Is anyone trying blight resistant toms this year?

[greenishfing]

Today my husband reminded me about an article he'd read a few months ago about a fully blight-resistant tomato. I'd forgotten all about it.

I've been fighting blight for the last few years and am tempted to try them. they are also supposed to taste good.

Evidently Suttons have developed them -Crimson Crush- but are only selling plug plants this year, not seed. At £7.99 for 3 plugs they do seem expensive, but if they do really taste good and really do not succumb to blight they would be worth it.

My only fear really is that they will be about as effective as the "carrot fly resistant" carrots. USELESS!!!

Is anyone else considering them?

[Aberdeenplotter]

maybe not so expensive if you pot up some of the sideshoots and multiply the number of plants you grow. Ordinary F1 tomatoes are really expensive for 6 or 7 seeds these days

[WendyC]

I've grown " Ferline" before. They were definitely more resistant than other tomatoes. The tomatoes themselves were ok, nothing really special, but any homegrown tomato is better than a shop one! I stopped growing them as they are, from memory, a bush type, and I find they take up too much room on my patio. I may have some seed lurking if you want to try them.

[arpoet]

HOW MUCH??????

I will stick to spraying with asprin. Tried it after advice on here last year and had the best toms for years.

[Bigmallly]

I'm not growing blight resistant varieties but have got the Asprin spray bottle ready for when the time arrives.

[greenishfing]

I did use the aspirin last year but still got blight eventually.

[kathyd]

I grow Ferline F1 - they're not bad, plus appear to be reasonably blight resistant as said above. Fothergills have them with 15 seeds for £3.19, and I got masses of sideshoots to make new plants. I don't 'think' they're a bush variety - I certainly don't grow them as one! They're described as 'indeterminate' on the packet anyway . I didn't know about the aspirin trick - I'll have to buy some in the uk when I'm over! Thanks! Does that go for potatoes too?

[Bigmallly]

Thanks! Does that go for potatoes too?

Apparently so Kathy:

Trouble in the vegetable patch? Break out the aspirin - it nips pesky blights in the bud - Science - News - The Independent

[Laney]

Hi! Yes I ordered 3 of these, delivery won't be until April. It's my only extravagant spend so far, I'm brand new to a veg plot and I've heard from friends how they suffer blight. They'll be my first toms ever and hopefully I can collect seeds for next year. They actually cost about £12.00 for 3 because there's £5 postage. Bit naughty they won't sell seeds, but I guess they've invested a fair bit getting the toms to market. I'll let you know how it goes, will be good to share notes

[Kristen]

hopefully I can collect seeds for next year

'Fraid not, they are an F1 variety, so saved-seeds won't "come true".

.Bit naughty they won't sell seeds

They will sell seeds next year, they presumably don't have enough this first year and want to recoup some of their costs by adding value and selling only plants.

Tomatoes are very easy to grow from cuttings, taken from the side-shoots, so if you need more plants that will be an option as they grow. Cuttings will be about a month behind the parent plants.

[Bill HH]

Two years ago I had blight both in potatoes and tomatoes, they say you should wait several years before growing them again but I went ahead as usual. However i used asprin on both and did not have any blight. Also had very good crops of both. This however is not proof as there seemed to be less blight about last year. I add my asprin to the water its easier than spraying.

[Kristen]

they say you should wait several years before growing them again

If there is no living plant material left behind (such as a potato tuber - therefore important to rogue out any volunteers, the following season) I don't think Blight can over-winter, can it?

[alldigging]

If there is no living plant material left behind (such as a potato tuber - therefore important to rogue out any volunteers, the following season) I don't think Blight can over-winter, can it?

It needs living tissue to survive on.
So almost certainly not.

[Mark Lottie]

growing red alert and ferline from seed this year but will also try some crimson crush. Going to try get some seeds of Crimson from the fruit as it is still unknown if they are f1 hybrids

I did the aspirin spray thing on potatoes last year and we didnt get blight but did on the tomatoes right by them, so will try aspirin on the toms too this year

[Bohobumble]

I have ordered Losetto and Ferline using the T&M offer VC mentioned (http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...fer_83196.html), never grown them before tho so I shall see how they grow and taste.

I won't have room to grow everything I want to in the greenhouse so some toms needed to be grown outdoors, and on my allotment site the only way to do it apparently is with resistant varieties :/

If they ever send them, they've not ship yet