Best Tomatoes

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spud

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Best Tomatoes
« on: October 11, 2014, 17:51 »
I'm back reading over some old threads on grafted tomato plants .... reason, I've got a new and bigger greenhouse sorted   :D and also this year I tried some heritage breeds which were very disappointing as regards flavour!
So my thinking is I'm going to do some more research and perhaps return to some tried and proven breeds of tomato  that have been sold for many years.



i'd be interested in hearing about a tomato that you grow year after year as it suits you! tia
Best Regards,

spud

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Headgardener22

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #1 on: October 11, 2014, 18:42 »



i'd be interested in hearing about a tomato that you grow year after year as it suits you! tia

The last few years I've been growing about 70 different varieties of heritage tomatoes (1 to 3 of each variety). What I've been trying to do is to find the best tomatoes of each size and colour. My favourites are the brandywine beefsteaks but the best by far is Summer Cider. Its got a rich sweet flavour far better than almost anything else I grow. If you want to grow black tomatoes, try Cherokee Purple.

Next year, I'm going to grow about 20 different varieties because I want to grow some outside but I can't do that at the allotment because of blight😁

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mumofstig

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #2 on: October 11, 2014, 19:07 »
I've split your post off the old thread, because I think it deserved its own one  :)

The Heritage tomatoes have been grown for many years, because people thought that they tasted good enough to save the seeds from year to year.

Doesn't mean that you'll agree with those people though  :D It's all a matter of personal taste - whether you prefer sweet tomatoes (modern breeding seems to be for sweetness) or ones with a bit of acidity.

I grow Black Cherry every year and new to me last year, when a friend swapped some seeds, but now a firm favourite is Black Sea Man. I also always grow Rio Grande for cooking.
« Last Edit: October 11, 2014, 19:09 by mumofstig »

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jaydig

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #3 on: October 11, 2014, 20:00 »
I grew Fantasio a few years ago, as one of my 'try it and see' varieties. I now grow it every year. It has a great flavour, few seeds, the skin doesn't split, it's juicy, blight resistant, crops well, and is brilliant for eating fresh or cooking. It also holds well on the vine, and the flesh stays firm and doesn't go 'woolly'. I don't bother with any other medium/large red tomato now as none of the flavours match up to this one. Having said that, it really does depend on your own personal taste. I like my tomatoes to have a good acid/sweetness balance, and to be robustly flavoured enough to use for soups and general cooking, and this one does it for me.

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spud

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2014, 13:38 »



i'd be interested in hearing about a tomato that you grow year after year as it suits you! tia

The last few years I've been growing about 70 different varieties of heritage tomatoes (1 to 3 of each variety). What I've been trying to do is to find the best tomatoes of each size and colour. My favourites are the brandywine beefsteaks but the best by far is Summer Cider. Its got a rich sweet flavour far better than almost anything else I grow. If you want to grow black tomatoes, try Cherokee Purple.

Next year, I'm going to grow about 20 different varieties because I want to grow some outside but I can't do that at the allotment because of blight😁

Thank you, I take my hat off to you... all that dedication to keeping records is fantastic. I think that perhaps I've been spoiled by the sweet cherry types, I now find everything else so bland and rubbery.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2014, 14:01 by spud »

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spud

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #5 on: October 12, 2014, 13:42 »
It's all a matter of personal taste - whether you prefer sweet tomatoes (modern breeding seems to be for sweetness) or ones with a bit of acidity.

I grow Black Cherry every year and new to me last year, when a friend swapped some seeds, but now a firm favourite is Black Sea Man. I also always grow Rio Grande for cooking.

Thank you, I think you may be on to something with the modern ones being bred for sweetness. I look back (perhaps with rose coloured glasses) but seem to remember the tomatoes having that ''tang'' along with sweet and even a certain saltiness too!

