Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: SweetPea on May 19, 2006, 19:01
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I saw an article in the Metro newspaper a few weeks ago describing a 'new' type of tomato about to the hit the shops. The tomato was the Tigerella! Needless to say the next day there were plenty of letters informing the paper that tigerella tomatoes were nothing new at all and that allomenteers had been growing them for years!
Since then I've been looking at some tomatoes for next year and I've found loads of unusual varieties, including an almost black tomato (Black Krim)!
What tomato varieties have people here grown before? My current crop are Alisa Craig.
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I am growing quite a lot of varieties of tomatoes:
Roma's - generally a nice eating tomato which bush up so easy to care for.
Lilliputs - bush variety cherry tomatoes brilliant little croppers - two bushes give enough cherry tomatoes for the whole family
Tumbler - in my hanging baskets cherry tomoatoes with a good flavour
Red Pear - a big beefsteak sort of tomato a bit pear shaped! very good for cooking as well as eating in salads etc
Redorta - a long fat big cooking tomato very good for making passata
Marglobe - Round, smooth, red eating tomato. Seen in markets due to its 'perfect' tomato shape. Indeterminate. Fruits of 140-150g.
Rio Grande - Similar in shape to the Roma but more productive. Fruits typically of 70-80g each. Suited for cooking, sauces and preserving.
San Marzano Follia - A bell shaped sort of tomato good for eating in salads
Black Prince - a dark red/black eating tomato with a very rich flavour
I buy all of my tomato seed from seeds of italy - they give good amounts in the packs. I have used the same packs for three years or so now. All my tomatoes up to now were grown in pots against a warm wall. This year I have my allotment so I am going to grow some into the ground and some in the greenhouse to see how we go.
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Worst I have grown were Moneymaker - tasteless.
Our favourites:
Sungold - yellow small and incredibly sweet - kiddies love them.
Garden Pearle - hanging basket tumbler - good flavour and prolific
Plum Roma - great cooked and we tend to make sauce from them and freeze it.
This year I'm trying Ailsa Craig for the first time - more on that later in the year, I hope.
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My Alisa Craig are just starting to fruit, so I'll let know what they taste like in the summer!
I'm keen to try Sungold next year, they are such a gorgeous colour.
I've just googled for Seeds of Italy - looks like a great site! I'm definitely going to get some Red Pear Franchi for next year too.
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My Alisa Craig are just starting to fruit, so I'll let know what they taste like in the summer!
You little show off :)
Mine are about 18 inches high and not even a flower yet!
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Hehe... well, I have one good lettuce out of about 20 and some very sad looking brassicas, so I am proud of the tomatoes! :D The Alisa Craig must be about 24in tall now or thereabouts. My tomato success is part of the reason I've decided to grow more next year - they obviously like the conditions in the greenhouse and I like tomatoes, so who am I to argue!
I found this site earlier:
http://www.seedfest.co.uk/
Looks good! I love the idea of pink tomatoes!
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I have Roma in flower and bushing up well. Saw some almost black tomatoes in the supermarket, at 5.99 (euro´s) for 6 gave them a miss!!
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I have Roma in flower and bushing up well. Saw some almost black tomatoes in the supermarket, at 5.99 (euro´s) for 6 gave them a miss!!
I'd have thought you would just throw a seed into the ground and jump bank in Spain :)
Maybe I'll move out there and grow black tomatoes at that price.
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They didn´t look that good John, like fruit gone off! At that price they probably will go off before they are sold!
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Well all i am growing is 4 ailsa craig toms (about 16" and with flowers :) ) and 4 Gardeners Delight (only bout 6") o and 1 tomato my future grandmother in law lol gave me (said its from spain dont know wot variety it is but tomatos aint got no seeds if thats any help.. that about 12" high now) Had my first beetroot today o and radish :)
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Does anyone know of a tomato that you can grow outside that is bigger than the cherry tomatoes? I have grown Tumbler in the past,which is very nice, and I have Gardenperle this year, but I would like to grow a tomato for cooking with, and the cherry ones are a bit fiddly for that. I don't have a greenhouse. Thanks
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Hi All, i'm at my daughter's in Kent at the moment. I just hope my tomatoes are okay, being looked after by OH. I have loads of Tres Cantos tomatoes sent to me by Oliveview in Spain, never grown them before. Tigerella, nice stripey ones, gardener's delight lovely cherry tomatoes, Marmande and Big boy, beefsteak type, never grown before, floridity, also never grown before, mini orange, nice orangey cherry sized tomato, and yellow brandywine, also first time for me. I love the yellow pear, cherry sized ones, but couldn't get any this year, so i look forward to lots of new varieties this year. Will let you know what they are like.
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Does anyone know of a tomato that you can grow outside that is bigger than the cherry tomatoes? I have grown Tumbler in the past,which is very nice, and I have Gardenperle this year, but I would like to grow a tomato for cooking with, and the cherry ones are a bit fiddly for that. I don't have a greenhouse. Thanks
I do well with plum roma outside. I keep them indoors until they get too big then cloche to get them off to a good start.
At the end of the season I use fleece to extend as long as possible.
