Very tasty tomatoes here at last

rms1

Some months ago, I posted here that I had dried some seeds last year from supermarket bought piccolino tomatoes.

I was concerned as they were a hybrid variety and some on the forum told me I may be disappointed.

I can now report that I have 10 very healthy plants all at least 5ft tall and the fruit although nothing like Piccolino (much larger) are starting to ripen and they are delicious.

Well worth the effort

Davesnave

So you weren't unhappy with the result, and forum members were also right in warning you that they probably wouldn't come true. Win, win.

Personally, I wouldn't grow as many as 10 plants that were all 'pigs in pokes' like that. I have plenty of space, so I grew 3 plants from last year's 'Floridity' tomatoes (@32p a seed when bought as F1s) thus 'saving' myself 96p. Well, maybe.

The results were good. All 3 plants produced fruit like Floridity in size and shape. However, they don't taste quite as good, but without the real thing alongside to compare, I might not know. They're very nice, but even within the three there seems to be a variation of flavour. Someone else might find them more pleasant than the originals, but not me, and I grow for me.

Next year I will buy more Floridity, even if they are more expensive. It's so easy taking tomato cuttings,it's possible to have plenty of plants, spread out over a longer season, for the investment of sowing 5 or 6 seeds.

malebolge

Davesnave wrote: »

Next year I will buy more Floridity, even if they are more expensive. It's so easy taking tomato cuttings,it's possible to have plenty of plants, spread out over a longer season, for the investment of sowing 5 or 6 seeds.

You've made a very good, and oft overlooked point here. I always take tomato cuttings - for both reasons you've mentioned, taste and a longer season, and have found people I've told are usually surprised that you can do this.

Davesnave

malebolge wrote: »

You've made a very good, and oft overlooked point here. I always take tomato cuttings - for both reasons you've mentioned, taste and a longer season, and have found people I've told are usually surprised that you can do this.

A couple of years ago I took some in July and announced that we were going to have 'Christmas tomatoes.'

It was just a bit of fun, but the winter was mild, so we did have tomatoes in the unheated conservatory on Christmas Day, and well into January too.

I wouldn't advocate doing that every year or for serious production. We've had a few winters like 2009/10,when it definitely wouldn't have worked!