I love visiting gardens, but it’s not often that a garden completely exceeds all your expectations. However, the field of tomatoes at Château de la Bourdaisière in the Loire really took my breath away and I’m now yearning for a larger, sunnier garden (preferably walled) to try out a fair few of the 630 varieties that were on offer. Yes, six hundred and thirty!
I can’t say that I counted them all, but there were row upon row of beautifully trained (and labelled) fruits in all shapes, sizes and colours and although I try to avoid dumping loads of gratuitous photos, I’m going to have to share a fair few pics of cultivars that caught my eye. Above is the mini light bulb shaped Beam’s Yellow Pear. Not quite as tasty as its natty looks suggest, but I’d be very happy for it to grace my salad bowl any summery day for its form alone.
Yellow tomatoes kept on catching my eye as we gently wandered around the garden. Banana Legs was firm and delicious and available from Nicky’s Seeds, (who stock around 150 varieties of tomatoes). Definitely a good UK seed supplier to start with if you’re looking to try out a few different tomato varieties.
Striped Black Zebra was good and tasty, as were many of the larger ‘black’ varieties. Without a greenhouse, it can be a bit of a gamble as to whether the larger black varieties will ripen in the UK, but one of the cooks recommended Ananas Noir, a big meaty brute of a fruit, and of the varieties we tasted, this was the most delicious. Also on next year’s list.
Loved the look of Veronique,
Also drooled over Magellan Burgess Purple,
Berkshire Polish (An heirloom from Poland, grown for at least for one generation in Berkshire County, Massachusett-according to Tatiana’s Tomato Base in the US),
Cream Sausage and
the heavenly aubergine coloured Tomato Osu. Some months later (and now in 2014), I have seen a similarly gorgeous ‘black’ tomatoes for sale called ‘Indigo Rose’ from Plant World Seeds. Ten seeds will set you back £2.85 or free with a catalogue and 2 x first class stamps or try Blue Bayou from Chilterns Seeds at £3.00 a pack.
As if the tomatoes weren’t enough, you then stepped into an amazing field of Dahlias, with about 150 varieties on show, again, with all cultivars clearly named.
almost like receiving colour therapy,
and the Chateau gardeners had thoughtfully built a mound which could be climbed for an even better view of this splendid display.
Sadly, the cooler rather overcast day meant that smaller visitor numbers didn’t warrant opening the Tomato Bar (NB Visit next time on a warm sunny day!),
but the lovely Pascale allowed us snip off a few tomatoes for our own mini tasting session. What a treat! If you’re holidaying or passing through the Loire in summer and tomatoes and dahlias are your thing, this garden should not be missed!
P.S. You can also stay in rooms and apartments at the Chateau!
Great post as always. 630 tomato varieties wow! How would you ever choose what to grow? Love the pics, the more the better. Thank you.
Hi Lynne, Think next time I’ll allow more time for a really serious tasting session, although a number of repeat visits might be necessary! The choice is somewhat overwhelming but totally inspiring.
Fascinating post and great images. I imagine the climate in the Loire allows for an early growing season and enough sunshine to bring them to fruition. What interesting sturdy supports and I guess essential since some of those beefsteak toms are pretty weighty.
Hi Sue, Yes there were some whoppers growing but they all seemed to grow really well (and look fab!) on these supports. I read on another website that the gardener doesn’t rate the taste of tomatoes grown in greenhouses (a refreshing opinion), but they are that much further south than us, so yes, more opportunity to ripen well.
At our allotments in Plymouth there are 2 acres set aside for a company called Digging it who have a polytunnel full of tomatoes including the yellow pear. You can go in and pick a large punnet of tomatoes for £1.50 which means I end up not growing them myself. They also have a small cherry one that has blackish markings which is called ‘chocolate’ – very nice!
Wow Ruth, that polytunnel sounds amazing (and great value!). Tomato Chocolate looks great (seeds available from Marshalls should others wish to grow them) and Chocolate Stripes rather tasty too.
Some great looking toms there 🙂
HI PL, Beautiful and Inspiring!
Each entry a delight! Have only recently discovered your blog and had to bought your book. Totally inspiring! Since retiring a friend and I have borrowed a corner of a farmer’s field here in mid Wales and are into the steep learning curve, hard work and excitement that is allotment gardening. Happen to be travelling through London on the 13th and hope very much to visit the streets of Blackstock Triangle. Bit of an imposition, but have you any recommendations for a 1 night B&B nearby please?
Sian – I am another blog reader. There is – or was – a B and B in Highbury run by Mrs Marian Barnes, 4 Highbury Terrace, London N1 0207 354 3210. If you get to Blackstock triangle, also have a look at the lovely topiary elephants on the corner of Romilly Road and Ambler Road.
