Tomato varieties - case for the prosecution

[T-lady]

I found a single plant of Maskotka which I grew in a hanging basket. It wasn't pretty and was way too vigorous for a basket, but this year I've grown them in growbag and a big pot against a south facing wall. I gave one to a friend and she said it tasted just like tomatoes used to taste!

David

Wish you hadn't written this David. I've got a bit of a problem when it comes to tomatoes (how many varieties is it reasonable to grow?? Is over 30 OK?) and now I've had to go and buy some Maskotka seed too. Not only that but, having found them on the Dobies website I've gone and splashed out on a load of garlic too. Still, they're a lot cheaper than the Garlic Farm so I guess I could just look at it as a saving.

[Eyren]

In the past I've grown Gardener's Delight (reliable and decent flavour, as others have said) and Shirley F1 (seem to remember they were nice, but it's about three years ago). The last couple of years I've lost most or all of my plants to the dreaded B-word, so can't report on what Matina or Royaume des Guineaux taste like

This year I'm trying Ferline F1 (because of its blight resistance) and Sub Arctic Plenty (free with GYO). They're outside in a sheltered south-facing garden, nice and healthy - maybe just coincidence, but this year I surrounded the tomato area with garlic (early purple hardnecks) and have had no pests or diseases at all! They're fruiting reasonably well, but have only just started ripening - so far we've only tried one Sub Arctic Plenty and it was pretty bland. Lack of sun, or is it not a great variety taste-wise? No point in growing them if they taste worse than cheap supermarket toms!

Next year I'm going to try growing some outdoors and some under cover, and try a few more varieties (in addition to a couple of the ever-reliable Gardener's Delight); I'd like some for eating raw and some to cook/dry/whatever. Marmande sounds like a good one for outdoors - any recommendations for an indoor plum tomato (pref organic seed or "organic in all but certificate" like Real Seeds) ? Also, Principe Borghese looks interesting...

[jdmotion]

Cream Sausage

These are probably 'cream sausage' which are an excellent variety, and you are probably leaving them to ripen too long. They should be picked when a creamy yellow colour. They do turn darker yellow, but can be too ripe at that stage. They can be eaten straight off the plant or used to make a tasty yellow pasta sauce.
You can see a few pictures of ones I've grown here: Belleville Vegetable Garden


[QUOTE=SMS6;129966]I bought a heritage mixed pack this year and one variety is called Banana Cream. It just doesn't appear to want to ripen and the fruits keep suffering from end rot even though they are watered and fed just the same as my other varities which are fine.

[jdmotion]

a Bulgarian F1 KOM that I will seed and grow again next year;

I'm afraid if it's an F1 you won't be able to use the seeds. You'll have to buy another packet.

Belleville Vegetable Garden

Cheers

James

[Angie Heys]

Hi everyone
I'm glad to see that I am not the only one who gets carried away with different varieties, 21 this year over 69 plants, too many to look after properly.
The Ildi have great branches with about 80 to 100 tomatoes, are tasty but if not picked regularly get ravaged by fruit fly.
Black Russian has large fruit, one slice per sandwich, but need a lot of attention as they quickly go over or because they are so heavy, drape on the ground and get eaten by the wood lice. Fabulous flavour though, worth the effort.
S Marzano 2 very successful but just beginning to get the blight.
I had intended to reduce the number of varieties for next year but you've all wetted my appetite with your suggestions. FLAVOUR is very important to me. I cant be bothered with so so tomatoes. I'm just as mental with potatoes.
Angie

[marigold007]

Not to worry all you tomato seed aficionados. You're keeping the economy going strong with your purchases!

[Flummery]

Na I'm not - I'm saving me own seed - including F1 hybrids - you can get some very good toms like this. And the bland ones are no worse than some of the stuff you buy (sub-arctic for eg!)

[Paulottie]

Hi CuteC. et Al

Nice to see this thread again, an old friend!

had a few toms from outside but all 20 plants succumbing to blight now
in the greenhouses botrytis taking hold...been de-nuding the plants and painting on lemon juice to try and stop spread... some success

here's my report!

German red strawberries you sent last year, quite like them, interesting shape, there are some
Garden peach also from you just going to try...will report back(You didn't say they were yellow!!)
Rose de BerneFrench(or Swiss I guess) best of the year, large round toms with excellent flavour.(I'll send you some seeds)
'Mme Fifi.'.Usual seeds from French granny's garden...huge and flavoursome beefsteak. I reckon I should market the seeds
Cast. Florintino...not hugely impressed, perhaps they need some Tuscan sunshine ...nobly and small for a beefsteak and tough skin, lost most of them outside I afraid as I had high hope of souping/saucing them.
Ildi..never seen so much fruit on a plant..didn't think they were too bad a flavour(not a big fan of cherry toms though... nice just from the plant but all skin and seed as a rule!)
Ping pong.. OK i guess
Gardeners delight...Yawn
Tom d'Andes. good medium Tom but nothing spesh

