Tomato Varieties

[PLUMPUDDING]

I just thought I'd recommend two varieties of tomatoes I'm particularly pleased with this year.

The first is Sub-arctic Plenty. It is only three feet high including the pot and has over fifty large cherry sized fruits set already. There are a large number of branched trusses that have over 100 flowers on, and the flowers are also very attractive with starry, long recurved petals. It appears to be determinate so won't get any taller. I've not tasted the fruits yet, but it is a very productive and pretty little plant. I'll give an up-date when I've tasted it.

The other is Kennilworth King George which is another variety from the Heritage Seed Library and I've grown it for quite a few years now. So far it has six trusses with 12 fruits on each, but has had as many as 15 trusses by the end of the season. The fruits are a nice medium salad size and have a gorgeous rich flavour.

They aren't f1 s so I'll be saving seed if anyone would like some to try next year.

Just thought perhaps I should have put this in seed swap?

[glallotments]

We like Amish Gold and Amish Paste

[Tony Hague]

Ok, perhaps some of you can help me.

Can anyone recommend a paste type tomato that is not prone to blossom end rot ? I gave up on San Marzano because it was so bad, and this year I have great problems with Andine Cornue. Best results so far were from Seeds of Italy's Rio Grande. And before anyone says it ... it is not erratic watering - that is done with computer controlled precision (sad, eh ?)

[alan refail]

I switched S Marzano varieties a few years ago and now grow
San Marzano selezione Redorta F1

The quite large fruit are slow to ripen but show little sign of blossom end rot, even with my sometimes erratic watering.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I'm surprised you've had trouble with Cornu des Andes which sounds like your Andine Cornu. It is usually very reliable, productive and tastes delicious. Perhaps you've a dodgy lot of seed. My other favourite paste variety is also Amish Paste, but it hasn't quite as good a flavour as the Cornu.

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Plumpudding, my kenilworth king george are coming along nicely, but the cornu des andes look a bit frail beside them, are they a more delicate plant, should they be greenhouse only? I have also grown marmande, shirley, sungold, golden sunrise, italian genovese, tastey, backyard, and venus orange cherry which are very compact and would suit small gardens. I have some inca too which are cropping well quite early, plum type but I haven't tasted them - not ripe yet though quite large.
I am pretty sure I tried sub arctic plenty a few years ago and it was a disaster then, so maybe it was the wet summer that year not the variety, perhaps I should try it in a good summer.

[ken]

OK, a slightly different tomato variety query. We've grown Gardeners Delight for ages, and like it very much, but this year, having moved house and with no room for a greenhouse, I'm growing it hydroponically in the conservatory. It's known as a strong grower...one plant in particular has reached the roof, and as the stem has divided twice (not sideshoots) it has about 12 flower trusses, but needs pinching out. Is this strong growth common to all cordon cherry types, or can anyone recommend a shorter-growing variety. (Am also growing Olivade and Gigante Liscio, both doing well).
Re avoiding blossom end rot with paste tomatoes - I used to grow my tomatoes in big pots and after suffering blossom end rot regularly with plum tomatoes (e.g. Olivade) I started added water-retaining gel to even out the watering. That worked.

[Primrose]

Last year I grew Ildi, which is a prolific yellow plum shaped cherry tomato which didn't grow as tall as Gardeners Delight with each truss actually splitting into multi-trusses bearing up to 40 or more fruit. I think the seeds came from Thompson & Morgan. Perhaps worth trying if height is an issue for you. It was also a tomato which kept well.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Regarding the Cornu des Andes, Natures Babe. They are a daintier grower at first with finer foliage, but are nice and productive when they get going. I've not tried them outside, so don't know if they need more warmth than others. I would have thought they were quite tough if they originated from the Andes!

I read somewhere that the Sub Arctic Plenty was raised by the Americans during the war to provide a quick crop in Greenland so that should be pretty hardy too.

[Nature's Babe]

Thank you Plumpudding, yes I planted three Cornu des andes in the greenhouse and three outside, the ones in the greenhouse are picking up now and looking stronger. The ones outside are struggling, though others outside are doing well, I will plant them all in the lean-to greenhouse which gets some warmth from the house next year

[Granny]

Regarding paste tomatoes - I've grown Jersey Devil and Antique Roman from Plants of Distinction. They look like long peppers and are very dense with a lovely flavour. No problem with blossom end rot.
------------------
Granny

[ken]

Thank you,Primrose. Will look out for Ildi...I see it gets a good write-up in Terry Marshall's book, 'Tomatoes'.
As for early tomatoes, I think I have previously recommended Latah, available from the Real Seed Company. This is another one bred for short-season parts of America. Slightly weird looking as leaves are skinny - it puts all is efforts into flowering and fruiting. It's a bush tomato with fruit similar in size to Gardeners Delight, good flavour but more savoury/less sweet than GD. I've grown it outdoors when it has ripened before the more protected varieties in my old greenhouse. Both my brother and brother-in-law are now fans of Latah, having receive seed from me in the past.

[mikepearce45]

Last year I saved some seeds from a punnet of Moruno tomatoes. a medium sized cherry variety, purchased from Tescos.

I grew just two plants, one grew to circa 6 feet tall with 7 trusses while the other stopped at three feet high and became a bush plant. The trusses on both plants produced between 8/10 fruits which were fairly thick skinned but the taste was superb!

The main drawback however is the relatively few fruits per plant plus the fact that they do not last long after picking, they tend to rot within 4/5 days out of the fridge. Even so, they are certainly worth growing as a "fun" crop and I see that the supermarket is selling them again this year.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I've just been looking at the Cornu des Andes in the greenhouse and even when they have grown large and strong they have elongated downward growing leaves and trusses, so they look quite different from the usual tomato plants anyway.

[Tony Hague]

I would be interested to hear more of how others get on with Andine Cornu/Horn of the Andes/... I have 7 varieties of tomato this year

Yellow perfection
Harbinger
Andine Cornu
Buissonante
Royale des Guineaux
Garden pearl
and one named just "Iowa" from an old lady in Iowa via Hairloom Tomatoes and my dad !

The others all look good and healthy. Only Andine Cornue has blossom end rot, and on almost every fruit. I cannot see me growing this one again. Ever.