Tomato varieties - case for the prosecution

[Cutecumber]

I confess to being a tomato variety snob - I turn my nose up at the "most popular" ones and head off looking for something a bit more unusual.

I mean, why would I want to grow what anyone else is growing?! "popular" never means "good", surely, it just means "easy to grow" - that's not enough for a tomato.

So, am I making a mistake?

What are the arguments in favour of the tried-and-trusted?

Who will defend Alicante, Ailsa Craig, Moneymaker, Gardener's Delight...

Step up to the defence

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'll leave the specifics for the 'expert witnesses' who will be along in due course for cross examination, but I will open the defence with a general point on your logic....

...can 'popular' not be defined as 'tasty' as opposed to 'easy'? Are 'tasty' and 'easy' mutually exclusive anyway?

Although I would agree that 'not tasty' and 'tricky' varieties will have died out (like, why would you bother?).....

[Cutecumber]

"easy" and "good" are not mutually exclusive, no.

But, I suspect that "easy" is the reason why many varieties continue despite being of less than average flavour, for example.

I was looking at the RHS AGM list for tomatoes and seeing what their comments were.

Alicante, for example - "good shape", "heavy crop", "ripens well"

Flavour is not mentioned, so I presume it is "unremarkable".

Of course, the AGM awards are not really for your garden grower, who is less interested in shape, but more in flavour.

To be fair, most of us just want some bl**dy tomatoes, at the end of the day - I'd rather have a few not-spectactular ones than none at all!

[Hazel at the Hill]

To be fair, most of us just want some bl**dy tomatoes, at the end of the day - I'd rather have a few not-spectactular ones than none at all!

I'm with you on that, CC!

[Alison]

I would agree that the big manufacturers in particular have gone for varieties for reasons other than taste ie consistency of size / shape, ability to transport, resistance to disease etc. However, I would not say this was necessarly true for the home / lottie grower. Most of us would measure our transport distance in meters rather than miles and aren't too bothered if they're all the same size. Disease resistance is still of some importance, although on a smaller scale it is often easier to spot nasties before they become too much of an issue. Whilst reliability is a reason for varieties being popular, as one of the above posts mentions, if they tasted of nothing, they would long of stopped being a popular amatuer choice. I chose to grow varieties that are different to those I could buy easily, for different colours, textures etc however I almost always grow a few Gardeners Delight also as I find them reliable and tasty to eat. Make sense?

[veg4681]

I'm a bit of a novice where tomatoes are concerned but here are my thoughts. My number one priority would be to get a bountiful supply of tomatoes through the summer, so a variety that is heavy cropping, trouble/hassle free = EASIEST TO GROW IN THE WORLD (I'm okay with the compromise on the taste). BTW I wasn't quite aware the mentioned popular ones are supposed to easy growing...now I know.

Once you're sorted for your regular tomatoes on a reliable variety, then I think it's a wonderful & really exciting thing to play around with the more unique variety but you have to accept that you're going to come up with challenges ahead, disapointment and frustrations over pest, diseases, crop failure, what have you. I grew Tigerella once solely on looks (what with them pretty stripes) but it was problematic and tastewise, didn't exactly blew me away.

Is Sun Gold a 'popular' variety? Mine got 'blighted', me thinks and I'm so cross as hell. In times like this, you just want more reliable but boring tomatoes that will at least feed you. So my tomato growing strategy would be to grow both popular and unique ones...just to be on the 'safe' as well as 'wild' side.

I have Shirley, Sungold, Big Boy Beefsteak (sounds rather rude) and Tumbling Tom, not sure what category they fall into.

[Cutecumber]

Alison - do they grow Moneymaker, Alisa Craig, Alicante etc, commercially?

Veg - Sungold is pretty popular. It isn't particularly sensitive to blight - mine haven't got it this year, whilst other varieties have. The benefit to Sungold is that it crops very early, often before blight is around. Your other varieties are relatively commonly grown - I've got some Big Boy this year, too.

I think a combination of "safe" and "weird" is the way to go!

[Cutecumber]

Oh, and the popular ones say they are easy to grow, but that depends on your conditions. Don't always believe what they say on the packet!

[Alison]

Alison - do they grow Moneymaker, Alisa Craig, Alicante etc, commercially?

