Topic: Blight resistant tomato varieties

[amphibian]

Some people say so, it is described as having a 'fruity' taste. I've never eaten one.

Personally I like mine to have a deep savoury richness, like black trifele, but my granddad always liked an acidic zing. Tomato taste is so subjective.

[Vinlander]

I still think it's a better idea to set up a breeding programme to improve the flavour of the "lychee tomato" Solanum sisymbriifolium.

At present it's about as flavoursome as the average cherry tomato in the shops (for the record I like zing) - I'd say that's a bit better than any "blight resistant" tomato I've ever tasted - Losetto, Ferline etc. - and in the process you get a plant that is so resistant it's reasonable to expect it to cope with another 10 years of new blights.

Cheers.

[Jayb]

Must admit I found Lychee tomato were quite vicious with their thorns. fiddly to pick and I prefer the feel and taste of tomatoes. But I am giving them another whirl this year to see if I like them any better.

[Jayb]

All this said and done I don't quite get the hype being generated by dobies/suttons - Skykomish is already homozygous for Ph2 and Ph3, so unless there is more to it than their literature claims Crimson Crush is not a first and would be less resistant than Skykomish.

I suppose Skykomish can be used as a good control plant to compare degrees of resistance and see if more is at play in Crimson Crush.

I think it likely Skykomish is still segregating for some traits. I believe Tom shared some seeds when he visited Europe and the UK, he also started selling them from 2012.

[Vinlander]

Must admit I found Lychee tomato were quite vicious with their thorns. fiddly to pick and I prefer the feel and taste of tomatoes. But I am giving them another whirl this year to see if I like them any better.

You're entirely right about its poor social skills - but the flavour & texture is massively affected by how ripe you pick them - if you let them ripen fully the thorny 'lantern' opens so wide you won't draw blood when picking - and the flavour and texture is much more like a tomato - though since nobody has bred them recently (apparently the old selections have been lost) the flavour is very variable from plant to plant.

I can't see them becoming mainstream hobby plants - let alone a commercial crop! But they are a genuine resource in a bad blight year.

Oh, and the other thing is they will overwinter without loss of vigour if they aren't actually frosted - in an average winter they are nearly 100% reliable in a cold greenhouse.

Cheers.

 

[amphibian]

I'd like to give these lychee tomatoes a go. With generations of selection who knows what might be achieved in the distant future - just look at the brassica family to see what variety can be achieved.

[galina]

I have got some growing in the greenhouse (with one eye on seed for the seed circle if they work out).  Well, after these mixed reports i shall have to be careful in my selection of plants for seed, if we ever get that far.  Thanks for the overwintering tip.   

[amphibian]

If there was a serious attempt at improving the lychee tomato the first step might be to obtain as many seeds from different sources as possible and then crossing them up to create the diversity that might lead to something better.

[Vinlander]

One more thing about Ly Toms (getting lazy now) - plants grown in builders bags of 30cm well-rotted woodchip over part-rotted composting (ie. the N side of my fly-free carrot bags) are double the size of those grown in my very heavy London soil.

Considering these plants are nearly wild it's possible that they like a medium-richness soil as much as they obviously enjoy a very light open medium. BTW the same goes for the much-neglected tuberous pea (that I encourage to hang down over the S side of the bags).

Cheers.

[Jayb]

Oh, and the other thing is they will overwinter without loss of vigour if they aren't actually frosted - in an average winter they are nearly 100% reliable in a cold greenhouse.

I've had a few volunteers overwinter outside, had to pull them up in the end as they were bang in the way and attacked mercilessly every time I tried to pass! If I'd thought in time I could have potted them up and replanted them in the spring in a more suitable location.  I think I'll keep one in a pot to over winter in the poly tunnel. Do you know if they propagate from cuttings well?

[Jayb]

My 3 Crimson Crush planted on the plot are struggling a little to get going again, a shame the weather went colder and really windy as soon as I'd planted them out. They have one truss set and a second with flowers, possibly some tidler fruit on the second. Foliage is looking stressed though.

I gave in and had 3 more plants when on offer for free just pay for postage. I've given one possibly 2 away, the last one will go in the poly tunnel to compare cropping.

[johhnyco15]

planted my plants out last month there doing ok

[Jayb]

Nice plants, they are looking good with you Johhnyco

My Crimson C's have picked up a lot, they are loving this warmer weather. Some nice trusses forming (picture).
Mountain Magic weren't sown till quite late, but are coming on a treat and will be planted out shortly.

[johhnyco15]

yes they have done well   well done you a bit of good weather they soon catch up gave my normal toms some bordeux mixture this week but left out the blight resistant ones lets see how they do

[Jayb]

Mmm, they look great. I love Sungold, just so good 

[Jayb]

The first trusses on Crimson Crush are turning colour the blooming birds have already had a go at a couple!!!!

[Jayb]

Some more ripening

[Jayb]

Unfortunately Crimson Crush testing is on, I'll be keeping a close eye on the toms now that I've spotted Late Blight in the potato patch which is two rows (peas and Broad beans) over.

[Jayb]

Crimson Crush ripe tomato from one of the three plants I've got growing outside in the veggie plot. Fruit a large salad size, firm and juicy, skin not too thick, taste was pleasant, better than a supermarket tomato but with some room for improvement. Hard to rate how good they taste at the moment as like many tomatoes, I think the flavour improves as they get into the swing of production.

I nearly forgot to take a picture and was halfway through eating it before I remembered!

[laurieuk]

I got 3 Crimson Crush plants from Suttons when they were giving them away , all you had to pay was the postage. Fruit is startin to set but at the moment I am not happy as the fruit appear to be very large rather than like the pictures show. They are growing well.