As I mentioned in a previous post, I do an assessment of my tomato crops about this time every year to help me decide what is added to my 'all time favourites' list that I will definitely grow next year. This year far fewer than normal have made the cut as detailed below....
Favourites that will certainly get sown again:
Stoner's exhibition
Principe Borghese
Apero
Christel's plum
Sundried
Gourmet
Piccolo Dattero Ibrido
Burbank bush
The Amateur
Maskotka
Tumbling tom red
All were prolific croppers and tasted wonderful to boot.
Varieties that did ok, might get another chance:
Porter
Kenilworth
Sutton's Everyday
Not good this year at all, poor/sparse crops:
Big League
Scarlet Knight
Little Tatyana
Heinz
Campbell's soup
Legend
Russian black
What's on your favourites list this year?
I don't have the space to grow that many varieties and despite a poor start I am getting a decent crop.
Red Alert have done really well again - very early.
Black Russian have done pretty well.
Jersey Devil has lot of fruit but is a late ripener.
Black Cherry have big trusses of fruit and not a bad tasting tom.
Epicure are doing well.
I have some generic Spanish - doesn't like our climate.
Kenilworth are doing well for me - early but they don't seem to have the taste I remember.
Nimbus are a good standard British tom but nothing to shout about - they look good though so possibly a show tom
Coeur de boeuf - slow and sparse.
I think that's my lot this year
Sungold did well outside - if only they had thinner skin :BangHead:. The heaviest cropper is definitely the Lidl Harzfeuer. I've been growing it for years and it never fails me. Medium size and good flavour. A beefsteak saved from seeds for years also does well outside. I'll probably stay with these three next year, two plants of each and maybe a plum variety for passata. I have 12 plants this year - too many for a one person household! But I do so love growing my own :icon_cheers:.
Tricia :wave:
My tomatoes are not yet fully developed and are still hard and green 😳 - ask me again in about a month ....
Debs :icon_flower:
It's not the best year but so far my winners are Blush, Berkeley Tie-Dye, Red, Zebra, Sweet Aperitif and Purple Ukraine.
Losers are Blaby Special, Kenilworth, Sunrise Bumblebee, Burpees Jubilee, Paul Robeson - none of which are that impressive in flavour or productivity.
This year has been a horrible year on the tomato front (blight, ber, lack of flavour etc. etc.). The only ones that have managed to make it to the def. grow again list are blush, black cherry, white cherry and lucky leprechaun.
Can't really rule any of the others out as this year has just been so pants!
Coeur de boeuf been fantastic fandango sungold moneymaker alicante berry and pink charmer i have been very lucky no blight sprayed in june all my toms have been great from red pear to big daddy all sizes all shapes really pleased
(Wistful sigh)... 😔
Debs :icon_flower:
here we are a bucket load of sungold so i thought what to do with them all bingo stick them in the dehydrator i wonder how sweet they will be when dried or will they lose there flavour watch this space should be done in a couple of days
I've dried sungold - they virtually disappear by the time they are dry! Very intense flavour - love them on pizza in the winter to remind me of warmer days.
As the name suggests, Sundried are very good dried and I've got a load of ripe fruits from outdoor plants this year.
Quote from: Deb P on August 23, 2016, 23:54:17
As the name suggests, Sundried are very good dried and I've got a load of ripe fruits from outdoor plants this year.
Sundried is an actual variety? Got a link to seeds?
outdoor tomatoes doing well in the heat
berry are looking berrish
Yellow Bumpy from Nicky's Nurseries.
Quote from: BarriedaleNick on August 24, 2016, 07:37:33
Quote from: Deb P
link=topic=80499.msg813688#msg813688 date=1471992857
As the name suggests, Sundried are very good dried and I've got a load of ripe fruits from outdoor plants this year.
Sundried is an actual variety? Got a link to seeds?
Yes I got mine from Plants of Distinction originally, they don't seem to do them now......
The classic drying tomato is Principe Borghese:
http://www.seedlibrary.org/principe-borghese-sun-dried-tomato.html
http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/s.nl?search=Tomato+Plum+Principe+Borghese#.V8E5H5grLIU
and other seed suppliers
Quote from: Deb P on August 25, 2016, 20:47:38
Quote from: BarriedaleNick on August 24, 2016, 07:37:33
Quote from: Deb P
link=topic=80499.msg813688#msg813688 date=1471992857
As the name suggests, Sundried are very good dried and I've got a load of ripe fruits from outdoor plants this year.
Sundried is an actual variety? Got a link to seeds?
Yes I got mine from Plants of Distinction originally, they don't seem to do them now......
Lost a good number of outdoor ones to blight but notable successes this year, mainly under cover are:
Cherry Falls (wallis seeds) large numbers of cherry toms on sprawling plants that are perfect for hanging baskets though mine were planted in the ground.
Tangerine and Urbikany (real seeds). Both excellent the tangerine having a particularly good sweet/acid flavour.
Carbon. Getting low on saved seed so grew these to replenish my stock.
Also Bloody Butcher outside managed to grow a few fruits before the blight struck so an early ripening variety for sure. :happy7: