Heirloom Tomatoes is based in Thirsk in North Yorkshire and run by just two people – but two who clearly love their tomatoes! Having ordered from them for the first time this year I can say first-hand that the seeds came nicely packaged, were dispatched very promptly – were a good price and there was no P&P charge. And a sample packet of Pink Ping Pong were included as a thank you for my order.
At the front of their catalogue they list their top ten varieties for flavour so I’ve highlighted those in italic. (My four: Baby Yellow Pear/ Red Pear/ Pineapple/ White Wonder aren’t in the list but I’m sure their flavour will be good all the same – and shape and colour are all lovely.) Here is the full line-up of 83 varieties to choose from:
Outdoors: Alaska/ Amish Salad/ Auld Sod/ Heinz 1439/ Principe Borghese/ Rose Quartz/ Shady Lady F1/ Siletz/ Tumbling Red/ Tumbling Yellow/Whippersnapper
Cherry tomatoes ( all colours): Baby Yellow Pear/ Black Cherry/ Brown Berry/ Cuban Yellow Grape/ Ghost Cherry/ Green Grape/ Ildi/ Isis Candy/ Old Ivory Egg/ Red Grape Sugar Plum/ Red Pear/ Snow White/ Sprite/ Sugary F1/ Sunbaby F1/ Super Snow White/ Sweet Treats/ Zebra Cherry F1.
Red: Bloody Butcher/ Boxcar Willie/ Inca Andian/ Jersey Devil/ Madagascar/ Soldacki/ Tartar from Mongolistan/ Thessalonki/ Xiaoyangzao
Yellow: Russian Yellow Plum/ Topaz/ Yellow Perfection
Black: Black Krim/ Black Prince/ Japanese Black Truffle
Orange: Caro Rich/ Coyote/ Flamme/ Kellogg’s Breakfast/ Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge/ Orange Banana/ Russian Persimmon/ Watermelon Beefsteak
White: White Rabbit/ White Wonder
Purple: Cherokee Purple (plus a Tomatillo)
Green: Malakhitavaya Shkatulka/ Moldovan Green
Pink: Pink Accordian/ Pink Brandywine/ Pink Ping Pong/ Pink Ponderosa/ Thai Pink Egg
Striped: Copia/ Green Zebra/ Speckled Roman/ Striped Stuffer/ Violet Jasper
Multi-Coloured: Arkansas Marvel/ Big Rainbow/ Big Zebra/ German Red Strawberry/ Hillbilly/ Mr Stripey/ Orange Russian/ Pineapple/ Pink Grapefruit/ Teton De Venus/ Variegated
Peach-Type: Elberta Peach/ Garden Peach/ Velvet Red/ Wapsipinicon Peach
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I have some Heirloom Tomatoes…Sugary F1 which are now about 4inches high, will I be able to grow them outside in Yorkshire?
Right now it’s so cold – it’s difficult to imagine growing them outside even down south!
I am not sure about Heirloom and F1 – normally they are either Heirloom or F1 – heirloom being open pollinated – so I think of them as being “designed by nature” whereas F1 have been bred by careful selection. But you will know what’s on the packet or label so that might be the case!
however as for temperature – if you have a sunny, sheltered spot they should be good. Frost anywhere will be the death of them. And being in Yorkshire they will probably be a couple of weeks later than if down South – but they should still grow if protected from the wind outside -and with sun – even Yorkshire sun is warming in the right place (I say that having lived there!)