.

[Andromeda]

erm the only ones that ive grown out of your list are:

moneymaker - reliable toms, but bland in flavour!
roma - found these floury in texture a few years ago, but have decide to grow the again this year!
marmande - fairly big beef toms with little amount of seeds
Gardeners delight (nan grows this every year) - relaible and heavy crops

i noticed from your lists that you are wanting to grow a yellow cherry tom, if i where you i would look into sunbaby, ive grown these for the past few years and the are heavy croppers and they remind me of sungold both taste and appearance.

I would also be interested in hearing if people have grown black cherry, as i bought a few hundred seeds last week (its all VC's fault!)

I've grown black cherry a couple of times; the fruits are amazing but the phrase handle with care comes to mind, I found them very susceptible to being damaged. Well worth the extra care (especially when picking) though.

OP: I grew Hillbilly last year and found them utterly bland - I've had tastier toms from the supermarket.

[Thelma Sanders]

I grow Black Cherry every year, it does have thin skins and will split when picked - if left to fully ripen.
They are ripe before they look it, it's the colour that deceives - try picking a little earlier

I prefer thin skins to the thick skins on supermarket toms, which are bred to withstand packing/travelling. the only distance mine travel, is to my mouth

[Scarlet]

I grow black cherry every year - they do split but they taste great. I have been eating mine for a fortnight

[SarzWix]

Sub Arctic Plenty tend towards watery and tasteless, as do Moneymaker. I'd have the Bloody Butcher and Matina instead, both flavoursome and the BB are as early a cropper as SAP in my experience, but infinitely more tasty.

Will you have room for those varieties which are 'Determinate'? They are the ones that grow like bushes, and take up more room than Indeterminate/Cordon varieties.

[soladragon]

Yes I will have room for around 15 plants and 20 if I really needed

[Vince G]

If you want a nice normalish cherry, try Apero. I'm growing these this year and they are delicious, extremely sweet with a nice touch of tang. They look like mini plum tomatoes. The plant is now up to the polytunnel roof and still producing masses of flowers....gonna have to stop it soon. You don't look to have a plum tomato on your list - I'm growing Giulietta for the first time this year, early signs are promising, plenty of trusses with lots of very elongated fruit, some now beginning to ripen. Can't wait to taste them - good for cooking apparently. Both of these are available at Dobies of Devon.