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.
Start of the Whitby Topiary Library
I have been offered a space here in the centre of Whitby, south-facing aspect, with some raised beds in, so that I can make a Topiary Library. In my head, a topiary library is a place to showcase the common (and then not so common) shapes you can make out of topiary. With classical topiary plants, as well as some more unusual pieces. This Topiary Library can act as a reference for people to learn more about pruning and clipping. The space is small but the aspect is great and the beds are deep enough to put some plants in. …
Delivery After Dark – From the Makers of The Amelia Project
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Modern Topiary (The Book) – Message From Lady Clippers, And Others!
My topiary book – Modern Topiary – has recently been put out as a PDF, which can be read for free. (Have a look here to download and read/share it!) Then last week I received a lovely email from Ann Perkowski of Lady Clippers, who are topiary and pruning specialists in New York (Ann is a brilliant pruning teacher too, who teaches at New York Botanical Garden… check out her work and Lady Clippers website.) Hi Darren, I had to write you how much I love reading your Modern Topiary. I’m not sure I’ll ever be quite done with it because I’m …