Sungold tomato
I was chatting to fellow tomato enthusiasts recently and as we nattered on about favourite varieties, I was surprised to hear that they found ‘Sungold’ (above) too sweet. Too sweet! In my book a tomato that is too sweet doesn’t exist, but this very same reaction was elicited from a buyer at a large seed company soon afterwards. Well I never!
Said buyer said that his current favourite was ‘Rosella’, another gorgeous looking cherry tomato, but reddish with hints of black, so now I plan to grow this variety in order to compare the two. In fact, I’m planning on growing 9 different varieties, some old favourites and some gorgeous looking new (to me) varieties to find out which varieties I enjoy the most.
Now I don’t have a vast amount of space to grow in, and I want to go a bit wild with lettuces this year (more posts to come on this subject), but the taste, texture (and smell) of home-grown tomatoes is wonderful, miles better than fruits bought in the shops, and growing your own offers a far wider choice of varieties to eat too!
This year I have also purchased a rather lovely greenhouse (first one ever), which will hopefully give me a little more scope with my tomato growing experiments.
Black Krim tomato-Gorgeously knarly.
So this summer I shall be growing:
- ‘Sungold’ , top pic, which never disappoints!
- ‘Rosella’-thoses hints of black do look tasty
- ‘Indigo Blue Berries’ from Nicky’s Nursery. Nicky says that these ‘just pop in your mouth and explode with flavour’ and I’m still searching for a delicious black tomato which tastes as good as it looks..
- ‘Black Krim’ , above, which ripened surprisingly well when grown outdoors and produced huge brutes of a fruit with a meaty texture and a great flavour. What’s not to love!
- ‘Ananas 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! Yes, 630! Now that I can give it some heat in my greenhouse, hopefully I’ll get a good and tasty crop!
- ‘Sweet aperitif’ A bright red sweet cheery tomato recommended by Michael Perry at Thomson and Morgan
- ‘Gardeners Delight’ An old faithful and very reliable cropper of red cherry tomatoes and a good bench mark for the rest of the cherries.
- ‘Gold Crown’ A sweet and tasty yellow cherry tomato from Sea Spring Seeds
- ‘Green Envy’ Emerald green small oval fruits, also from Sea Spring Seeds. Can’t wait to taste these.
Indigo Rose tomato
I have to admit to being a sucker for good looks when it comes to a vegetable. Who wouldn’t want a salad bowl full of exciting colours and shapes as well as great tastes. Last year I was seduced by ‘Indigo Rose’. For months it provoked admiring comments from all who passed by as it grew and ripened in my front garden. Sadly, after such wonderful promise, it really came up short on taste, as well as having a mushy texture, and although Michelle at Veg Plotting did say that it made a good tomato sauce, I’m not tempted to grow it again with such limited growing space and so many other exciting varieties out there to try.
Certainly the trend for black tomatoes is strong and Nicky from Nicky’s Nursery says that her top sellers at the moment are ‘Black Cherry and ‘Black opal’ as well as ‘Rosada’ (baby red plum), ‘Sungold’ and ‘Black Krim’. In the past I’ve found that small cherry tomatoes ripen best when outdoor growing has been my only option and I’m going to grow a few varieties indoors and out to see if there’s a great difference in taste.
When I’ve holidayed in the Loire over the last few summers, it’s always been a real treat to eat/gorge myself on tomatoes (I particularly enjoyed almost crunchy, sweet green tomatoes last time I was there), but I know I can never match such warm growing conditions, so closer to home, it’s always worthwhile seeking out local nurseries who hold tasting days at the end of summer. A visit to Victoriana Nursery back in 2011 (in Ashford in kent) was a great way to find out which varieties I might like to grow, and they’ll be holding a tomato open day agin this year on 15th August (with over 80 varieties to try and some new blight resistant varieties too).
Now I haven’t mentioned blight-resistant varieties on my list, as I’ve found when grown in the ground, plants are healthy and vigorous and have not succumbed to this crushingly frustrating disease. I grow in zone 2 in London, and fellow enthusiasts (who live in more rural settings and have had their fair share of blight) are convinced that it’s the pollution of city growing that keeps the blight at bay. Interesting. I need to research this more, but neither my potatoes or tomatoes have suffered in recent years.
In the meantime, I shall be experimenting away, and looking forward to filling my salad bowl with delicious and handsome fruits come August and September.
It’s nice to read and dream about tomatoes because as I glance out the window all I can see is snow falling. It’s going to be a while for me so I’ll enjoy hearing about your adventures. 🙂
Hi Judy, Yes, you’ve had a really cold winter this year. Fingers crossed for a blissful summer for you.
Thanks for the good read. I live in rural Cambridgeshire, I own an allotment that is clay based and a garden that is part peat based as I live on the edge of the fens. Blight is certainly a problem and I’ve leant to grow around it by growing small tomatoes only. About 5 years ago I grew 12 different varieties in both locations and by far and away the best tomatoes for me are the cherry toms especially yellow pear . Now I don’t waste time growing anything else after all there is only one season every year to get it right!
Just thought I would share a rural life with you.
Hi Cheryl, Many thanks for your rural tomatoes tales. I was chatting to another rural grower this week and he says that if blight is a problem, then limiting the plant to just a few trusses can also help as fruit will hopefully ripen before the arrival of blight.
Hope you have a great crop this year. Will you be growing other varieties as well as Yellow Pear?
