Tomato reviews likes & dislikes 2015 - 2020

[1Bee]

My tomatoes are starting to ripen. I am actually harvesting tomatoes..... *happy dance*

Sungold very sweet with a sharp after bite. Tending to split so harvesting before quite ripe to ripen indoors.

Mountain magic seem to be an odd, slightly heart-shaped fruit. Nice flavour, but their best feature is they appear to be quite fleshy - will make good pasta sauce I think.

[robbra]

Most of mine are starting to ripen. Cour di bue in the lead of the red ones with tigerella a close second.
Ildi, tastes very fresh at 6.30am but with my wide choice for next year will probably give it a miss as it needs real taming and although lots of small tomatoes it doesn't do it for me. I'll replace it with yellow perfection.
With the rain at the weekend five tomatoes have small splits but still useable and another 200 or so to consider.
Rob

[Scoot]

Sungold, Pink Charmer and Gardeners Delight are the 3 varieties ive grown this year, 23 plants altogether. Theyre all flying off at the minute. The Sungolds do split often though just after harvesting. Anyone know why this is?

[Penellype]

Sungold, Pink Charmer and Gardeners Delight are the 3 varieties ive grown this year, 23 plants altogether. Theyre all flying off at the minute. The Sungolds do split often though just after harvesting. Anyone know why this is?

I think they just have fairly thin, fragile skins. They are certainly prone to splitting, but do less of it if harvested slightly under-ripe.

[bramble]

If you cut the tomatoes off with a secatures rather pulling them off the plant there is a better chance they won't split.

[Penellype]

If you cut the tomatoes off with a secatures rather pulling them off the plant there is a better chance they won't split.

That's interesting. I find Sungold one of the easiest to harvest - just bend the fruit upwards and it comes off. Other varieties are much harder to get off the plant.

[bramble]

What I won't grow next season.
Heartlands Yellow Gooseberry. While it did produce a plentiful crop the tomatoes themselves were too sweet and cracked very easily.
Minibel l. Again loads of tomatoes but too tart for my liking.
Rocalta. Nothing special and won't be growing again.
Service....same an Rocalta, just run of the mill.

What I will grow again.
Stupice. A very early tomato with good flavour.l
Salisaw Cafe. Another early one and productive.
Crimson Crush.
Ailsa Craig.
Alicante.
Black Mauri.
Peace Vine.
Sungold.
Sweet Millions..

Still a few more to comment on, but that's it for now.

[robbra]

My first tastes so far this year.
Ildi. Nice flavours but skin very thick, unruly habit and so won't sow next year. I'll be trying Yellow Perfection in its place.
Tigerella. Three tasted from orangey to deep red. Watery and no flavours and I regret that I have seven plants . The only tomatoes I had that tasted less are Dutch from a supermarket. Needless to say they will not appear in my garden ever again.
Still to ripen, Ailsa Craig, my benchmark, Cour di Bue, Ananas, and some Roma types that I know I didn't sow but they came up in some compost.
Rob

[annie8]

Is it normal for san marzano to be slow to ripen? Getting decent return now from Shirley, gardeners delight and red cherries. San marzano are getting bigger but still green.

[goosander]

Next season I am just going to stick with Ailsa Craig, Golden Sunrise and a cherry tom. Say that each year and never managed it but for taste and long cropping season these do better for me than any of the rest I have tried.
Bob.

[Jungle Jane]

My first tastes so far this year.
Ildi. Nice flavours but skin very thick, unruly habit and so won't sow next year. I'll be trying Yellow Perfection in its place.
Tigerella. Three tasted from orangey to deep red. Watery and no flavours and I regret that I have seven plants . The only tomatoes I had that tasted less are Dutch from a supermarket. Needless to say they will not appear in my garden ever again.
Still to ripen, Ailsa Craig, my benchmark, Cour di Bue, Ananas, and some Roma types that I know I didn't sow but they came up in some compost.
Rob

Interesting people have totally different likes where a tomato’s concerned,last year I gave my sister some of the tigerella along with about six other varieties including black cherry,tigerella were her favourite. Tomatoes taste different when they have a lot of water,like with the amount it’s rained lately makes them a bit bland. Tigerella were quite early for me compared with other medium sized tomatoes,didn’t grow them this year though,too many new varieties to try. If you want you could come over to the seed circle as you’re regular members & not just at seed swap time which is nice.

[Jungle Jane]

Is it normal for san marzano to be slow to ripen? Getting decent return now from Shirley, gardeners delight and red cherries. San marzano are getting bigger but still green.

Larger plum tomatoes are a bit slower,my black icicle & orange banana are slow to ripen this year but the plants are huge.

[robbra]

Hi Jane,
I understand the rain but I found a hidden Ailsa Craig and it was fleshy not watery and very tomatoey??? I still think it's the best I have grown but next year about 26 different varieties to try.
This year I've grown nothing special so that's why I don't think I can be useful to the swap.
There are four I'd like to add but they are very rare or perhaps non-existent now.
Histon early, probably gone.
Plumpton King, rediscovered a few years ago but can't find anything recent on it.
Plumito. No news
Clibras Victory
I'd love these but can't hold out any hope and there is nothing for me to swap.
I'll come over there and have a look but now roast dinner time.
Rob

[Ani]

Interesting people have totally different likes where a tomato’s concerned.

Different likes or tomatoes vary greatly depending on location and growing conditions. I would guess mostly the second.
I am planning varieties for next year and I've read many reviews on various sites and forums and it's fascinating how the experiences vary.
My sungold isn't (too) sweet, my tigerella is OK, green zebra disappointing and my ildi doesn't have thick skins I will add my reviews to the other (2018) thread.

[Jungle Jane]

I haven’t grown ailsa craig they sound good to save seeds from & probably could swap they sound special enough cour di bue sound good too!