Tasty tomatoes

Mauser 308

Hi all, just looking for opinions on the tastiest tomatoes to grow at home in a polytunnell. Appreciate your inputs.

Oldtree

I grow all my tomatoes in the PollyT, in 20L pots with trays underneath. Gave up on other tomatoes and stick with cherries now.

Gardeners Delight is a good cherry to grow and I always have a few plants.
This year I will also be growing Sweet Millions, Sweet Aperitif and Sweet Baby, already tried and tested by the kids who eat most of the tomatoes before they make it out of the PollyT.

I have Chicco Rosso to try out this year as well.

It is worth growing a bit of Basil to go along with the tomatoes as a leaf of the basil compliments the taste of the cherry tomatoes straight off the plant.

limerickgirl16

Oh I have been wondering about this question myself!!

sudzs

Have to recommend old varieties, Polen and Stupice, seeds bought here http://store.irishseedsavers.ie/Tomatoes_Peppers_s/80.htm

I grew both outdoors in the ground (as opposed to in growbags or compost) and had no problems with pests or disease and the tomatoes were full of flavour!

Also, Seed Savers do a great job and well worth supporting.

Supercell

Sungold and Rosada tend to come out top in taste tests. I've grown them for the last few years and can confirm that they are streets ahead of anything you'll buy in the supermarket.

Maidhci

I haven't grown tomatoes previously nor do I own a polytunnel but the online seed supplier added a free packet of Garden Pearl tomato seeds to my order this year.

I am going to try these for starters - has anyone here grown this variety or what size of pots should I use - any comments on variety and/or method welcome.

Many thanks.

Hocus Focus

Oldtree wrote: »

I grow all my tomatoes in the PollyT, in 20L pots with trays underneath. Gave up on other tomatoes and stick with cherries now.

Gardeners Delight is a good cherry to grow and I always have a few plants.
This year I will also be growing Sweet Millions, Sweet Aperitif and Sweet Baby, already tried and tested by the kids who eat most of the tomatoes before they make it out of the PollyT.

I have Chicco Rosso to try out this year as well.

It is worth growing a bit of Basil to go along with the tomatoes as a leaf of the basil compliments the taste of the cherry tomatoes straight off the plant.

+1 for the Gardeners Delight. I grew a few different types in one of those cloche/coldframe tent things from Lidl, last year and the Gardeners Delight were the tastiest by far.

johnsparkexile

I've grown "Black Krim" for the last few years, fantastic flavour. Would also

recommend "Sungold".

dathi

sudzs wrote: »

Have to recommend old varieties, Polen and Stupice,

picked the last of my stupice tomatoes 10 february mild winter and they were in greenhouse:)

yellowlabrador

Last year was very poor for tomatoes and the crop was late. My best crop, year after year is tumbling tom, grown in hanging baskets. I like these as they take no floor space and they are abundant and tasty. The trick is to not put too many plants in 1 basket. 1 to 2 max.

Supercell

yellowlabrador wrote: »

Last year was very poor for tomatoes and the crop was late. My best crop, year after year is tumbling tom, grown in hanging baskets. I like these as they take no floor space and they are abundant and tasty. The trick is to not put too many plants in 1 basket. 1 to 2 max.

Haven't tried those before, can see red and yellow varieties on ebay, any preference in your experience?

yellowlabrador

Supercell wrote: »

Haven't tried those before, can see red and yellow varieties on ebay, any preference in your experience?

i get a packet of both, they are both sweet and tasty. They germinate well , I find that every seed germinates, so if you can share, you have plenty to go round.As they are in a hanging basket, I add water retaining gel to keep them moist. Once they get going you'll be eating them every day and have plenty to give away too. I bottle some.

Supercell

Grand stuff, will get a small packet of both so, will be the first year here trying tumbling varieties, will as usual go with sungold and rosada as well. With three small kids and wife here, fresh tomatoes never last long

johnsparkexile

"Golden Grape" is an ideal variety to grow in a hanging basket, literally hundred's of

sweet tasting yellow tomatoes. I'll also be growing "Moonglow" again this year, an

orange variety with a fabulous flavour.

