Sungold are normally superb, but I didn't grow them this year. My sweetcorn is naff, not sweet, which I assume to be the weather, not enough sun. My plums were naff, maybe the weather.
All mine have been more a yellow colour rather than the familiar orange,I actually grew some self sown seedlings that were in the gravel from last years crop although slightly variable the texture is crisp as tomatoes should be and the flavour is beautiful some are slightly more acidic like gardeners delight but far better than the sungold plants.
Interesting to hear what you got, Dp. They have varied because Sungold is an F1 variety, a hybrid, plants from seeds from last year's crop won't reproduce the original. If you were to save seeds from this year's crop - the ones from the gravel - and plant them next season, you would get something different again. Worth trying just to see what happens.
All I can say is thank goodness for the conservatory and some reasonable weather the last few weeks. I sowed my toms early but, and I'm sure the varied and often cool weather this summer is the reason, had virtually none ripening before September. I picked a lot last week, some actually got over ripe on me and getting more each day.
Tomatoberry have mostly been great, but some are coming up small and/or with very thick skins. Shirley have developed a matt texture and some of them don't have much taste and/or occaionally thick skins, but on the whole they are all still better than supermarket ones so I'm happy, just surprised how long they have taken this year! Several kilos of green tomatoes still on the plants, I'll have to see if I can keep the conservatory warm enough to ripen them.
I suspect the variations are down to the changeable weather, some will have had development stunted by one or other cold snap I guess, and then accelerated again by a warm spell. That must affect how the fruit forms?
PS: I'm in Scotland, I'll bet other areas had things a bit more consistent?
Mine are all grown in the GH, ripening well, I'll have hardly any, if any green ones left.
just as well, I don't like them
the best have been the San Marzano, that someone gave me from the seed swap thread.
gardeners delight good, but won't grow them again, too small, Marmande, not many but nice, and the little Tiny Tims /Toms? In 6inch pots. Still going strong and lots to pick everyday.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Ours are all still ripening well too - think it has been our best year ever. Tried Sungold for the first time this year, and I'm hooked .....flavour is wonderful. We'll be picking for a few weeks yet.
Once himself had got over the colour, he commented that the yellow ones and orange ones were very sweet. Today he said they tasted like supermarket toms. That was because I stripped the plants last week and they had finished ripening in the kitchen.
Best show of tomato's this year, still ripening and tasty though the skins are getting a bit tougher. A south facing green house and here in the NE of England we seem to have better weather than most. Having grown plants to give away then discovered the recipients would be on cruises the GH was packed out. Being on hand to open and close vents plus wetting down when needed helped to get a good crop from a mixed selection of types.
Phoebe aged five gave me strict instruction, plant plenty of those small ones, she would disappear among the plants and come out with tomato juice all over her top.
Our Sungold, grown outdoors, have been super, although quite late. I find that with this variety, freshness is key: eat them straight from the plant and they have a wonderful, aromatic, tomoatoey flavour, but a couple of days after picking, they're just a very pleasant, sweet tomato. As soon as they are ripe, I have a daily treat of a tomato or two straight from the vine - yum!
Just been on holiday for 2 weeks and all my tomatoes, which were almost over when we left, are blackened and blighty ooking. I actually bought some at Aldi today, for the first time in many weeks.
Posts
Sungold are normally superb, but I didn't grow them this year. My sweetcorn is naff, not sweet, which I assume to be the weather, not enough sun. My plums were naff, maybe the weather.
All mine have been more a yellow colour rather than the familiar orange,I actually grew some self sown seedlings that were in the gravel from last years crop although slightly variable the texture is crisp as tomatoes should be and the flavour is beautiful some are slightly more acidic like gardeners delight but far better than the sungold plants.
Interesting to hear what you got, Dp. They have varied because Sungold is an F1 variety, a hybrid, plants from seeds from last year's crop won't reproduce the original. If you were to save seeds from this year's crop - the ones from the gravel - and plant them next season, you would get something different again. Worth trying just to see what happens.
All I can say is thank goodness for the conservatory and some reasonable weather the last few weeks. I sowed my toms early but, and I'm sure the varied and often cool weather this summer is the reason, had virtually none ripening before September. I picked a lot last week, some actually got over ripe on me and getting more each day.
Tomatoberry have mostly been great, but some are coming up small and/or with very thick skins. Shirley have developed a matt texture and some of them don't have much taste and/or occaionally thick skins, but on the whole they are all still better than supermarket ones so I'm happy, just surprised how long they have taken this year! Several kilos of green tomatoes still on the plants, I'll have to see if I can keep the conservatory warm enough to ripen them.
I suspect the variations are down to the changeable weather, some will have had development stunted by one or other cold snap I guess, and then accelerated again by a warm spell. That must affect how the fruit forms?
PS: I'm in Scotland, I'll bet other areas had things a bit more consistent?
Mine are all grown in the GH, ripening well, I'll have hardly any, if any green ones left.
just as well, I don't like them
the best have been the San Marzano, that someone gave me from the seed swap thread.
gardeners delight good, but won't grow them again, too small, Marmande, not many but nice, and the little Tiny Tims /Toms? In 6inch pots. Still going strong and lots to pick everyday.
Ours are all still ripening well too - think it has been our best year ever. Tried Sungold for the first time this year, and I'm hooked .....flavour is wonderful
. We'll be picking for a few weeks yet.
Once himself had got over the colour, he commented that the yellow ones and orange ones were very sweet. Today he said they tasted like supermarket toms. That was because I stripped the plants last week and they had finished ripening in the kitchen.
Best show of tomato's this year, still ripening and tasty though the skins are getting a bit tougher. A south facing green house and here in the NE of England we seem to have better weather than most. Having grown plants to give away then discovered the recipients would be on cruises the GH was packed out. Being on hand to open and close vents plus wetting down when needed helped to get a good crop from a mixed selection of types.
Phoebe aged five gave me strict instruction, plant plenty of those small ones, she would disappear among the plants and come out with tomato juice all over her top.
Frank
Our Sungold, grown outdoors, have been super, although quite late. I find that with this variety, freshness is key: eat them straight from the plant and they have a wonderful, aromatic, tomoatoey flavour, but a couple of days after picking, they're just a very pleasant, sweet tomato. As soon as they are ripe, I have a daily treat of a tomato or two straight from the vine - yum!
Just been on holiday for 2 weeks and all my tomatoes, which were almost over when we left, are blackened and blighty ooking. I actually bought some at Aldi today, for the first time in many weeks.