@Redwing I've also given up on Gardeners Delight. Last year I grew Red Cherry which I found to be a good replacement. I had four plants and they were vigorous and productive despite some late blight in September. They had a very good ketchup taste.
My old plot neighbour always grew Money Maker, and they did well for him. I suspect he saved his own seed. I regularly grow Shirley, but they need protection of a greenhouse or polythene. Outside I grow the blight resistant cultivars now, they don't have such a good flavour, but if I don't we get very poor crops unless it's a particularly dry summer.
He was Italian and I think they made their own pasta sauce with most of the crop, regularly filled half his plot with them. Not my favourite either but each to their own.
I have tried Alicante, Shirley and Moneymaker and wasn't impressed with the flavour of any of them. I am trying some different cucumbers this year for the same reason. I have grown Telegraph Improved for many years, however the last couple of years the performance has been quite poor with low crops and poor growth.
A lot of the flavour depends on the nighttime temperature. When I did the RHS course, me and one of the other students both found the same thing during the course. The first year we grew sungold, and we were both telling everyone how fantastic the flavour was, it was a hot dry summer. The next year we grew them again, the days were warm but for some reason we had a suction of cold nights in July. The flavour was really disappointing.
I would like to try and grow some of the hanging basket type tomatoes this year as I am not great at the cordon varieties. I will get them from the nursery as young plants (not seeds) apologies if already mentioned, but which variety should I look for as a 'hanging' type? many thanks.
I went off Gardeners Delight a few years ago , I thought I had just a bad patch of seeds but after buying from different suppliers they all were disappointing. From what I've grown Suncherry Premium is a good / better replacement , mind its been that long ago since I had proper Gardeners delight I forgot what they taste like. Suncherry Premium have slightly larger fruits than Sungold fruit a tad earlier and are sweeter and in my opinion better it my favourite Tomato .
Tomatoes I am growing this year are Suncherry Premium Sungold Brandywine sudduth's strain - grown once never tried the fruit / poor yield Artisan Blush Tiger - new Rosella - I like Rosella it tends to split for me though Tomatoberry - New - fruit look like strawberrys .
With cucumbers I've done full circle I started with Passandra years ago then tried other recommended varieties with poor results / yields , I am back to Passandra now with my high yields yet again I've had over 30 fruits off one plant I can't keep up with it.
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I've also given up on Gardeners Delight. Last year I grew Red Cherry which I found to be a good replacement. I had four plants and they were vigorous and productive despite some late blight in September. They had a very good ketchup taste.
Wilko sell seed for 75p.
Supermarkets like them as they are uniform, look good, travel well and last - they just have no flavour - even when home grown
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I am trying some different cucumbers this year for the same reason. I have grown Telegraph Improved for many years, however the last couple of years the performance has been quite poor with low crops and poor growth.
Tomatoes I am growing this year are
Suncherry Premium
Sungold
Brandywine sudduth's strain - grown once never tried the fruit / poor yield
Artisan Blush Tiger - new
Rosella - I like Rosella it tends to split for me though
Tomatoberry - New - fruit look like strawberrys .
With cucumbers I've done full circle I started with Passandra years ago then tried other recommended varieties with poor results / yields , I am back to Passandra now with my high yields yet again I've had over 30 fruits off one plant I can't keep up with it.