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I grow all my tomatoes outside - up to now I have grown them next to the garage wall as the wall keeps them warm.
See my last posting further up the chain to see the types I have grown.
I am usually quite successful with this bunch.
This year I going to plant them out on the lottie so hopefully it wont be a disaster
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orange pixie - very sweet and nice for eating out of hand
ailsa craig - didn't do well at all last year for me. Maybe I was just having a bad year for plants though.
orange tumbling tom - fruits were okay but I don't like having to hunt for my tomatoes and get that bright yellow tomato plant brusing stuff on my hands and the smell, yuck :?
I don't grow many tomatoes because DH doesn't like tomatoes raw and I think it's a bit wasteful to cook them so the tomatoes are my own personal supply during the summer (usually only 2 plants but last year was 2 tumbling toms and about 4 ailsa craig). This year I'm trying out some mysterious seeds I got at the Seedy Sunday Swap (same day as Potato Day!) that just came in a brown envelope that said:
Hungarian Cherry Tomato
very small fruits
They're growing quite nice and stoutly but they aren't a bush variety as far as I can tell. I grow mine outside too, I need my greenhouse(s) for my peppers.
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Hi, I'm new to the list, so just finding my way around. Have just got an Allotment plot into production after a number of years, due to work, away from growing. Don't yet have formal access to 'glass', but when I last did I "discovered" .....& I think that is an appropriate term to use, "Britains Breakfast". I think the seed is still available, albeit from a small number of suppliers. It was an incredible variety, early to produce, "fanning" trusses of thin skinned, bright red 'small-(semi)plum' tomatoes. I won't try to estimate the number of fruits per truss, but as the first flowers were fruiting, & the middle ones would be 'swelling' & they just kept, extending & flowering & producing. In my absence from gardening, I have often checked to see if they have 'caught on' but they don't seem to have (yet).
Three/four trusses per plant, seemed ample, due to the volume of fruit produced. As the name implies, perfect for all manner of culinary uses.
I grew them under glass, ring culture on 12" deep gravel beds. They're 'determinate' & quite spreading & definately need support due to the weight of the crop. If I'd planned better, I be trying them outdoors this year !
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Welcome, Comic_muse. I've not heard of the variety but it sounds interesting. Where did you get the seeds from?
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I'm pretty sure it was either Edwin Tucker....or possibly Chilterns. It's not a Heritage variety per se, I don't think, just 'obscure' ? but was listed by a couple of companies then....I'll 'Google it'....yes, still available, in the UK.....first result on listing says "60"....yes 60 fruits per truss, & I don't think that is an exageration. It sounds ridiculous, but one / two trusses, would probably be enough for a season's 'production, although I used to run them to four for the sake of leaf production. The trusses are very spreading though, so spacing needs to be considered. Probably too late to start seed this year, but I will definately be giving them a go next year.
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Cheers, I'll have to try that next year myself. Sounds worth a go at the very least. I'm always amazed at the continuing popularity of MoneyMaker or tasteless red bags of water as I think of them.
Who knows, if we keep pushing on places like this, these unusual varieties may become popular.
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My OH definately prefers Gardners Delight. Personally I cant stand tomatoes but have to grow them to keep him quiet!
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1) Gardeners Delight.
Doing really well; 6 plants, about 2' high, just potted up into my biggest plots and in flower. About the same number again, coming through in heights between 1" and 3".
2) Moneymaker.
Single plant, about 10" high, planted out by my shed door. A bit taken aback by the negative comments I've since read about this variety; no flavour etc. Oh well, my first year. Will have ability to look further afield next time.
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I'm growing Moneymaker this year 3 plants in pots in the greenhouse at home, nothing on the allotment this year can't get organised enough. still clearing the ground. I must say I was a bit surprised about the adverse comments on Moneymaker . I do intend to grow some differnt vartieties next year,MMMMM... Gardner's delight, Roma for bottling and some nice little cherry toms for salads. I'll grow some in the GH and some outdoor Guess what I like tomatoes !!!!! Tee Hee
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Sorry Mr Eagle - I tell 'em as I find 'em. Having said I don't think much of Moneymaker, lots of people do like them. I suppose when you grow your own you get really fussy. We got some 'finest taste the difference vine ripened' from the supermarket a while back (Val got them for 10p!) and I thought they weren't a patch on what I grow.
I'd rather have a moneymaker absolutely fresh that the best the supermarkets have to offer.
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ok now i have 23 ailsa craig tomatos, 12 gardeners delight, 6 golden sunshine (never tried them) and 6 ummm some beefsteak variety
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ok now i have 23 ailsa craig tomatos, 12 gardeners delight, 6 golden sunshine (never tried them) and 6 ummm some beefsteak variety
Either you really love tomatoes or you're showing off now :)]
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I hate tomatos lol i grow them for work aswell :)
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I have just planted 30 tomato plants into my lottie - 10 Red Pear, 10 Rio Grande, 10 Redorta. I also planted three bush cherry toms and have another 20 or so in the greenhouse!
I didnt start off planning to plant so many but it sort of happened!