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spud

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #6 on: October 12, 2014, 13:47 »
I grew Fantasio a few years ago, as one of my 'try it and see' varieties. I now grow it every year. It has a great flavour, few seeds, the skin doesn't split, it's juicy, blight resistant, crops well, and is brilliant for eating fresh or cooking. It also holds well on the vine, and the flesh stays firm and doesn't go 'woolly'. I don't bother with any other medium/large red tomato now as none of the flavours match up to this one. Having said that, it really does depend on your own personal taste. I like my tomatoes to have a good acid/sweetness balance, and to be robustly flavoured enough to use for soups and general cooking, and this one does it for me.

I must admit, I have been out of growing tomatoes for a few years, but just finished building a new greenhouse... hence I'm trying to sort out what I'm going to grow next year. Being quite far North I need Toms to suit, my Grandfather always had toms by early July... I will be reading up more on ''Fantasio'' and then probably find its difficult to find lol, it certainly sounds like it would fit in my organic system.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2014, 14:03 by spud »

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LotuSeed

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #7 on: October 12, 2014, 17:46 »
I've been growing Costoluto Genovese the last couple of years. It's nice and tangy and has a hint of saltiness to it  :)
I usually don't go for yellow varieties, but I bought a Yellow Pear plant several seasons ago and was pleasantly surprised by it's flavor: nice and tangy!  I've been saving the seeds since and still have some left from the original plant.  :)
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jaydig

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #8 on: October 12, 2014, 18:26 »
I grew Fantasio a few years ago, as one of my 'try it and see' varieties. I now grow it every year. It has a great flavour, few seeds, the skin doesn't split, it's juicy, blight resistant, crops well, and is brilliant for eating fresh or cooking. It also holds well on the vine, and the flesh stays firm and doesn't go 'woolly'. I don't bother with any other medium/large red tomato now as none of the flavours match up to this one. Having said that, it really does depend on your own personal taste. I like my tomatoes to have a good acid/sweetness balance, and to be robustly flavoured enough to use for soups and general cooking, and this one does it for me.

I must admit, I have been out of growing tomatoes for a few years, but just finished building a new greenhouse... hence I'm trying to sort out what I'm going to grow next year. Being quite far North I need Toms to suit, my Grandfather always had toms by early July... I will be reading up more on ''Fantasio'' and then probably find its difficult to find lol, it certainly sounds like it would fit in my organic system.

Fantasio seeds are available from Dobies. They're definitely worth a try.



edit to clarify quote
« Last Edit: October 12, 2014, 18:51 by mumofstig »

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spud

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #9 on: October 12, 2014, 18:34 »
I've been growing Costoluto Genovese the last couple of years. It's nice and tangy and has a hint of saltiness to it  :)
I usually don't go for yellow varieties, but I bought a Yellow Pear plant several seasons ago and was pleasantly surprised by it's flavor: nice and tangy!  I've been saving the seeds since and still have some left from the original plant.  :)

Thanks, I'd heard about Green Zebras a few years back and thought they would be great, but were one of my disappointments this year. I think that there are many factors that influence the flavours, the shorter season in the UK being one.

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LotuSeed

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Re: Best Tomatoes
« Reply #10 on: October 12, 2014, 20:06 »
The growing season hasn't been all that long this year, as we came off of an abnormally cold and long winter.  I didn't start the seeds indoors and I don't have a greenhouse, so that didn't help  :tongue2:
I see green zebra for sale at garden centers all the time, they just don't sound like they'd stand up to my "checklist". I tried a green grape variety one year and have been completely put off of green varieties since then.  :wacko:
It's really just been a process of elimination, that unfortunately doesn't involve instant gratification.
New to me this year were a Roma type called Virginia Select and Amish paste, both determinate and suited to my area. Not great for eating off of the plant, but I'm growing them for sauce, so that's to be expected. The plants are still producing, though they've slowed down considerably. I doubt I'll plant them next year as I'd like something a little meatier.
My area isn't prone to blight though and that is a huge plus as far as selecting which varieties to experiment with.



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