Tomatoes are one of the most popular of vegetables to grow at home, as well as being a competitive category at most village shows.
It’s not surprising as, for relatively little effort, you are rewarded with produce far superior in taste to most shop offerings.
So which tomato has the best flavour? Well, if you ask a 100 gardeners, you’ll probably get a 100 different answers, as it’s largely down to your own personal taste and your soil. So, I suggest experimenting a bit with several varieties until you find the one, or two, that you like.
You can grow tomatoes both indoors and outdoors. There are advantages and disadvantages for both.
Indoor tomatoes can be grown earlier than outdoor tomatoes, with indoor harvesting starting in June, compared to late July for outdoor. There is probably a wider variety available for indoor growing. Indoor tomatoes tend to be more prone to pests, whitefly and red spider mite in particular, and they require more care with regular watering and fertiliser application.
Outdoor tomatoes, whilst not as early to harvest, can be just a flavoursome and prolific as indoor grown tomatoes, and they do have a few advantages - they require less watering (the water within your garden soil is sufficient unless very dry) and are less prone to whitefly and red spider mite. However, they are more prone to blight, a disease associated with wet conditions, which can wipe out all of the crop (and your potatoes). Recent blight resistant varieties have made outdoor tomatoes a more reliable crop.
All tomatoes require a bit of regular care and attention. Tomatoes come in two main forms, cordon/vine (indeterminate) and bush (determinate).
Cordon/vine tomatoes require support (a string or stake) and pinching out of sideshoots regularly. Bush tomatoes may need some support, but do not require pinching out of side shoots. They tend to be smaller, more compact plants.
Some varieties to consider (all are cordon varieties unless stated):
Super Mama F1 Tomato (Medwyns). Huge plum tomatoes with great flavour. Grow in the greenhouse.
Photo – Super Mama Plum tomatoes ripening (note ruler for scale)
Maisey F1 Tomato (Medwyns). Perfect, blemish free for the vegetable show, flavour disappointing. Grow in the greenhouse.
Shirley F1 (available from just about ever seed supplier). Many gardeners’ choice for flavour. Grow in the greenhouse.
Yellow Pear (Chiltern Seeds). Small pear shaped (!) fruits. Can have really good flavour, although this can vary depending on the seed merchant. Grow in the greenhouse.
Gardeners’ Delight (available from just about every seed supplier). Again, a regular favourite. Can be grown both indoors and outdoors. A bush variety.
Crimson Crush (Suttons). A real game changer for outdoors tomatoes in that it is very blight resistant. I have grown this for about 5 years and have not had a single loss of this variety to blight. Good flavour as well, and once they start cropping in July you will have an abundance of fruits. Fruits tend to be tasty but a bit misshapen.
Crimson Cherry (Suttons). The cherry version of Crimson Crush. One of the best favour tomatoes I have tasted. Also quite good for the village show in that you have deep red, glossy uniform fruit.
Photo - Crimson Cherry doing OK at the village show – not bad for an outdoor tomato
If you are growing tomatoes, make sure you grow plenty of basil – home grown they are a match made in heaven.
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