What I’ve chosen to grow this season
My plans for tomatoes and tomatillos went somewhat awry (as usual), with far more varieties than I planned. I’d drawn the line at three varieties, two beefsteaks (requested by my other half) and a ‘cherry’ – Orange Queen, Black Crimea and Yellow Pear Shaped, all sown at the beginning of February.
Now potted on into my go-to first containers – rice and yoghurt pots and in cooler conditions. However, it wouldn’t be the Garden Press Event without new seeds upsetting my carefully planned apple cart! Another two varieties are on trial and were sown on Saturday, March 2 – they’ll catch up to the others, which had the extra benefit of a grow light.
Tomatoes and tomatillos – New trial varieties
They are Ruby Falls, from the Rob Smith Range at Dobies and Rugby Pink Plum Medium from Pennard Plants, part of a trial of Dalefoot Composts’ new Tomato Compost. For more information on growing tomatoes, visit my in-depth page.
Yellow Pear Shaped
A popular yellow heirloom cordon variety from the 1800s, its name says it all! It produces lots of small (20g), yellow pear-shaped tomatoes that are sweet, but mild in flavour, Casa Cesar Santos.
Tomatoes and tomatillos – Rugby Pink Plum Medium
A cordon variety with 175g smooth-skinned plum-type fruits with a nipple end in pale pink. The flavour is a balance of slightly sweet and slightly acidic taste. Suitable for greenhouse/polytunnel production or outdoor planting. Disease resistant to Fusarium, Verticillium, Nematodes and TMV, TRIAL, www.pennardplants.com.
Orange Queen
A heritage beefsteak with high yields of bright orange, slightly flattened, uniform fruit, 120-180g. The tomatoes are juicy with very few seeds, a low level of acidity and are perfect for slicing. A good choice for growing in shorter-season, cooler regions. Needs to be staked well, Les Doigts Verts.
Tomatoes and tomatillos – Black Crimea
Also known as Black Krim and Noiree de Crimee, it is one of the most popular heirloom black varieties, found in 1990 in Krim (Crimea). It yields large 8 to 10cm slightly irregular, flattened beefsteak tomatoes with an unusual purple to black skin with green shoulders and reddish-black flesh. Black Crimea has a rich, earthy, true tomato flavour, excellent for slicing, salads, and sandwiches, Les Doigts Verts.
Ruby Falls
Found by Rob Smith at a specialist tomato breeder last year, with dense columns of crinkled and curled leaves which are slimmer and than regular tomato plants, perfect for a smaller greenhouse. The plants produce large, cherry-sized deep red fruit, with green striping which fades as the fruit ripens. Each truss is held away from the plants and it makes picking easy. The fruit has a sweet, rich flavour. TRIAL, Rob Smith Range at Dobies.
Tomatillo
Tomatillo Large Purple/Green was an impulse buy which I haven’t grown before. Similar to tomatoes but with a papery husk, they can be stored in them for a couple of months. Germinated quickly but also went leggy with heat normally OK for tomatoes – here’s how I fixed them. Available from The Real Seed Catalogue.
