Topic: Crimson Crush F1 Tomatoes

[Galette]

Hi folks. A query about Thompson and Morgan Tomato Crimson Crush F1.  I bought the seeds this spring in my local garden centre . There were five seeds in the packet, so at £4.49 that's nearly £1 per seed. I bought them as I hoped to avoid blight. All the seeds produced normal seedlings, but now the plants are spindly and have each produced one truss of fruit and the plant seems exhausted and not seeming to be growing any more. I have also grown Tumbling Tom and have planted both types at the same time in the same compost throughout, both positioned outdoors along the same wall and both fed with liquid seaweed. The Tumbling Tom are doing well, healthy plants with lots of fruit forming. I have grown tomatoes for at least 30 years so I know what I'm doing. Has anyone else tried Crimson Crush this year?

[Elfeda]

I bought them from ebay shop for cheap, plants are doing fine and flowering now.

[Harry]

Got mine online for 20p a pip ( last year) though they started out well, not much sign of them bearing fruit. But then my roma and moneymaker are also doing rubbish this year.

[Paulh]

Same here - two "Crimson Crush" not doing very well, also two "Nimbus" and two "Sungold" in the growbags with them: just one "Sungold" is really growing away. However, the plants are flowering and setting fruit. I don't know whether it's the heat (though the plants have not seemed stressed) or the growbags or what. See also the thread called "Gardener's Delight".

[Tulipa]

Galete I have one Crimson Crush that was given to me and it looks exactly as you describe. I have been thinking what will I say if he asks as I feel bad about it but the other tomato plants of different names are much better and all treated exactly the same, I thought I had done something so feel better now, thanks.

[InfraDig]

I have bought Crimson Crush from DTBrown for the last few years and they have done very well. Growing outside on a south facing wall I picked the first three large tomatoes on 15 July. the largest was 200gm, 7oz. I did not grow Mountain Magic this year, supposedly more blight resistant, because the the tomatoes are a lot smaller.

[InfraDig]

DTBrown also recently had a £1 sale. I managed to get two packets of Crimson Crush, 10 seeds each, for £1 each. I am hoping that is next year sorted out! I have just looked on their website and they are now £4.49

[Deb P]

I tried Crimson Crush a few years ago after seeing the plants at an exhibitor at one of the Tatton Park shows. My assessment was ‘ nothing special, don’t bother growing again’… so I haven’t!

[JanG]

My Crimson Crush came from Premier Seeds. £1.49 for 10 seeds. Premier Seeds are always very reasonably priced and of consistently reliable quality.

[InfraDig]

I have never tried them before. Looks useful. Many thanks.

[Galette]

When I posted this on A4A I also contacted Thompson & Morgan on the same topic. To be fair they have replied 

"Thank you for your email.

The lack of adequate sunlight can result in the lack of fruiting. This particular variety would require six to eight hours of daily sunlight to produce flowers and then fruits. Without proper sunlight, the tomato plant will have leggy and spindly growth and little or no fruits.
The weather wasn't very friendly this year. We can send you a free pack of seeds so you can try again next year if you wish. Please can you provide your full address details so we can send this to you. I apologise for the inconvenience caused.

If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to get in contact.

For any further information on your orders, you can log into your online account where you can find the most recent and up to date information.

With best regards...."

[Vinlander]

I tried Crimson Crush a few years ago after seeing the plants at an exhibitor at one of the Tatton Park shows. My assessment was ‘ nothing special, don’t bother growing again’… so I haven’t!

There are a few better tasting tomatoes (not many - maybe 10 - very subjectively), but I grow a few plants (and Cocktail Crush) as an insurance policy -  because they are sufficiently blight resistant to guarantee a good crop when everything else has died.

Blight-proof varieties have come a long way since "Ferline" (probably the blandest tomato I've ever suffered) but I'd say these were the first blight-proof varieties to taste better than supermarket toms (except maybe Piccolo - at £8 a kilo), and they are reasonably priced seeds.

Price is the reason I haven't tried all the newer blight-proof varieties yet - I generally wait for the newer ones to appear as plants in the garden centre, then I buy one plant & root all the axil shoots to reduce the price further - tom shoots longer than 10cm root quicker & safer in water bottles - (but my experiments suggest you avoid opaque containers - it seems the whole cutting needs good light - not total full sun, but it can cope with a lot more than you'd risk on a cutting in soil).



Cheers.

[Tiny Clanger]

Hi Galette, like Jan G I purchased from Premier Seeds. Cheaper prices. All I planted germinated but they were purchased to grow outside. I can't say I'm impressed. Picked the first one last week but not eaten it yet. I may try a couple for the polytunnel next year,  see if they do better. Outdoors they have been slow to take off and not much fruit.

[JanG]

My tomatoes generallly this year have been very slow. I don’t think they’re enjoying the wet cloudy July we (at least in eastern England) have been having. Even Sungold isn’t showing much vigour outdoors.

[Vinlander]

Hi Galette, like Jan G I purchased from Premier Seeds. Cheaper prices. All I planted germinated but they were purchased to grow outside. I can't say I'm impressed. Picked the first one last week but not eaten it yet. I may try a couple for the polytunnel next year,  see if they do better. Outdoors they have been slow to take off and not much fruit.

Just a personal opinion - I find that the first fruits off a tomato plant are often disappointing - later ones are usually much sweeter - presumably their priority is to get some seeds out there before the plant gets damaged - or dug up by foxes.

Reminds me of the knackered old bag the handlers at Heathrow throw onto an empty carousel to pretend they've met their target time.

Cheers.

[George the Pigman]

Had my best year ever for tomatoes in my greenhouse this year. Bellandine, Fawerty and particularly Sweet Aperitif. The latter is the sweetest cherry tomato I have ever tasted and was very prolific. Peppers did well also.

[Harry]

Got mine online for 20p a pip ( last year) though they started out well, not much sign of them bearing fruit. But then my roma and moneymaker are also doing rubbish this year.

Sorry. Post submitted before I finished....

Starting my seeds too soon, I had wicked losses of seedlings. But I managed to get a few growing alongside my Roma and MoneyMaker. At the plot. blight took out my moneymaker but the CC survived. However, yield was super disappointing. Yield on MM and Roma was low too>

Next year, I'm inclined to just try heritage seeds, but protected as much as I can from blight. I read that marestail tea is one defence and growing under glass is another.

As to the crimson crush flavour... I notice it's quite different and not to everyone's taste.

[Tulipa]

My Crimson Crush have improved with age, they are more tasty now than the first few I picked, thanks Vinlander for letting me know it wasn't my imagination :)

George Sweet Aperatif and Sweet Millions are the best I have ever grown, I have missed them this year!