[zazen999]

My report:
Aurora; early, sown early and produced early. Flavour - slightly acidic but really good to taste fresh toms so early in the year. Stopped turning red after about 15 toms, and took a while to get going again. Now turning great guns, and faster than I can use them whilst the others are still only turning one or two at a time.
Grushovka; pinkish toms, good but light tasting.
Amish Paste; huge toms, the talk of the neighbours [they are very impressed]. Still waiting for the first to go red though, so no flavour as yet
Old Ivory Egg, pale yellow, one of the first of the non-earlies to start changing colours. Lovely light refreshing taste.
Tomato de Colgar; only had one go red, but the spares that I put up the lottie were taken down this week as they have got blight. Flavour will follow, as these are storage and should be ok long after the others have been eaten/bottled etc.
Cream Sorbet, pastel yellow, waiting for them to turn yellow.
Purple Ukraine; supposedly earlies, the first few died on me so I had to try again. But, once these have turned purple - the flavour is fab. Made Passaa tonight and it was all I could to not eat the whole of these toms as I cut them. Lovely. Fave so far.
Roma [on the moon trial] still waiting for these to turn red.
RioGrande, Italian plum toms, have been consistently turned red for the last few weeks, and have added alot of substance to pasta sauces and the passata. Nice tasting, but not as delicious as they could be.
Gardener's Delight, sowed a few as I had the seeds. They were sown late and none have turned red yet.
Pocketbook Reisetomate, these were sown really late, as a trial. however, the first one does have a tomato on it, and the others have a couple. They might not make it to redness but they certainly look interesting.
Black Krim; only plant bought and not grown from seed; not had many larger toms from this, but they do turn a lovely colour of red before going darker. Taste - I'm waiting on the larger ones before I make my mind up.

For those growing toms for the first time, a note of warning. Bush toms, although they say they don't need supports, they do. My rule of thumb next year is One tomato, one cane. Otherwise, if you try and grow 2 [vine OR bush] up one cane, no matter how tall, they topple over as they grow.

All mine have been grown outside, the first 3 Auroras were sown on 8th Jan - 18 inches high on 22 March - first flower spotted 24 March - first flower opened 4th April - planted outdoors in our courtyard 1st June - first tomato harvested [red] on 8th June. So, 4 months between sowing and first tomato being harvested. Just gives you an idea if you want to get some off to an early start.

I meant to add as well, it is very evident the difference between the neat tidy rows of the F1s and the randomness of the open pollenated plants. If you like neatness, then F1s are for you. If not, the flavour of the open pollentated beats the F1s [|IMHO] hands down. Purple Ukraine, I'm saving as many seeds as possible as they are absolutely delicious.

[Comfreyfan]

Aurora sounds really good, I'm always very impatient for the first tomato of the season. Purple Ukraine sounds good too. Trouble is the list is just getting longer and longer!

I've found that tomatoes can be different each year. Last year really disliked the Harbinger (free seeds), grew them again this year (well I still had free seeds and a spare pot!) and they're lovely.

I really like black cherry, quite sharp.
But the red cherry, that were so nice last year, seem to have much thicker skins this year.
San Marzano plants were total thugs and are only just starting to ripen.

[rogesse]

Blight has been so bad for the 2nd year that most on my allotment site have sworn not to bother next year unless they grow under cover!

As for recommendations (sp) - 'Realseed' variety millefleur (yellow) has been a revelation. I have never grown yellow toms before but these cherry sized fruit are amazingly sweet and so easy to grow as long as you remember to support the huge trusses. We've eaten our fill, given loads away and made jar after jar of tomato relish and yet it keeps on giving!

Realseed Costoluto - Amazing tomato sauce or ketchup.

I grew both & others under cover (blight free & smug)) and outside, suprisingly the millefleur stood up well to the blight whilst the others perished

[Woofster]

This year I have grown 9 varieties of tomatoes. In the greenhouse I have one of Ferline, Sungold, Alicante, Shirley, Pantano and Costoluto Fiorentino. They are all doing well but it is a bit crowded in there as there are 2 cukes, 4 aubergines, 4 peppers and some lemongrass as well. Too much. Next year I shall grow Sungold again (I like them more than Gardener's Delight or Gartenperle which I grew last year -a bit insipid). I am going to have a taste test of Ferline, Alicante and Shirley to decide which I prefer and plant that. Pantano is an italian beefsteak tomato and has done better than Costoluto but they both have suffered from black bottom syndrome. I might try something different next year to fill that slot. I like Tigerella which I grew last year.
On the lottie I grew 3 Roma, 3 Sub Artic Plenty and 3 Andean Horn. They were all going great guns until Blight got them. The Andean horn are a fleshy variety with few seeds and a long shape. I am in two minds about doing toms outdoors again.
In hanging baskets I had Totem and Tumbling Tom. I liked Totem more.
My motto is going to be Less is More. Quality rather than quantity.