Favourite tomato varieties

[Sian Bunney]

Hello all!

I have another question for you to feature in the February Allotment Inspiration pages:

What are your favourite tomato varieties to grow?


All the best,
Sian

[MarkPelican]

Favourite tomato: I say this every time. Summer Cider. Its a beautiful apricot coloured beefsteak with the most fantastic flavour. The only problem with it is that its quite late so you have to grow others to deliver home grown taste earlier in the year.

[Penellype]

Tomatoes are probably my favourite crop. In order of preference:

1. Sungold - reliable, early, grows outdoors, tastes gorgeous.

2. Shirley - reliable indoor variety, tastes good.

3. Ferline - I've only grown this once. Produced some huge beefsteak type tomatoes when grown outside. Later tomatoes are smaller, they keep well and taste stunning when fully ripe. Supposedly blight resistant, although some of the later fruit did get blight.

4. Balconi red - small plants produce copious quantities of not too small tomatoes and will continue cropping into autumn. Small enough to grow the first flush of fruit on a windowsill with very little support. Taste is fairly good.

[Small pumpkin]

I'm a big fan go Black Russian. I love the flavour
Also a fan of good old reliable gardeners delight.

I'm going to try sungold this year because so many people on here rave about how good it is.

[sparrow100]

Blush and Berkeley Tie-Dye (both in this year's seed circle) because they taste wonderful AND are beautiful, plus Black Cherry for unbeatable flavour. Crimson Crush so I can grow outside without worrying about blight.

[greenishfing]

Sungold and Crimson Crush. They are all I intend to grow next year.(Mmmmmh)

[Thelma Sanders]

My new favourite is Jaune Flamme a lovely orange tom with good acid balance (if you're not so keen on the very sweet ones) it's OP so good if you are into seed saving.
Nectar Rose is another one I grow every year, a big tom, but not quite a beefsteak, plus Black Cherry - as sparrow says, you can save seed from both of these , as well

Red Alert is a good tasty bush for outside, you get an early crop from it - usually before blight arrives.

[Snadger]

Black Russian, a lovely tasting beefsteak. Ailsa Craig, not easy to grow but a lovely flavour. Lastly will be Vince, no idea of colour or habit, but its got my dear auld dads first name!

[Scoot]

Black Russian, a lovely tasting beefsteak. Ailsa Craig, not easy to grow but a lovely flavour. Lastly will be Vince, no idea of colour or habit, but its got my dear auld dads first name!

I've just bought some ailsa craig seeds. Why are they hard to grow?

[Snadger]

I've just bought some ailsa craig seeds. Why are they hard to grow?

They tend to suffer from greenback or blossom end rot if watered irregularily!

[Cadalot]

Every year I grow about 20 - 30 different varieties of tomato, trying to establish my top 10. My all time favourite are 100s & 1000s as my daughter adores them and so do the kids at the nursery she works at. Red Robin are a nice small sweet cherry and can be grown in pots and containers. Kibitz have a great taste and texture. Tumbling Tom, Rainbow Blend, Sunset Red Horizon, Plum Roma, Crimson Crush for outside on the allotment and next year Rapunzel because they look to be very prolific and could actually reduce my range of varieties considerably, if they grow like I have seen on YouTube.

[Bigmallly]

I don't have a favourite as such but like to try new varieties so in 2017 I will be giving "Pertsevidnyy" a go so that I can practice saying its name...............

[vixylix]

Black cherry... they look and taste divine!

[Sian Bunney]

Hello all,

Thank you for your insightful replies as ever! Some very tasty, tempting varieties here.
I will use a selection of your comments for the Feb issue - I wish I could use them all!

Best wishes,
Sian

[maverick451]

Crimson Crush - Early, very blight resistant and taste fantastic

Sungold - the best flavoured cherry imo and very vigorous grower

Apero- red cherry that rivals sungold

Black russian - fantastic tomato fresh and makes the best grilled tomato