I’m growing, or trying to grow 8 different varieties this year, the only tested one being Brandywine. I love trying new ones, some probably won’t be as great as the sell was, but I’m hopeful that some will be a great find. As for blight, I’ve only had it once, afterwards spraying with milk or buttermilk has kept it at bay. Look forward to hearing how yours turn out.
Hi Helle, Brandywine looks like another gorgeous brute of a fruit. Will you growing this indoors or out? Do you spray every year with milk/buttermilk? Do let me know if you find another tomato that you love this year. V.best
Naomi
Hurrah for the new greenhohse and lack of blight! Great array of tomatoes there, many of which are new to me. I normally sow in late Feb and always try at least two new ones. This year I am going for plug plants thanks to pressure of work, but will still aim for variety. And I couldn’t agree more about looks mattering, when growing and on the plate. As for Indigo Rose, least said the better…
Hi Janet, There does seem to be a great choice of plug plants to buy out there these days, so perfect for both time and space-starved growers. Hope you have a great growing year! Naomi
Tee hee – I recognise this conversation 🙂 I taste tested Sweet Aperitif last year, it’s definitely sweeter than Sungold!
Gosh, I didn’t know you have a greenhouse 😉
Hi VP, yes, greenhouse such a gorgeous thing. Have been spending hours in there! Sweeter than Sungold! There’s a thing! Which vaeieties are you growing this year? N x
Sungold and I’m going to trial Crimson Crush to see if it really is blight resistant!
Hi VP, yes, I’ve heard Crimson Crush is popular this year too! Will be really interesting to hear how it does…..
Oh you are going to have fun with your greenhouse Naomi and before long you will want an even bigger one 🙂 Nothing quite beats the taste of a freshly picked tomato. I enjoyed your post and will be interested in your end of season verdicts. I’ve been reading a fair bit about tomatoes this weekend. Firstly if you have not seen it already there was an article in yesterday’s Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/fruitandvegetables/11499631/Meet-the-tomato-expert-who-knows-the-best-varieties-for-you.html
Secondly I have just got James Wong’s new book out of the library and was having a quick flick through. His thoughts on tomatoes included the fascinating but disturbing snippet that there now appears to be several strains sold under the name of ‘Gardener’s Delight,’ not all of which have the same intensity of flavour 😦 Apparently there’s now a “new variety called ‘Gardening Delight’ which is said to be an improved ‘restoration’ of the original”.
I’ve got Irish Gardener’s Delight courtesy of Real Seeds, which were certainly delicious. I’ll be having to buy plug plants this year though, so will see what “official” Gardener’s Delight taste like… Am off to read that article Anna…
Hi Anna, many thanks for the link. No, haven’t read it yet, but hopefully later today (after potting on my tomatoes!). Looks like a lovely day out there and can see the vents on my greenhouse have already opened! Yes, already filling up in there!
Interesting re different strains of tomato. I think the same could be said for many plants in garden centres that we buy.If I had more space, would be interesting to trial a few different Gardener’s Delight plants form different suppliers!
Hey Naomi- after lat year trying about 15 different types last year on my allotment and finding nearly every one got blighted! So this year on the allotment I am reducing it down and happy to see all 3 of mine are also on your list: Sungold, Black Krim and Gardeners Delight. At home in my window boxes I will be trying 3 dwarf cultivars Red Alert, Red Robin and Totem from Seed Parade- interestingly I never get blight on my tomatoes at home- wonder if being on the 2nd floor they are above the spores?
Hi Owen, Yes, interesting point about what height spores might travel at! Would love to know how your 3 chosen varieties grow this year-hopefully catch up later in the summer….? N x
Hi Naomi – Love your choices! I’m sticking with old friend Gardeners Delight (Kings Seeds), but also experimenting with T+M’s Tigarella, said to crop 3 weeks earlier than Moneymaker. Trialling a peat-free compost which so far is producing good results. (see http://greenjottings.blogspot.co.uk/). All to be grown outdoors. Last year I tried Black Russian – enormous but tasted like cottonwool and succumbed to blight.
Hi Sandra, Have heard only good things about SylvaGrow Just trying to find a stockist near me in N.London. Black Krim definitely worth trying if you want to grow an enormous tomato outdoors.
Love the look of the Ravillious exhibition-must get down to S.London to visit!
I’m green envy personified reading this! My greenhouse is a puny lean to affair, so I can only fit in six varieties (one of which will be indigo rose though!). I am trying a crimson crush in a wall basket though, have you heard of them?
Hi Catherine
Good luck with your tomatoes this year. Yes, VP (above) is growing Crimson Crush-said to be blight resistant, so will be interesting to hear how it grows this summer. Do let me know how yours does. V.best Naomi
Interesting observation about pollution and blight. I’m in Zone 2, Greenwich and have only had one attack of blight. It may have been a particularly damp year but it was the only year I grew tomatoes in the soil rather than just pots so I wonder whether there may have been spores in the soil.
[…] haven’t been quite as scientific as I’d set out to be with my tomato growing this year. However, out of the selection of tomatoes I did grow, two varieties have really shone out both […]
I am planning my tomatoes for next year, as against all odds, our first efforts have all grown and are currently starting to fruit. This year we played it safe and went for some simple golden cherries (golden pearl) and some gardeners delight, but next year we would like to get a bit experimental. Does anyone have any recommendations? Note we don’t have a green house but have ample patio and would be aiming for six grow bags/18 plants with some space for pots, hanging baskets etc.