Topic: good allrounder outdoor tom?

[poppie1]

can anyone recommend a good allround out door tomato,apart from the usual stuff.
a friend of mine keeps sending me seeds from belgium,yet i have no greenhouse(just a diddy lean to) and none have really taken or done much,
and yes i know,dont be tight get a greenhouse.

[Flighty]

Poppie I've been recommended Red Alert as being one of the best bush varieties to grow outside.

http://www.moreveg.co.uk/shop/article_TOMRA/Tomato-Red-Alert.html?shop_param=cid%3D49%26aid%3DTOMRA%26

I shall be trying it next year!

[OllieC]

I'm doing Red Alert amongst others this year, and it is pretty early, a bit of greenback but nothing too sinister. Is it an all-rounder though? It's not very big...

Sungold is the most amazing taste, and beats RA by a few weeks down here... it's a cherry (and an F1 so not everyone's ideal, fine if you're growing for taste though!)...

[labrat]

I'm in the North of Scotland and for me Red Alert is an outdoor performer - doesn't put on a lot of leaves but loads of fruit. I've tried Sub Arctic Plenty this year as well but though they have produced big, green, healthy plants they just haven't set fruit - they don't like the rain.

I have little plastic tomato houses that are outside and they have produced ripe Sungold (before Red Alert) and Moneymaker has put on lots of big green fruit that hopefully will ripen before it gets too cool.

cheers

[poppie1]

thanks all,what a response,cheers :D :D :D

[saddad]

 

and yes i know,dont be tight get a greenhouse.

Or a polytunnel, you get alot more ground covered for the same money. Toms like Polys...

I have most luck outside with basket toms like Gartenpearle and Whippersnapper... lots of early cherry toms, been eating for a month here in sunny (?) Derby...

[Georgie]

and yes i know,dont be tight get a greenhouse.

I have most luck outside with basket toms like Gartenpearle and Whippersnapper... lots of early cherry toms, been eating for a month here in sunny (?) Derby...

Heck, what size baskets do you use?  My Whippersnapper plants are huge!  ;D

G x

[saddad]

They are very smart... the lack of water/nutrients keeps them proportionate to the basket...  :)

[meg_gordon]

  I have most luck outside with basket toms like Gartenpearle

Saddad, my Gartenpearle look like a flowering shrub - there are sooooo many flowers and green toms - question is, if there are still trusses that haven't ripened when the weather gets a bit cooler, would it be ok to move them into the greenhouse to extend their season a bit?

Meg

[saddad]

Yes, they'll love you for it, can crop to the end of October under glass...  :)

[cleo]

I`m not sure what you mean by `the usual stuff` but my climate is not so very different to where you are(I come from Bedfordshire originally)

Some you could try;

Sweet Million-OK it`s a cherry but very good

As for `standards`

Outdoor girl

Matina

Gardener`s delight-small but always good

Harbinger

St Pierre

Blaby?-I only grow it inside but it should be OK(the seeds might be hard to find but some of us should have some later)

The list goes on really

[Barnowl]

Does Shirley F1 count as the usual stuff? Very reliable medium round .

Olivade F1 medium plum - good flavour but perhaps texture makes it better for passata than straight eating

Sungella - Sungold's big sister - has been pretty reliable and well flavoured.

Balconi Red & Yellow - small for baskets. Better flavour than Gartenperle (IMHO  :))

[Trevor_D]

Costoluto always does well outside for me. Black Russian? Harbinger is early. And I like King George (from the Heritage Seed Library).

I've never done particularly well with Shirley outdoors, but under glass it produces masses of fruit.

And I've only grown it a couple of times, but I'm quite impressed by Auriga.

[BarriedaleNick]

Sungella, tigerella and harbinger work for me.
Cherrola is working well for me this year being the earliest.

Depends what you want them for - none of the above with the poss exception of Harbinger are good paste toms - great for salads tho.

[tricia]

Another reliable and prolific one is Harzfeuer - seeds from Lidl.

Tricia

[kt.]

I tried Tumbling Tom in hanging baskets this year,  2 plants per basket.  We are harvesting cherry toms now but I am a bit disappointed with the yields.  The plant produced flowers that turned to toms that we have harvested but is not producing any more flowers for further cropping....

[macmac]

Did anyone grow Vicky from Marshalls ?it was a baby plum, we've saved some some seed as it's discontinued but not as good  :(

[poppie1]

blimey didn't know there were that many tom enthusiasts on here,by the usual i mean,garden d,shirley,beefsteak.
that all our local nursery grow.
never have tried to sow toms from seed,YET.
as for a polytunnel,we are in middle of a field and fear it may get blown away(dont think old misery guts would let me have one anyway)
are the polytunnels expensive?

[saddad]

If you buy the right sort they don't blow away... but the cover can get torn in gales. Make sure the door/doors don't face into the prevailing wind.

Toms from seeds are dead easy... if you fancy trying a variety I'm sure we could find it and send you half a dozen...  :)

[poppie1]

do you know you are probably the nicest person i have ever had the pleasure of chatting with.the beans are going great by the way(apart fom mogex,no sign).
i cant believe that there are really genuine people still out there(until i came across this site that is)
there have been so many toms discussed not sure of whats what.
just want one for salads or perhaps the odd one to grill.
looked on ebay a while ago poly tunnels are quite cheap really,would you recommend any?