THE MODERN MINT BLOG
The Ten Best Tomatoes To Sow Right Now
This list will give you a chance to get away from the rightly popular, but very ubiquitous, Gardeners Delight variety of tomatoes and try something different – as well as tasty!
All of the seeds can be bought from the wonderful wonderful wonderful Real Seeds – do support them in their work…!
- Grushovska – big pink tomatoes, very tasty
- Aurora – from Siberia (yes, really!) Makes great sauces and germinates well at low temperatures.
- Tangerine – as the name suggests, it is a brilliant orange.
- Farenheit – this tomato must be seen to be believed! The fruit starts off as blue, then turns red, then black. Harvest at the purple-cherry-red stage. The purveyors of this tomato seed, Real Seeds, describe the taste as boring – “like a supermarket tomato.” Worth growing for the colour though.
- Chadwick Cherry – developed by Shakespearian actor turned Biodynamic market gardener, Alan Chadwick. Eccentric fellow, great tasting tomato.
- Millefleur – a bit different, as the tomatoes grow in grape-like clusters on a single truss two feet wide. Guaranteed to get the neighbours asking where you got it from…
- Orange Banana – a tomato salad needs lots of colour, and this plum tomato will look great with a little chopped up basil.
- Feo de Rio Gordo – a BIG TOMATO. From Seville, this translates as ugly, fat river. But then names aren’t everything.
- Green Zebra – it really is ripe when green and striped! Created in 1983 by Tom Wagner, who has been breeding tomatoes and potatoes for decades. Another yummy variety of tomato for your greenhouse.
- Tomatillo – related to the tomato, used to make chutneys, salsas and pasta sauces. From Central America.
There you have it – get sowing these wonderful varieties of tomato for something a little different to try on your plate at the end of summer.
All tomatoes featured are from the brilliant seed company Real Seeds.
Michael Gibson, New York Topiary Art!
In the New York Times earlier this year was a lovely interview with Michael Gibson, who makes topiary and gardens in New York. The article is here but you may not have access… however, search the internet, find it and have a read. It is great! His philosophy of pruning is especially worth it… Sacred geometry in topiary? Yes please! What a phrase! I think (and speak) of balance, of major and minor, of leaf volume… but sacred geometry might well make it into my topiary teaching lexicon! And the idea of directional trimming? I realise I do this, but …
Topiary Library
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Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue
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