A tom lacking natural taste will lack taste no matter how good the soil. Good soil is obviously important to the plant's growth but, ultimately, a tomato is at the mercy of its genes. Horse manure is an excellent soil conditioner.
I grown an italian plum tomato "Astro" this year, and it'ts been really succesful, and prolific, the taste is really good almost sweet,it has a firm dry texture ideal for pastas but really good in a salad when layered with thinly sliced onions and Basil, seasoned with Black Pepper and sea salt and drizzled with a good quality olive oil, will definitely grow more of these next year
This is my 2nd year growing Gardeners Delight for free, i used the seeds GW gave away last year in the magazine and saved seeds from them to grow this year, with 100% germination success and lost a few at the beginning, i have lots of plants with trusses and trusses growing in both greenhouses, one at home and the other at the allotment, i had so many plants i gave some away and have about 5 in the back garden which haven't ripened yet as there been very little sun ans warmth but there is no sign of blight and plenty of young fruit. I have eaten about a dozen so far which were delicious and sweet but have to save what is ripe at the moment for tomorrows local allotment society show where i won 2nd prize last year with my garderners delight. I grow these because they are hassle free and give abundant crops, working full time and having a garden and an allotment to tend on my own, I dont have much time for things that need a lot of care and molly coddling to grow. when i retire i will have a go at some other varieties as mentioned in this thread but the Gov have added another 6 years to my working life so it wont be until May 2020.
Have just spent a couple of hours sorting out the greenhouse and still have a few Brandywine left trying to save some seeds, i wasnt so successful at it last year. Then the sun came out and the greenhouse turned into a sauna and i looked a sweaty wreck. Have had a shower so nice and clean whilst typing this you will be pleased to hear. Lost all my cherry toms and all the odds and soda i put on the allotment.
Went to Wyevales yesterday and got a packet of tom seeds from the Italien collection. 3 different types Cuor di bue, San Marzano 2, Costoluto. Only cost 50pence in their sale. So hoping they will do well next year.
Cuore di Bue (it literally means Ox Heart) is a very popular tom here in Italy. I swapped some tom seedlings with my greengrocer, Marco, who grows his own. He gave me a Cuore di Bue plant grown from his own saved seeds. Crossed seeds in this case, unfortunately. The plant produced a couple of Ox Hearts and a lot of smaller variations. Not bad flavour, though.
Which Costoluto is it, Maud? C. Genovese and C. Fiorentino are the two main ones. They're both heavily ribbed. In fact Costoluto means just that, ribbed.
100s and 1000s for me, closely followed by tamina. Both are easy to care for and produce lots of tasty tomatoes, what more could I want!! Grown in pots outside the green house this year, along a sunny house wall and pollinated by lots of bumble bees, still plenty to ripen yet tho, so bring on the sun....
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A tom lacking natural taste will lack taste no matter how good the soil. Good soil is obviously important to the plant's growth but, ultimately, a tomato is at the mercy of its genes. Horse manure is an excellent soil conditioner.
I grown an italian plum tomato "Astro" this year, and it'ts been really succesful, and prolific, the taste is really good almost sweet,it has a firm dry texture ideal for pastas but really good in a salad when layered with thinly sliced onions and Basil, seasoned with Black Pepper and sea salt and drizzled with a good quality olive oil, will definitely grow more of these next year
Yes, Astro is a hybrid San Marzano, one of the many. Ideal for sauces. Have you had any Blossom End Rot problems?
This is my 2nd year growing Gardeners Delight for free, i used the seeds GW gave away last year in the magazine and saved seeds from them to grow this year, with 100% germination success and lost a few at the beginning, i have lots of plants with trusses and trusses growing in both greenhouses, one at home and the other at the allotment, i had so many plants i gave some away and have about 5 in the back garden which haven't ripened yet as there been very little sun ans warmth but there is no sign of blight and plenty of young fruit. I have eaten about a dozen so far which were delicious and sweet but have to save what is ripe at the moment for tomorrows local allotment society show where i won 2nd prize last year with my garderners delight. I grow these because they are hassle free and give abundant crops, working full time and having a garden and an allotment to tend on my own, I dont have much time for things that need a lot of care and molly coddling to grow. when i retire i will have a go at some other varieties as mentioned in this thread but the Gov have added another 6 years to my working life so it wont be until May 2020.
Have just spent a couple of hours sorting out the greenhouse and still have a few Brandywine left trying to save some seeds, i wasnt so successful at it last year. Then the sun came out and the greenhouse turned into a sauna and i looked a sweaty wreck. Have had a shower so nice and clean whilst typing this you will be pleased to hear. Lost all my cherry toms and all the odds and soda i put on the allotment.
Did you bag the flowers before they opened, Maud? Or do you not have other varieties nearby?
I think I might have a shower too. On my wife's orders.
Went to Wyevales yesterday and got a packet of tom seeds from the Italien collection. 3 different types Cuor di bue, San Marzano 2, Costoluto. Only cost 50pence in their sale. So hoping they will do well next year.
Cuore di Bue (it literally means Ox Heart) is a very popular tom here in Italy. I swapped some tom seedlings with my greengrocer, Marco, who grows his own. He gave me a Cuore di Bue plant grown from his own saved seeds. Crossed seeds in this case, unfortunately. The plant produced a couple of Ox Hearts and a lot of smaller variations. Not bad flavour, though.
Which Costoluto is it, Maud? C. Genovese and C. Fiorentino are the two main ones. They're both heavily ribbed. In fact Costoluto means just that, ribbed.
100s and 1000s for me, closely followed by tamina. Both are easy to care for and produce lots of tasty tomatoes, what more could I want!! Grown in pots outside the green house this year, along a sunny house wall and pollinated by lots of bumble bees, still plenty to ripen yet tho, so bring on the sun....