Tomato matters

One of the jobs today, in between lambing duties, was to prick out and pot on the tomato seedlings. They had all produced their first set of 'true leaves' and were out-growing the trays and modules they were sown into. They are now all in individual pots. This means that the space they occupy in our utility room has grown exponentially. Its is too early for the greenhouse for my liking. 

I am growing just three varieties of tomato this year. 'Sungold'  I grow every year in the greenhouse. These are an orangey coloured cherry tomato and one of the sweetest I have tasted. They are excellent for eating raw in salads and, in my case, on their own virtually every time I go to the fridge for something during the summer. 

The second variety is 'San Marzano'. I grew these last year for the first time as an alternative to the excellent and reliable 'Roma' which I have grown successfully for several years. Like 'Roma', 'San Marzano' is a plum tomato which is good for cooking. In our case Janet makes jars of passata with it for which we have a continuous year-round supply. I therefore grow quite a few plants for a large crop. Both 'Roma' and 'San Marzano' grow very well outdoors in a sunny spot. I will eventually plant out at least ten plants in a row in the vegetable plot. 

The reason for switching to 'San Marzano' was because it is 'indeterminate', as the seed catalogues will tell you. That is, it continues to grow vertically to whatever height conditions allow for growth. In other words it can be grown as a single stem cordon style with the stem tied in to a supporting cane. The general recommendation is to allow it to grow to about four feet outdoors (higher in a greenhouse or polytunnel) which more or less takes it to the end of the summer. The top can be snipped off to prevent further upward growth, and the plant's energy will then be directed to the developing tomatoes rather than producing more flower trusses and further fruit, which are unlikely to have enough time to ripen. You have to remember to regularly pinch out the side shoots or you will get unproductive lateral stems growing out.

'Roma', on the other hand, is 'determinate' which means it will only grow to to pre-determined height. Instead of a single stem it is a bush variety with multiple stems. No need to pinch out the side stems in this case. Because of the multiple stems bush varieties can be particularly heavy croppers, which 'Roma' certainly is. The drawback is that unless you devise an ingenious support system some of the fruit-laden stems will inevitably drape on the ground and potentially spoil. The plants can become untidy. I prefer the controlled growth of cordons, despite the little extra effort they require.

The third variety I am growing is one new to me called 'Matina'. This produces the traditional bright red billiard ball sized tomatoes. They look attractive and the variety is reputedly prolific. Whether I grow it again will depend on its flavour. We'll find out in the summer.

'Sungold' tomatoes. Not bright red but 
very sweet. Only 10 seeds per pricey packet,
though, so sow carefully!