Back in September I posted about how the tomato plants in our plot greenhouse were out-performing those in the garden greenhouse.
The same number of plants were planted in both greenhouses but the size of the crop from each greenhouse has been dramatically different.
The garden greenhouse really suffered a crop failure as shown from the table below.
None of the varieties produced a significant crop with Sioux, the variety most severely affected by blossom end rot not producing a single useable fruit. Strangely though in the plot greenhouse Sioux produced the largest crop!
As the tables show the plot greenhouse produced a crop over over ten times larger than that of the garden greenhouse.
We have already decided to give Sungold a try next year as many of you seem to really like this variety.
Having trawled through the seed catalogues for next year's varieties we settled on:
Having trawled through the seed catalogues for next year's varieties we settled on:
- Alicante
- Amish Gold
- Brandy Boy Hybrid
- Sungold
- Kings of Colour
- Sioux
We've grown Alicante and Amish Gold for several years, both usually perform well so we will stick with these. Based on the crops from the plot greenhouse Brandy Boy Hybrid and Sioux were the best performers so will be given another go. As mentioned above we have added Sungold as many of you have recommended it on your blogs. Kings Colour is our novelty choice and is actually a collection of four individually packaged varieties. One seed company describes them as follows:
- Heritage Tomato - hefty, red beefsteak with luscious, savoury flavour.
- Pink Pounder Tomato - pretty pink beefsteak has gourmet-worthy creamy, sweet, pink flesh.
- Orange Slice Tomato - zesty orange beefsteak delivers full-bodied homegrown flavour.
- Sunny Boy Tomato - bright , with bright, luminous flavour, this yellow tomato is edible sunshine.
I' m not sure what a luminous flavour is, any ideas?
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Re "luminous flavour" - think Gatorade or Mountain Dew! I'm still not 100% which tomatoes to grow this year, because I have so many seeds. In theory the plan is to be restrained and not attempt too many, but you know what can sometimes happen... :)
ReplyDeleteI do know, Mark. At least we won;t be inundated with magazine freebies as we have cancelled our subscriptions.
DeleteNot sure about the luminous flavour but we are cutting down drastically on the amount of tomatoes we grow. Two each of yellow & red plus plenty of cherry ones.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone seems to be of the same mind, Jo
DeleteYou could end up looking like the Ready-Brek kid.
ReplyDeleteWhat a contrast between the two greenhouses. I don't like tomatoes, sad I know, but I grow them for Mike. This year, on his orders, I am growing Sungold and only Sungold.
There's an interesting image, Jessica. Will it be a red or orange glow I wonder?
DeleteThat's such a difference between the two greenhouses, something was definitely amiss in your garden one last year. Saying that, my greenhouse tomatoes didn't do very well at all compared to the plants I grew in containers on the patio. I've grown Sungold in the past and wasn't impressed by them at all, but I hear them being praised all the time so I'm wondering whether to give them another go.
ReplyDeleteIt was fairly baffling, Jo as the home greenhouse ones had more TLC. I hope Sungold lives up to expectations as lots of people seem to rate it.
DeleteI think it means bright, but given that'd already been used twice in the description! Food for thought here Sue because I've not yet decided on tomato varieties. Our best success has been with San Marzano, but I do fancy a yellow/orange variety and perhaps a beef steak.
ReplyDeleteIt was luminous in relation to the flavour that had me wondering, Victoria. The word bright in relation to flavour doesn't sound appropriate either does it?
DeleteI don't think luminous even is a flavour...I sometimes wonder who writes these things...it could have been worse...it could have said 'fluorescent' flavour..lol
ReplyDeleteI'm not overly picky with tomatoes....I plant some and hope they grow. Maybe I will pay attention to what I grow this year. Last year was a really poor one for me tomato wise so it has got to be better this year!!
Can't believe there was such a contrast in cropping between your greenhouses...any idea why??
Neither could we Tanya. Fluorescent flavour mmmm ....
DeleteGood old Alicante, I remember it being introduced as a sort of "improved Moneymaker" back in the mid 1960's and yet it is still going strong as an excellent versatile reliable cropper.
ReplyDeleteIt is an old fashioned banker isn't it, Rick?
DeleteGoodness, what a difference between the greenhouses, do you know what happened? You do have some fine looking tomatoes there!! xxx
ReplyDeleteNot a clue, Snowbird - on paper the ones in the garden greenhouse should have performed better. We weren't the only ones to suffer blossom end rotted tomatoes though as others complained too.
DeleteDon't know why they called it luminous, but I can say they are very very sweet. I don't like them. They taste like somebody spread sugar on top of cherry tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, Leanan another negative report on our tomato choices. Good job we will have a variety.
DeleteLuminous flavour, how exciting. You'll know it when you taste it, no doubt. I'm a big fan of Sungold, and I often try Alicante as well, and Ferline because it has blight resistance. I've got a couple of others to try this year as well, Essex Wonder and Striped Stuffer. And no doubt one or two others will sneak their way in, I don't know how it happens but they always do.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have a good review on Sungold, CJ. I wonder of like potatoes cultural conditions affect the taste.
DeleteYour crop overall looked beautiful! Congrats x 'Gardener's Delight' is one we've had success with a few years in under cover. As for luminous... Ummm, not sure...sunshine on your tongue? x
ReplyDeleteSunshine on the tongue sounds quite pleasant, Carrie
DeleteI think you are not supposed to stop and ask yourself what luminous flavour means, you are just supposed to buy it having been seduced by the (meaningless) description.
ReplyDeleteI always admire how well organized you are as shown by your statistics. I have an idea of which of my tomatoes did best. Perhaps accurate statistics would prove me wrong.
I'm not easily seduced Alain. I can't really take credit for the statistics as Martyn keeps the records - I just try at interpretation.
DeleteFunny. I can't grow tomato unless it is in the greenhouse. I appreciated the information. I'm trying to decide what tomatoes to plant this year. Your insight helps.
ReplyDeleteYou may have different experiences Bonnie.
DeleteSuch a dramatic contrast in cropping Sue. Alicante didn't do well for me last year but I am giving it another go this year. I've also got some Austin's Yellow Pear and Indigo Rose to try, plus Gardener's Delight, and I have Latah, and Jen's Tangerine. Ooops. Because I was supposed to be restrained this year...
ReplyDeleteYou have some exotic sounding varieties there, Janet
DeleteI have never found your tomatoes varieties are sold here. Maybe they are not suitable to grow here
ReplyDeleteI wonder whether some seeds are the same but under a different name, Endah
DeleteThat's very good analysis on tomato varieties! I don't see that much of varieties here though!
ReplyDeleteCountries seem to each have their own varieties, Malar - I wonder whether it is just that the names change rather than the actual variety.
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