Veg - Sungold is pretty popular. It isn't particularly sensitive to blight - mine haven't got it this year, whilst other varieties have. The benefit to Sungold is that it crops very early, often before blight is around. Your other varieties are relatively commonly grown - I've got some Big Boy this year, too.

I think a combination of "safe" and "weird" is the way to go!

Dunno what a lot of the commercial ones are, just know that taste doesn't tend to be top of the reasons for selection. It always annoys me that they just sell them as tomatoes in a lot of shops with the only differentiation being via the size or shape ie beef, plum etc. Not really that helpful when you consider the hundreds of different varieties on offer.

Also agree with your comment re the perfect combination. Pretty much my approach.

Oh, and the popular ones say they are easy to grow, but that depends on your conditions. Don't always believe what they say on the packet!

Definitely, also depends on your geography and the state of the summer

[Winged one]

Well, up to this year I have been growing tumbler cherry toms, as they are usually available as plants (necessary cos every year my seeds fail to thrive) and I only had a hanging basket to grow in. But the flavour is always nice, and this year I am being deprived cos the toddler has had almost all of the ripe ones so far.

i think that, just the sheer virtue of growing organically, harvesting when at the point of perfect ripeness (not days before to allow for transport) and eating when nicely warm off the vine (rather than almost frozen in the fridge) makes a huge difference in the taste before I even get started.

Next year, I am hoping to do my seeds better, and put a few on the plot (only got it this year and we were too disorganised last spring). In that case, I will be looking for a nice crop, relatively easy to grow (only there every week/fortnight depending on state of busyness elsewhere), and proably try for a mix of cherry, plum, probably a couple of ordinary and maybe one beef plant. I definitely want red ones next year though - we can experiment on colour when we know what we are doing better. And getting enough to make some nice dried ones, and pasta sauces in the freezer - that's the time I'll consider experimenting....

[moggssue]

Can someone recommend a variety that actually ripens??!! I have hundreds of green moneymaker, big boy, and an italian plum I forget the name of but so far only had 2 red ones. More seriously, I find this a very helpful thread, not having a clue about which is a good/tasty/reliable tomato but chosing those I remember my dad growing more years ago that I really like to remember!! I shall be making copious notes from your discussions.

[Cutecumber]

Things are a bit late this year, Moggssue.

When did you sow?

Mine were started late March, and a few more in April, and I have been harvesting since the last week in June - little and often. In order of ripening - Tumbler, Sungold, Berry, Ferline, Brandywine, San Marzano, Big Boy... the only totally green fruit are on a Garden Peach plant.

The largest toms are nearly always later ripening compared to cherry varieties sown at the same time. Get the big ones sown first.

[Cutecumber]

A word of warning - when you decide to grow several varieties "to see what happens", try and learn when enough is enough.

I have 14 varieties this year (30 plants) and some plants are still in their 5 inch pots... on their fifth truss of fruit. I ran out of space... several times.

My resolution is to grow fewer tomato plants next year.

[valmarg]

My resolution is to grow fewer tomato plants next year.

Ha ha ha, been there done that. Bet you don't!!

In our case still as many, if not more tomato plants/varieties. Well, you've just got to try the different varieties, haven't you??

valmarg

[pigletwillie]

We have 4 gold standard varieties which we grow every year and the same(ish) as trial varieties to see if they are any better.

Our gold standard varieties are

Sungold
Bloody butcher
Shirley
marmande

All are (in my growing conditions) excellent with regards to yield, taste and quality. The bloody butcher are ready a whole month before Shirley which take over the batton about this time of year. The marmande are great tasting and large (but hence fewer fruits) and the sungold exquisite flavour wise and prolific.

As my trials I have tropical ruby (poor taste), black heart (excellent and may well replace maemande if they do as well next year), blaby (not as good as shirley) and green giant (prolific but not yet ripened to taste).

In my seed cupboard I also have a raft of other varieties that did not make my grade in my growing conditions. I have found a variety I grow at home may taste totally different elsewhere however.

I expect great taste and good yield from my tomatoes (we have 70 plus under cover) and you could say I am a tomato snob with regard to taste, but not variety. For example I find gardeners delight a perfectly good tomato, sungold is just better but I certainly do not turn my nose up at the gardeners delight.

Good tasting tomatoes are not restricted to heritage varieties.