Grow Your Own Magazine

Over the years I have struggled to control my large-fruited tomato plants.

Although usually listed as indeterminate, I find that they don't like to be grown as a cordon and don't produce many fruits when grown like this. Outside, in a bed, they much prefer to roam around with three or four leading stems.

Next year I'd like to try growing a large-fruited type in the greenhouse, but I can't let it take over...

what do you recommend? Do I just resign myself to a smaller crop on a cordon or am I missing a trick?

(For information, I ususally grow Brandywine, Big Boy, Marmande... those kinds of things - I'm not looking for anything wild and wacky )

I've got Brandywine growing as a cordon and producing loads of fruits. Massive! I have Black Sea Man as a bush in the greenhouse and it's not fruiting anything like as heavily. Don't know what the secret is really. My son want me to try and cross them! Watch this space!. (But not with your breath held!)

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

I've grown Slankards and Black Krim as well-producing, massive toms type.

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Cheers

T-lady

indoors and grown as cordons?

Sorry Cutecumber - knew I'd missed some details out! Yup, in the greenhouse and as cordons although the Black Krim ended up with two or three leaders as I'm not very good at keeping on top of the pinching out!

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Cheers

T-lady

My greatest find has been Amish Paste (I'm sure you're all sick of me banging on about it ). It's grown as a cordon, and gets some massive fruits! I've had a few the size of cooking apples, and the overall yield has been big. They wouldn't win any prizes for their looks but they've great flavour, quite meaty, they cook really well too, and you get several different shapes on the same plant - some plum, some more beefsteak. I won't bother with San Marzano, Roma, or any beefsteak ones next year - this will replace them all.
This is a pic of the biggest fruit I've had, it filled both hands!

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Can I second the Amish Paste, the fruits on mine are massive and i can't wait for them to ripen. Our neighbours are all commenting on them and I think I'll have a long queue for samples once they are red.

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Andrea :wavehello

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...logs/zazen999/

moon trials completed:
tomatoes
[46% increase in crop per seed sown and 10% increase in crop per plant]

currently underway:
calabrese
garlic

http://linearlegume.blogspot.com/

I searched for Amish paste seeds and came up with this description.
Heirloom paste tomato with very large, heart shaped fruit.

Yours don't look heart shaped Sarz? This sort of thing does make me wonder when buying heirloom seed.
I was looking at Champion of England peas seed from the USA and they only seem to climb to 4ft over there, while over here they are said to get much higher.

Came down the garden this morning to find the tomato plants my neighbour gave me on the ground where they have cropped so heavily.Dont know what type they are though ,neither do they!They are huge.I've had to bring loads indoors just to keep the plants upright.Hope they all redden,some are starting to thankfully.Oh ,it was really windy last night which finally made them keel over.Hope i dont have to make too many jars of chutney!

There is a semi-determinate variety of Marmande available, might be called SuperMarmande.