No – they’re radishes and inside there’s a low tomato related yield.
An article on edible hanging baskets recommends Tumbling Tom Red and Garden Pearl.
An article of general interest but featuring tomatoes covers disease resistance. Charting the journey from wild plant, where resistance means survival or not, onto what becomes more important when a plant is ‘cultivated’, which is crop reliability and yield.
In this context garden chemicals took on the fight against pests and diseases but now the preference for organic home produce plus the decrease in chemical options available is thowing the focus back onto the plant’s ability for self-defence. This time around with input from plant breeders.
A spokesperson from Sutton’s Seeds states that ‘67% of the British Tomato Crop is now grafted’ – and gives the reason for this as – ‘their natural vigour and ability to grow at lower temperatures, early and late in the season’.
This % is commercial not home grown. But this grafting know-how is now available to the home grower.
I wondered if the commercial starting point will make these plants greenhouse only. Checking the Suttons Catalogue it describes them as ‘five leading commercial varieties’ which will ‘perform well outside but are particularly recommended for greenhouse growing’.
So in the interests of experimentation (and due to the interrupted/delayed start my own sowing had gotten off to as a Plan B ) I’ve taken the plunge and ordered some Sutton’s grafted tomato plants. Conchita, Elegance, Santorange, Belriccio and Dasher. They’re pot ready and should arrive some time early in May.
A satisfied customer from last year is quoted as saying he picked 50 kilos from 6 grafted plants. So provided the plants do adjust to open air living I’m going to be fascinated to see what happens.
