Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Bernard on October 27, 2015, 11:16

Title: I had a strange year for tomatoes
Post by: Bernard on October 27, 2015, 11:16
The Gardeners' Delight seeds that I got from T&M turned out to be mostly Tigerella. T&M apologised and sent me a voucher but the mixup was greater than they suggested because one of them turned out to be yellow so must have been Golden Sunrise.
But in addition to this, one of the plants that I grew from their special offer of Sweet Aperitif was wrong. The fruit was the right size but plum-shaped and bland in flavour.

And I have no explanation as to why all the 'wrong Gardeners' Delight' plants grew badly in spite of growing under exactly the same conditions as the rest (Sungold and Sweet Aperitif). The seed leaves were twisted and the plants grew poorly while the others were vigorous. When I finally pulled them out they had very little root.

After growing nothing but GD for about 20 years, this is the first time I have tried any other varieties. Under the circumstances it's lucky I did.
Title: Re: I had a strange year for tomatoes
Post by: BabbyAnn on October 27, 2015, 12:18
It is unfortunate there was a mix up with the actual seeds, but perhaps 2015 was not a good year for comparing "new" varieties with old favourites - without sunshine and warmer conditions, many fruits would not have developed to their full potential so you could be dismissing a variety based more on the weather than flavour.
Title: Re: I had a strange year for tomatoes
Post by: Goosegirl on October 27, 2015, 12:52
Not sure I can help you there, but I wouldn't have accepted a voucher as they had your money but sent the wrong seeds so broke their contract with you. It's the principle not the cost.
Title: Re: I had a strange year for tomatoes
Post by: grendel on October 27, 2015, 13:08
I just picked all of the tomatoes in the greenhouse, about 3 just starting to ripen, but its getting too cold out to expect them to ripen any more outside, so in they came to sit in trays and ripen.
Title: Re: I had a strange year for tomatoes
Post by: Bernard on October 27, 2015, 22:21
It is unfortunate there was a mix up with the actual seeds, but perhaps 2015 was not a good year for comparing "new" varieties with old favourites - without sunshine and warmer conditions, many fruits would not have developed to their full potential so you could be dismissing a variety based more on the weather than flavour.
All the seeds were started and grown on in a controlled propagator in the same seed compost. The Tigerellas (and the one that turned out to be Golden Sunrise)) were stunted seedlings, whilst the other varieties which were new to me were perfect.
There is no doubt that they had something seriously wrong with them, also that the one odd 'Sweet Aperitif' was a mavcerick. Is it possible for an F1 hybrid seed to be a sport? It's strange that the fruits were the right size - cherry - but they were in shape and flavour quite distinct from all the rest. They were not supposed to be involved in the 'GD' mix-up.
Title: Re: I had a strange year for tomatoes
Post by: 8doubles on October 28, 2015, 08:22
I received a selection of  tom plug plants giving away the more exotic ones (lack of space) and keeping the ' run of the mill' type.

The Sungold i kept turned out to be Green Zebra (tasty).

IMO  T&M plants and seeds are packed by monkeys !
Title: Re: I had a strange year for tomatoes
Post by: crh75 on October 28, 2015, 09:41
The fact that the non-gardener's delight plants didn't grow very well makes me suspect that there was cross pollination issues rather than simply mixed up seeds.
Title: Re: I had a strange year for tomatoes
Post by: Bernard on October 28, 2015, 21:29
The fact that the non-gardener's delight plants didn't grow very well makes me suspect that there was cross pollination issues rather than simply mixed up seeds.
That's the best explanation I've heard yet but I am sure it's something that T&M would not own up to. I have suspected deterioration in quality of Gardener's Delight for a few years (not related to this year's mix). If I ask T&M about it they just give me their standard cultivation advice.  When I asked RHS how reliable the provenance was likely to be they said that most of the seed was produced abroad and that it was tightly controlled.
Who can you trust?
Title: Re: I had a strange year for tomatoes
Post by: Growster... on October 29, 2015, 06:04
I found that the seed of Gardener's Delight, which I saved from last tear, gave a very poor germination rate this year, and we only got a few good plants going!

I think we'll give them a miss next year, or at least buy new seed.