Selecting tomato varieties
There are literally dozens of varieties of tomatoes to choose from, so when you're confronted with page after page of photographs of perfect, red fruit in your seed catalogue, all proclaiming to be the sweetest and most prolific, how do you decide what to buy and grow?
Fortunately there are likely to be some factors that limit the range of varieties that are right for you, and once you've narrowed the selection down to a handful you can either take pot luck, search or ask around for some advice (our forums are a good place to start) or if you're feeling adventurous try them all!
So, have a read through the stuff below, decide what's most important and appropriate to you, and get out your catalogues.
Size and type of fruit
One of the first things to ask yourself is what size of fruit you want from your plants. The range is enormous - large fruit varieties like Big Boy will give you individual fruits up to 1lb in weight, while cherry tomatoes can produce incredibly intensely flavoured fruit the size of, well, a cherry. If you've got limited vertical space you'll be hard-pushed to grow larger-fruited varieties - try a bush variety (see below).
The colour of fruit also varies: Tomatoes aren't all red - some yellow and orange varieties have fantastic flavour, and there are heritage varieties producing green and white fruit.
Also think about what you want to use the fruit for - generally the larger types can be divided into slicers and pastes - slicers are good for eating raw, pastes have higher levels of sugar, pectin and acid, lower levels of water and are thus better for cooking with.
We grow mostly cherry tomatoes, together with a few medium or large slicing varieties, because we like to snack on toms and use them less often for cooking.
Cordon or bush?
There are two basic types of tomato plant - cordon (indeterminate) and bush (determinate). Cordons have a main shoot which continues to grow skywards for as long as you let it and the growing medium can support it. Bush varieties grow without a main shoot, instead sending out large numbers of side shoots.
Some bush varieties are described as 'tumblers'. These plants produce cascades of shoots which do best when tumbling down from a hanging basket or elevated pot.
The main difference between cordons and bushes is the pattern of fruiting - cordons will provide a steady supply of fruit for a longer period of time, as the fruiting branches form as the main shoot grows. Bush varieties will tend to produce a glut of ripe fruit over a shorter period. So if you're growing to store (we'll cover storage in a later article) or eat large quantities of tomatoes a bush might well suit you better. If you prefer a steady supply of a few tomatoes a day from a plant cordons are for you.
So, consider how much space you have to grow your plants, and whether you want the more decorative (but potentially equally productive) bush or tumbler types, or the taller, more traditional cordon type.
Inside or out?
All varieties of tomato will do better either grown under glass, in a greenhouse, or growing in the cooler but more even outside environment. Check in your seed catalogue which environment the varieties you're interested in prefer - growing an indoor variety outdoors will result in very little growth or fruit.
You also have to consider whether you can grow your plants directly into the soil or if you'll be using pots or growbags. Most varieties will grow equally well in all three, but you may learn from experience (or other growers) what best suits a particular variety.
Where to buy seeds
Always buy fresh seed from a reputable supplier. You'll find different suppliers have different ranges, so you may need to buy from more than one source to get exactly what you want. We've used and would recommend:
This year we're growing Sungold, Gardener's Delight, Sungella and Tamina.