Gill
Very many thanks Gill, will give her a ring. We’ll definitely look out for the topiary too. And the tree pits… the three sisters planting….and the edible window boxes…. so much to see! Might even manage a chat with an unsuspecting gardener/resident. And if our visit were to coincide with a cake day my happiness would be complete!
Gill, thanks so much for the recommendation in Highbury (about 10 mins walk from the Blackstock Triangle area).
Sian, sadly not around that weekend, but hope you have a great trip. V.best Naomi
Thanks a lot for showing these beauties. I do like tomatoes but not the tomato-looking things that taste like plastic in our supermarkets all the year round.
I had already heard about this place, and there is a similar one in Germany (seen on TV) but can’t remember where.
Bisous à toute la famille !
Hi Fatima, Lovely as ever to hear from you. Hope all is well. They had gorgeous tomatoes growing where we were staying in the Loire too, so now back in the UK (and not living near Ruth’s polytunnel), feel sad that our tomato eating summer is over. Must grow more myself next year!
630?! Gosh what an amazing sight that must have been! How lucky to have been able to explore it! If only you had picked one of the Osu ones- you could have saved all the seed and sold them on ebay -and that would have paid for all your plants for next year!
Hope your well
Owen x
Hi Owen, If only I’d known! Was a fantastic afternoon and would love to go back again. Will pluck an Osu next time, if only to taste it!
Sneak out half a dozen and we will be rich i tells ya! 😉
Spectacular!
I think they would have to chase me out at the end of the day at closing time!
Thanks for sharing!
Lea
Lea’s Menagerie
Hi Lea, Yes, I’ll allow more time should we get to visit again. The tomatoes were so inspiring, couldn’t help sharing! V.best Naomi
Oh sounds like a veritable tomato lover’s paradise Naomi. Name of chateau noted for future reference. Now a walled garden is top of my wish list if we ever win the lottery 🙂
Hi Anna, Yes, who wouldn’t die happy in a walled garden!!
You were in tomato heaven, and thank you for sharing.
Hi Judy, glad you enjoyed the post. Any news on the Japanese wineberries?
Inspiring post Naomi, I would love to visit this Chateau. I know exactly what you mean too, when yearning for a large sunny walled garden..
Hi Julie, Loved the fact that this Chateau had this great big walled garden to feed the guests (and family) with. We saw cooks with big containers piled full of tomtoes for the kitchen. If we ever get the chance to visit again, I hope the tomato bar will be open for even more tasting.
What a gorgeous trip. Definitely one to tuck away in the list of reasons to visit France.
Hi Helen, visited a few gorgeous garden this time in France. Have yet to blog about Jardin Plume and Prieure D’Orsan….So great to have time for visiting gardens on holiday.
Looks an amazing place. Will have to make a note of it in case we’re ever in the area. I can’t believe how many varieties they are growing. I wonder if they ever get blight there?
Hi Lousie, Really worth visiting if you’re ever down that way. I think I saw some Bordeaux mixture on the leaves…
[…] their quality fruit and vegetable plants, choice seeds and great advice! P.s. Have a look at the Chateau de la Bourdaisiere for even more exciting tomatoes. A veritable tomato […]
Oh wow that place looks fantastic!!! Must have been incredible seeing all those tomatoes! Gorgeous flowers too. Ah the French really do have some beautiful gardens – I love it! 🙂
Hi Anna, was very inspired indeed! Visited 3 gardens this year-2 more posts to follow on Jardin Plume and the Prieure D’Orsan, but most French gardens of any size seem to boast some gorgeous tomatoes growing alongside companiable flowers.
Looking forward to reading your other posts Naomi! It’s nice to have a virtual tour of other gardens 🙂
Such lovely names, Naomi – I would have fallen for Box Car Willie and Cream Sausage! I bet those seeds are hard to find as well! I grew Yellow Pear this year, outdoors, and it did quite well but fruit v small. I have to think what will do well outside and, for me, Outdoor Girl, First in Field and Sub-Arctic all performed well. Would absolutely LOVE to come across a whole garden dedicated to tomatoes!! Wonderful!
Hi Caro, both Box Car Willie and Cream Sausage are both happily available from Nicky’s seeds too! Thanks for your list of good growers. I always grow Sungold as it always supplies a good tasty crop, but Banana Legs and Beams Yellow Pear also now on my list to try next year.
[…] onwards for 2014. I can’t wait to start trying out new tomato varieties that I saw at Château de la Bourdaisière this summer (many of them available from Nicky’s Seeds) and there are so many ideas for […]
[…] eating, this, sadly, isn’t the most tasty tomato I’ve ever tried. I think Ananas (freshly plucked last summer when holidaying in the Loire) is a hard act to follow, but I may well grow this variety again, just for its amazing good looks […]
[…] Noir’ Another beast of a tomato, my favourite from the selection I tasted at the Chateau de la Bourdaisiere in the Loire a couple of summers ago, and the cook’s favourite out of the 630 varieties that they grow! […]