Tomato
Best of All
Indeterminate. Cordon. Originally known as 'Sutton's Best of All', it was introduced by Suttons in 1895 and was available commercially until the late 1980s. It is thought that it was used to develop the popular ex-commercial variety 'Potentate'. Donated by Michael Ritchie, who keenly pursued the variety and acquired seed directly from Suttons, on our behalf. It produces round, red tomatoes 5-7cm in diameter and in their catalogue of 1938 Suttons described it as “an immense cropper... excellent for culture indoors or in the open.”
Cape Teaser
Determinate. Bush. Originally known as 'Orange', but we decided that it was so good it needed a more befitting moniker, so we launched a competition to find it! Produces large, sprawling plants that bear pale orange cherry tomatoes in profusion. Their intense flavour is delicious when eaten raw, but also makes them perfect for a tasty tomato puree.
Darby Striped Red/Green
Indeterminate. Cordon. Our donor saved seed from striped tomato fruit given to him in the mid-1960s by Dr Lewis Darby of the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, Littlehampton. The vigorous plants produce an abundance of attractive fruit, which are striped dark red and dark green with thin skins when mature, ideal for cooking and making tomato sauces.
Darby Striped Red/Yellow
Indeterminate. Cordon. Our donor saved seed from striped tomato fruit given to him in the mid-1960s by Dr Lewis Darby of the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, Littlehampton. This variety produces heavy trusses of red fruits with golden orange streaks. Following tomato trials in 2020 it was described by thechattygardener.com as their “out-and-out-winner...very juicy with a classic tomato taste and was simply beautiful to look at.” Does best under glass.
Estonian Yellow Mini Cherry
Indeterminate. Cordon. Our donor obtained the seed from an elderly Russian lady at the covered market outside Tallinn, Estonia. We found it to be high yielding and visually quite spectacular. It produces flowers in clusters that look like golden chandeliers, giving rise to a profusion of small, bright yellow, sweet and thin-skinned fruit that, reportedly, “Taste like sunshine!”.
Giant Tree Tomato
Indeterminate. Cordon. Vigorous 3-5m plants produce very attractive vines with strong stems and heavy thick leaves, but will require space and sturdy supports. The flattened, ribbed fruits can get quite large (>250g) and have a sweet but mild flavour with few seeds. Great for eating fresh and for cooking. If seed saving isolate from other tomatoes that have flowers with protruding stigma.
Morden Yellow
Determinate. Bush. This tomato was the first vegetable to be introduced by the Morden Experimental Station, Manitoba, Canada. It was selected in 1932 as a cross of Bestal and Round Smooth, but not named Morden until 1942; both parents of this variety were red, unlike their offspring. The fruits are slightly ribbed and golden yellow, often with a slightly pinkish blush at the blossom end, becoming orange if left to mature on the vine. They have excellent flavour; mild, sweet and very tasty.
Peacevine Cherry
Indeterminate. Cordon. This American variety was bred by Dr Alan Kapuler, Yale graduate, sustainability champion and founder of Peace Seeds, Oregon. It has a very high amino acid content which has a reported calming effect, hence the name ‘Peacevine’. It also contains high levels of Vitamin C. Produces long tresses of bright red fruit, about 2-3cm in diameter with a delicious sweet and tangy flavour. Good blight resistance too.
Pigeon Egg
Indeterminate. Cordon. This variety was passed to us by The Seed Savers Exchange (SSE), Iowa, USA, in 1992. We have very little information regarding the history of this tomato, so if anyone can help with this we would very much appreciate it! SSE no longer conserve it and we are its sole guardians, so we want to continue to share it with you! Produces generous trusses of 8 or 9 golf-ball sized, round, red fruits. Let us know what you think of the flavour.
Texas Wild
Determinate. Bush. This variety was first cultivated in the 1900s, allegedly from a patch of wild tomatoes growing in southern Texas, USA. Produces sprawling bushes that appear to crop better if kept in pots rather than grown in the ground, where they tend to produce foliage at the expense of fruits. The abundant crop of small, red, sweet-flavoured fruits is perfect in salads, or just eaten fresh. Grows well outdoors or under glass.