Allotments 4 All

Last year my OH dad gave me 2 tomato plants, he said they were banana tomatoes, yellow at first, slightly red when ripened. big huge things, hardly any seeds, fantastic toms, cut through them like slicing through butter, haven't been able to find them on web with his dad's name (he's italian so not sure of interpretation) would really love seeds and will swap for anything. I have chatereille melon started, aubergines, courgettes just about everything!!! please help me. :-* :-*

Maybe you should have saved seeds! Plants of Distinction at http://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/ have several banana-shaped varieties, including one called 'Orange Banana' Whether any of them are yours I have no idea.

Hi Little gem, :D
I have grown a yellow tomato called 'Banana creme' this year but unfortunately don't know which seedlings are which as I used the wrong pen and the labels washed clean with the first watering!

I grew then last year too but don't remember them being particularly big or turning redder but perhaps I picked them too early.

All I can do is send you some of all the toms I have started and let you take pot luckor, save you some seeds at the end of the year for next year.
Any good?
:-\ xx

machman,

Thanks for the offer, i did find the said toms in the Plants of Distinction, Simply Vegetables catalogue. They are actually called Antique Roman! If they're not, they're the closest ones we've found. OH's dad gave me four plants from his seeds he saved last year, I'm going to make sure I save seeds every year, You're welcome to some, I shall offer them on the swap shop early next year.

Gem x

O.k Gem,
I'll look out for them...... love all tomatoes and use nearly half my allotment for them!!

All the best, Donna ;D

Outdoor or indoor?

Hi Robert, were you asking me 'indoor or outdoor' or little Gem?

If it was meant for me, outdoor - on the allotment.  My garden is a typical 'pocket handkerchief' size, my kids are typical 'giant' size (3 of them are over 6' tall!!) and they have a 12 foot frame pool set up in the summer!!! 

The greenhouse becomes a 'drying room' for all the towels and cossies once the pool goes up... and the washing because it all gets soaked on the washing line once the kids get in the pool and start throwing water about!!!!

Donna xx

What's your experience of outdoor toms been? I'm trying lots of varieties this year, and it would be good to compare results with them.

I've only ever grown them outdoors and always been succesful.  I did lose the last month of the crop 2 or 3 years ago when we had a very wet summer to blossom end rot - or so I was told?!

I have grown Beefeater beefsteaks - they get huge and need really strong staking.  No more than 3 or 4 trusses or they won't have time to get big.  Only problem I have is they tend split on the crown but we still eat them! ( think they need more water than the others!)

Love Moneymakers and gardeners' delight - never any problems and get masses of fruit.

Ailsa craig - not so prolific but big and tasty.

Lemon Tree and Banana Creme - both lovely eating tomatos but skin is a bit tough for cooking.

At the end of the season, I cut the trusses with the green toms off the plant and lay them out in the greenhose at home.  They ripen up fine.

Do you have problems with blight? I did last year, and I know others have.

Hi Littlegem, found this website the other day, never used it but have lemon tree toms. Bought a packet of seeds a while back will try and find the packet 4 varieties including banana cream toms.
DD
http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/veg5.htm

Hi Robert,
No never had it although lots of the others on my site do.  I try everything I can to prevent it happeninng though and the only 2 things I do differently to the others is;
a) I don't grow potatoes ( would need a plot the size of the whole site to grow enough for my lot - we get through a sack a fortnight!)
and .....
b) I space my plants out two feet away from each other and the rows at two feet as well to give plenty of air circulation.. 

I do take out the lower leaves quite early as well to stop damp rising.

Hope you are finding this helpful, 'cos I have always been made to feel useless on my lottie site, the 'old timers' saying my ideas will never work and I should stick to the tried and tested.  'That girly' they call me! :'(  Mind you, they get the blight and I don't!! ;D

Being allowed to give my opinions is boosting my ego enormously!!

Donna xx

I grew 'orange banana' last year - delicious.
They were given to me by someone from this site (sorry - can't remember who!) and the seeds came  from realseeds.com
Not sure if they still do them though & I've used them all up now (but they're growing well so maybe I'll try to save some seed!!)
gonna have a look on the site.
Terri