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which "brand" of tomato do you grow??

This year I decided to grow as many different varieties of toms as I could.
I did 16 plants in 8 vars in a large conservatory.
I didn't do it by any scientific method, other than taste a few toms as I picked them, and casually observe the yield.

Next time I must take notes:D
All were grown by identical methods, 11" pot over gravel tray.
So, just a few observations which some may find different to there finding which is why I asked;

Moneymaker are totally tasteless

Gardeners delight taste good, yield not the best.

The too large fruiting vars, Beef Steak and the other who's name I forget, tasted better by far

Ailsa Craig yielded best

The cherry variety Super Sweet were sweet but not the best flavour

Alicante was OK, ie didn't stand out, but was the only 1 that suffered any issues, ie, some blossom end rot.

Yes highly subjective and too casual to be worth anything but, how does that compare to viewers own experience??
I like the thanks button, but ,please, an I agree button.

Will the grammar and spelling police respect I do make grammatical errors, and have carp spelling, no need to remind me.;)

Always expect the unexpected:eek:and then you won't be dissapointed
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Comments

  • We usually grow two or three different tomato plants each year and the best of this season is one called Cristal (was recommended after a trial on Gardeners World last year). Its a nice size and good flavour.
  • wallbash
    wallbash Posts: 17,775 Forumite
    Made a mistaake this year , got talked into growing six different varities.
    Conclusion , will ONLY grow Gardeners delight.
  • cyclonebri1
    cyclonebri1 Posts: 12,827 Forumite
    wallbash wrote: »
    Made a mistaake this year , got talked into growing six different varities.
    Conclusion , will ONLY grow Gardeners delight.

    That was suggested to me, but the yield wasn't great in my view.

    My only never again was money maker, should have flavourless in brackets

    Personally I do think it sensible to grow at least 2 varieties, I don't think there is much argument that the large fleshy types taste best, but we also like a high yielding but flavoursome "normal" shaped tom for cooking and freezing
    I like the thanks button, but ,please, an I agree button.

    Will the grammar and spelling police respect I do make grammatical errors, and have carp spelling, no need to remind me.;)

    Always expect the unexpected:eek:and then you won't be dissapointed
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741
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    I grew 'Floridity' for the first time, based on RHS trials for taste.

    They were right; so right that not many made it out of the polytunnel and up to the house!:rotfl:

    I also grew 'Gardener's Delight' which was OK, but not as good as I'd remembered.

    The 'Brown Berry' which were 3rd in the RHS trial, didn't score a hit with us. They were meaty, so fine for cooking, but not that wonderful as a salad tom.

    The Marmande were typically mis-shaped and juicy, so good for some types of cooking.

    I didn't grow any more this year. Last year I grew 'Dr Carolyn,' which some people were raving about. It was pretty poor tasting, but it got me a second in the village show. This year I submitted some 'Gardener's Delight' as a cherry tom and they disqualified me! :(

    I will grow 'Floridity' again. Yield may be only average, but I have plenty of space, so that's not an issue.
  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 13,116
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    Like many I try different varieties, usually from the "bargain bucket" clear out from likes of Wilkinson's at this time of year

    I find many are over hyped, for instance this year I grew, for first time "Sweet & neat scarlet improved" a container variety. Good job it was reduced to 50p from £2.99, for 6 seeds, turned into waste of space, and not all that tasty either

    One winner was Balconi [sic] red, a cherry basket tom, prolific & early, I have grown the yellow variety of this, but think the red had the edge