Do you all grow your plants from seed or buy established plants?

johnsparkexile

Seed, most of the varieties named so far wouldn't be available from garden centres or DIY chains.

Oldtree

johnsparkexile wrote: »

Seed, most of the varieties named so far wouldn't be available from garden centres or DIY chains.

Some of the smaller garden centers get in locally grown batches of less well known but tasty plants, but i grow mine from seed.

Lifesapitch

Another vote for Gardener's Delight and Rosada as cherry tomatoes. I've tried loads of varieties over the last few years but these two are always reliable croppers and taste amazing compared to anything you buy in the supermarket. For bigger tomatoes try Tigerella or Aldi do a variety called Harzfeuer. Trying the indigo/black tomatoes this year along with G.D. and Rosada.

Supercell

Have to say, I've grown Gardeners Delight for the last few years and yields were not great compared to others. I start my tomatoes inside and plant outside around May after last frosts, maybe the poly-tunnel people have different experiences but have to say I cannot recommend Gardeners Delight here by the coast in south county Dublin outdoors. I think the temperature range by the coast here is too narrow - never really very cold or hot. As to the black tomatoes tried them last two years, bitter flavour, need more sun than we get here i think.

Lifesapitch

Supercell wrote: »

Have to say, I've grown Gardeners Delight for the last few years and yields were not great compared to others. I start my tomatoes inside and plant outside around May after last frosts, maybe the poly-tunnel people have different experiences but have to say I cannot recommend Gardeners Delight here by the coast in south county Dublin outdoors. I think the temperature range by the coast here is too narrow - never really very cold or hot. As to the black tomatoes tried them last two years, bitter flavour, need more sun than we get here i think.

Just wondering which varieties of the black tomatoes you've tried? I'm growing in a glass house so they might get the chance to mature a bit earlier. Never really tried tomatoes outside, any varieties you'd recommend for good yield/taste?

Mauser 308

Thanks everyone for the inputs. So gardeners delight and tumbling Tom are recommended as tasty cherry tomatoes. Sun gold is also recommended but can I ask is sungold a cherry or normal size tomato?

Technophobe

Mauser 308 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the inputs. So gardeners delight and tumbling Tom are recommended as tasty cherry tomatoes. Sun gold is also recommended but can I ask is sungold a cherry or normal size tomato?

cherry type

johnsparkexile

Lifesapitch wrote: »

Just wondering which varieties of the black tomatoes you've tried? I'm growing in a glass house so they might get the chance to mature a bit earlier. Never really tried tomatoes outside, any varieties you'd recommend for good yield/taste?

Black Cherry, Black Krim, Paul Robeson, not black but still tasty

Brown Cherry, Chocolate Cherry and Purple Russian.

Have grown all the above in either a polytunnel or greenhouse, results/yields are always better in a good summer. Taste wise I wouldn't go past "Black Krim"

Supercell

Sowed my tomato seeds yesterday, can't wait for summer!

Mauser 308

Supercell wrote: »

Sowed my tomato seeds yesterday, can't wait for summer!

What types did you sow?

Supercell

Sungold, Tumbling Tom, Hundreds and Thousands, Millefluer, Latah, Tumbler and Golden Grape, starting off indoors, then will put into the greenhouse when too big for inside - around May, then will plant out as late as possible (once to big for the greenhouse).

Would have liked to sow some Rosada but forgot to order them and have plenty with this lot anyhow now.

Oldtree

mine doing nicely on the windowsill at the moment, some just getting to their true leaves.
sweetpea loving it there too, albeit a bit streched. long may this sun last

Fiftyplus

Last year grew Ailsa Craig, Gardeners' Delight, Super Marmande (beefsteak), Sungold and Sweet Aperitif, the latter the best in my opinion. Germinated in four days recently and all doing just fine on the window sill.