Once you grow from seed it sort of evolved - I planted loads incase they didnt germinate then I didnt like to chuck them so they got planted on etc etc and now I have a mound of healthy great looking tomato plants...
We do use lots of tomatoes in the summer and we do make passata and tomato soup but .... I think I over did it!!!!
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That's the problem growing from seed - you don't like to waste seedlings and spares so you end up with far too many of things.
Our favourite tomato for salads is Sungold and the plant is very prolific. This year I have :-
The one plant we want
One spare in case of disaster
One backup for the the spare
But it keeps friends and relatives happy when we give the produce away
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I have a polytunnel on my allotment and have grown all sorts of tomato varieties in it with mixed success. I grow 5 or 6 varieties each year, two of which I grow every year because they 'work' - in case the others fail! I always try something new. (Grown in growbags or pots). Over the years:
INSIDE:
Gardener's Delight - common, but prolific and tasty.
Balconi - Red and Yellow, Flavour OK, but a lot of trouble for not much gain. Not grown again. It did win the taste class at the Show though!
Black Russian - Heritage variety - Large irregular shaped ('beefsteak'-like) fruits. Light maroon coloured skin, reddy-green flesh. Makes good soup. Also good to eat raw. Late August. Not very prolific, but very nice.
Garden Peach - Heritage variety - Fruit lemon yellow, downy skin, about 50cm diameter. Late August. Talking point when served with other coloured varieties. Nice flavour
"Large Yellow" bought this at local plant sale, so its title is rather strange! Doubleday seed. Big chrome yellow fruits. Not much flavour, few fruits on the plant. Late August.
Sub-artic plenty Taste and look like Gardeners Delight, but not nearly as prolific. Waste of time.
Brandywine (Supposedly a favourite with 'the americans'). Very big pinky coloured beefsteak type. Taste a bit wishy washy. OK for soup. About 8 fruits per plant. Stake and support well!
Tigerella Mr Stripey Not many fruits on the plant, totally tasteless. Not grown again!
OUTSIDE:
Italia plum tomato for soup and sauces. Prolific. I grow this on straw to protect them from the ground and try to keep the slugs at bay.
Roma plum tomato for soup and sauces. Prolific
Green Grape Small green cherry tomatoes, ripen to a greeny yellow. Nice taste, look good served with other varieties
THIS YEAR:In poly: 3 of each
Alicante instead of MoneyMaker, Ildi, Incas, Sewet Olive, Gardener's Delight, and outside
Super Roma. The 'spare' plants will be sold on Saturday at our HortSoc/CAPA plant sale. Lots of alicante spare.
Hope this is of interest!
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John said
Sorry Mr Eagle - I tell 'em as I find 'em. Having said I don't think much of Moneymaker, lots of people do like them. I suppose when you grow your own you get really fussy
That's fair comment John you are certainly right about getting fussy if you grow your own. It wouldn't do for us all to like the same antway it would be boring. I'm always open to ideas so I,m going to try difrferent toms next year. It's great being back veg gardening it's umm *&(^ years since I did any so it's a new adventure really .
Cheers
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I'm growing
Cindel (first to fruit great healthy looking plant)
Rio Grande
Chadwick Cherry
Yellow Pear (Slow grower!)
Gold Nugget
Marmande
Matina
Costoluto Fiorentino (Mixed reviews on this one)
Golden Queen
High hopes for all of them!!!
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Well the rain held off for yestarday morning and we sold our stuff like crazy. I hope soon we will have enough for a new HortSoc Store (our old one was burgled (again) on Tuesday.) Why must people do this?(':evil:')
The tomatoes went very well, except we didn't have enough enough Gardener's Delight and lots of people wanted 'Green Grape' which I was selling last year.
Lots wanted Moneymaker, but I told them to do Alicante instead ... so sold all the Alicante. All (my spares): Sweet Olive, Incas and Ildi went.
Someone left several cells of 'yellow' tomatoes on my doorstep. They did not sell (8 to a 4" cell!!! poor devils), so I will try separating them and planting them out to see what happens. So, next year will do more Gardener's Delight, but what's the bet they won't sell! Oh well.
Off to plant my stuff now - its not raining and there's LOTS to do! Allotments are great fun, but hard work ...
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Welcome, Comic_muse. I've not heard of the variety but it sounds interesting. Where did you get the seeds from?
If you think Moneymaker is a bag of water in a skin, then you will be just an enchanted to Tigerella. they look very interesting - tomato colour with yellow stripes (the americans think they invented the breed!), but I think they were tastless and not many fruits for the effort either. Anything called Mr something too, is always suspect! :roll:
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I'm growing this year:
Roma plum bush for cooking
Incas plum bush for cooking
Gardeners delight cherry cordon for salads
Marmande beeksteak for sandwiches
Gartenperle for the children
Yellow round and yellw sausage shaped ones that I've kept seed from, not sure of variety but they tasted sweet last year, and look good in cooking.
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I'm growing 2 varieties, both heirloom ones.
Old fashioned red beefsteak and old fashioned red cherry. I have 6 of each plant, was hoping for a lot more but space is a limiting factor when you share the plot.