    Another "bargain" was Lidi, but they still have not ripened and I doubt I will ever get to taste them, and I am in south Hampshire so hardly a climate problem
    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
  • wellused
    wellused Posts: 1,678 Forumite
    My first year growing tomatoes in a greenhouse and I went mad and grew far too many, Ailsa Craig and Harbinger both cropped and ripened really well both tasted the same to me very juicy medium strength. Harbinger grown outdoors in large container ripened later but just as prolific, Gartenperle grown in hanging basket cropped well had thick flesh without much taste. Next year I won't bother with the hanging baskets or growing outdoors in containers and will cut the greenhouse plants down from twelve to eight possibly looking to add a variety with a stronger taste.
  • Having just bought a place with two greenhouses I went a little berzerk and grew Ailsa Craig, Alicante, Black Russian, Sweet Million, San Marzano and Green Grape - the choice was partly by chance (the usual free packets) and part design. Sweet Million and Ailsa Craig were my favourites, closely followed by Green Grape. Wilt has ravaged everything, but my Ailsa Craig is holding its own so far (Sweet Million and Green Grape are surviving - but Black Russian & Alicante were well and truely decimated)

    Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?
  • DaftyDuck
    DaftyDuck Posts: 4,609
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    I have to confess to planting far too many varieties, and far too many of each. As well as the seed I had from previous years, my local garden centre had a clear-out of seed, priced down at 50p a packet.... so, I bought a few. Then the ##### reduced the price to 10p a packet... Well, I used my pocket money up and grew:

    Orange Pear - Delicious, firm fruit, but tended to split
    Sweetie - superb flavour. Juicy too
    Tumbling Tom - very small toms, fun, but why bother.....
    Pomodoro ciliegia - small, OK, but not noted anything down tastewise
    Moneymaker - Refer to answers above. They are round and red...
    Marmande - did suffer from end rot but otherwise good texture & flavour
    Tigerella - super-juicy and rich flavour. One of the best
    Red Cherry - Pretty good flavour, just so productive and easy
    Golden Sunrise - huge crop, good flavour, did split rather readily
    Oxheart giant - didn't crop well, my fault, try again
    San Marzano - plum, used for puree, taste OK
    Shirley - OK, cropped well, but flavour not special
    Roma - tasty, firm texture of a plum tom, fun size
    Incas - Solid cropper, plum texture, flavour not superb
    Hildares - superb size and shape, texture good, heavy crop
    Sunbaby - drop-dead lovely toms, superb taste

    (um... I suspect there were rather more than these... :eek: These are just the ones I noted down in my trusty notebook....)

    I posted a picture at the beginning of the season of my tomatoes on their racks. (If I can find the link, I'll repost). "Unfortunately", I had near-on 100% germination and, however many I gave away, I just had more... and more. The garden paths are still blocked with plants in pots. I say "never again"... but I still have the seed, and I just can't say no to growing stuff.

    My name is Dafty, and I am a seed addict... no, no, it's not a problem, honestly, it's under control, honestly, no, it is, now, let me just pop down the shed... it's just... I need to.... check the .... lawnmower um.. that's not soil under my nails, really.
  • A._Badger
    A._Badger Posts: 5,848
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    I am in awe of people who grow so many tomatoes. What on earth do you do with them all?!

    I'm in the 'Gardener's Delight only camp, having grown many different varieties down the years. However, I've come across the suggestion hat not all Gardener's Delights are created equal. It isn't an F1 hybrid variety, so different seedsmen's GDs might not be exactly the same. .

    If GD was outlawed tomorrow, I would grow Tigerella. Life is too short to experiment with the mind-boggling profuiion of 'new and improved' varieties that appear every year (usually at twice the price of whatever you were growing previously!)
  • esuhl
    esuhl Posts: 9,409
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    My mum grew several varieties of toms. As well as many of the ones mentioned above, we really liked the Brandywine variety -- big and juicy with slightly soft fleshy innards, and beautiful delicate flavour. They're not sharp or acidic like some varieties, and are great with salads... or just a dash of balsamic vinegar and a dab of salt.

    I'm not sure of the overall yield compared to others... We only got a handful of toms off of our one plant, but they were huge and tasted heavenly!

    If I was going to grow any variety myself, Brandywine would be my first choice! :-)
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