Tomatoes and me

I love tomatoes, especially home grown, still warm from having been picked only a moment earlier. Growing tomatoes in this country can be a lottery, where even the most experienced gardeners can have the crop ruined by blight.

I am lucky enough to have a polytunnel, and it’s there I grow up to 8 different varieties of tomato every year.

Yes – 8 varieties.

You may well ask why! It’s all to do with the very different flavours different varieties have. Some are much sweeter than others, making them ideal for eating straight from the plant. But others have much more umami in their flavour, and it’s those which are a better choice for cooking. James Wong, in his book “Grow for Flavour” goes into this in detail. 

In the end though, flavour is subjective. So I grow what I like to eat. But over the years I have also chosen different colours of tomatoes – from pale orange, through to deep red, with one favourite that is still green when fully ripe. Not only does that give an interesting mix of flavours, I just love the colours of a mixed tomato salad.

Varieties shown here are Sungold, Yellow Pear, Piccolo, French Black and Green Zebra. There might be a ‘Tiger Tom’ in there as well !

The tunnel protects the plants from the worst of any blight, and keeps them warm (too warm this year!) for an earlier crop. Watering is vital – I have an automatic micro irrigation system that means I can concentrate on feeding (seaweed for growth, then high potash for fruit) rather than lugging water to the plants every day.

As I write, the first fruit are ready (Sungold) so the tomatoes-with-everything season can begin!