Tomato reviews likes & dislikes 2015 - 2020

[Baldy]

Cadalot grows lots of varieties and he really rates Outdoor Girl as an early tom. I gave them a go but they didn't do too well for me. Possibly too hot, but I'd trust Cadalot's judgement for the UK.

(nah, he knows his onions... )


Outdoor Girl didn't float my boat - but its all subjective I suppose. Ignore me anyway - I've only got about 3 varieties on the go this year...

[Bren In Pots]

Picked my first Black Cherry today its my favourite tom and they'll be more to pick tomorrow.

Gardeners delight won't be far behind but my Shirleys and San Marzano are still green.

[robbra]

It's early days. I have grown nine bush for the first time and six cordons this year.
I left them in 3" pots until the 1st of July so expected a bit of a delay.
My cordons seem to have gone through a pause with buds but few flowers, the heat has kicked them of this week so some hope there.
I am really impressed with the number of flowers and small toms on the bush plants, First in Field is in front followed by Red Alert, Outdoor Girl and The Amateur.
As all mine except for Ananas are new to me I reserve judgement on taste until I've eaten them.
Rob

[muckdiva]

Loving this thread, so helpful.
So far,

Tumbler F1, easy, prolific and tasty

Sungold, always grow it and as above though I find the plants are a bit unwieldy if left to their own devices early on

I’m also growing Tigerella, Crimson Crush and Cherokee Purple but nothing else ripe as yet..

[Thelma Sanders]

Planted in the g/house
Irish Gardeners Delight (taste nothing special shan't bother again)
Orange Paruche (usually good, not so this year - so maybe the weather is the difference?)
Deano's Rosella ( still my favourite cherry tom)
Rapunzel (taste ok but have thick skins )
German Red Strawberry (taste lovely but they're HUGE and only set 3 toms) These may be better grown outside
Reif's Red Heart seems like a slightly smaller version of GRS but sets more fruit
Nectar Rose ( medium sized -taste is good and so is the yield)

The smaller early sown, potted toms, Garden Pearl and (yellow fruited) Peardrops have finished now after a huge early yield from small plants. These start fruiting earlier than the cordon plants and taste better than the supermarket offerings they replace in my salad

[toomanytommytoes]

Indigo Cherry Drops (bicolour red cherry)
Very vigorous and sets loads of fruit with a spiky nipple on the end, 10-14 per truss. Fruit are rather inconsistent in size, varying from standard cherry to tiny plum and everything in between. Find it difficult to tell when it's ripe meaning harvesting takes longer. Taste is pretty good but I wouldn't grow it again.

Blush (bicolour yellow plum cherry)
Good yielder, 10-12 per truss, quite early to ripen, but it's fairly bland to my taste. Not much sweetness, not much acidity and a mild fruity flavour. Reminds me of Green Zebra where I tried it at many stages of ripeness but never found one I liked. Lots of people seem to love it but I probably wouldn't grow it again.

Chadwick Cherry (large red cherry)
Vigorous plant, 8-12 fruit per truss. The latest of my 4 cherries to ripen. Taste is pretty good, best picked when a very intense red ripe. Would probably grow again but space in the greenhouse is at a premium and I would prefer a higher yielding, earlier variety.

Is there any cherry that can match the depth of flavour of Black Cherry?

[Thelma Sanders]

Is there any cherry that can match the depth of flavour of Black Cherry?

I know tomato taste varies with soil and climate, also depends on the person doing the tasting - but have you tried growing Rosella? Once you grow it you can save your own seed, as it isn't a hybrid. It got an RHS award in 2017

[Babru]

"The smaller early sown, potted toms, Garden Pearl and (yellow fruited) Peardrops have finished now after a huge early yield from small plants. These start fruiting earlier than the cordon plants and taste better than the supermarket offerings they replace in my salad"

When did you sow these to get your early yield Thelma?

[Thelma Sanders]

Sowed a few of each on 2nd Feb, according to my diary. Once germinated and then potted on, they live on a cool bedroom windowledge and I put them out into the unheated greenhouse during the day, whenever it is above 10C, bringing them back inside at night. All the moving of pots gets to be a chore, especially in a late spring, but I think it is worth it for the early harvest

[muckdiva]

It’s my dream to find a standard size tom that tastes as intense as Sungold - and is open pollinated to boot

[mcdood]

Disclaimer - Noob tomato reviewer.

Outdoor Girl:
Potato leaf variety, fruits early, happy outside (until blight - one of the most ravaged varieties) ,seems to have erratic plant growth and erratic fruit size (from cherry to almost beefsteak). Taste Ok but texture mushy, maybe I'm letting them get too ripe. I can't think of a reason to grow this again, not for me

Anyone want some seeds

[greenishfing]

Crimson Blush.
I am a big fan of Crimson Crush and have grown them for 5 years now. This year I added Crimson Blush to my list. They are large (beefsteak), a very deep pink rather than red and I love the taste. I shall have to grow them again.

[toomanytommytoes]

Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye (black stripy beefsteak)
The first black tomato other than Black Cherry I've grown and probably the best tomato I've ever tasted. Amazing depth of flavour with a built in saltiness. Will definitely grow again but prune to 2 stems instead of 1 for higher yield.

Rose de Berne (medium-large pink)
Very good taste, excellent yield, will definitely grow again.

Cosmonaut Volkov (red beefsteak)
Good taste, supposed to be a prolific producer but ours was pretty average. Would grow again but we can only fit so many plants in the greenhouse so probably replacing it with something more reliably higher yielding like Moskovich or Druzba.

Jaune Flamme (small orange)
Excellent yield, early to ripen and very good taste. Very tangy, brilliant in salads. Definitely grow again.

[Scarlet]

Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye (black stripy beefsteak)
I've grown and probably the best tomato I've ever tasted.

Would you call it black? It was very pink for me? But agree, absolutely delicious!
I grow most of my larger toms on two stems. I've had 4 of these growing in the GH and they've been very good this year.

Jaune Flamme (small orange)
Excellent yield, early to ripen and very good taste. Very tangy, brilliant in salads. Definitely grow again.

One that Thelma likes - I've grown it too this year and agree it's lovely.

[toomanytommytoes]

Would you call it black? It was very pink for me? But agree, absolutely delicious! I grow most of my larger toms on two stems. I've had 4 of these growing in the GH and they've been very good this year.

Mine are very dark pink on the inside. Looking at the photo you posted in the tomato photo gallery thread, mine are darker on the outside too. I'll try to remember to take a photo of the next one I pick so we can compare.