Spotlight on Barry's Crazy Cherry Tomato

I have been fascinated by this tomato every since I saw the pictures on the internet of these massive trusses of tomatoes - I have never seen anything like it before and I was eager to see what they grew like and taste like.

I purchased mine as a seedling and it quickly grew and produced massive sprays of flowers. Not as many as I saw on the internet - but certainly a lot more than I was used to.

The foliage is pretty and lace like. The tomato itself is very cute with a tiny beak and seeing them in clusters is quite something. A real novelty.

When ripe they are a pale yellow / white

Pros: Prolific, easy to grow
Cons: Mine got some leaf disease when other varieties didn't. Very easy to fall off their stems. 

Taste

This was the big disappointment for me. I purchased this as part of the trio of top cherry tomato tasters from the Digger's Club. It came in second in last year's taste test. I don't know what I was expecting but I don't think it is a good as Tommy Toe. Great for kids to pick and enjoy and not a bad tomato at all. Just don't know if I would say it is number 2 in taste.

Will I grow it again?

No - plenty of others to try.

Seedling: The Digger's Club

Spotlight on ........ Red and Black tomato (AKA Indigo Apple)

Review

This is one of the "black" tomatoes that are selling everywhere. The black is really a gorgeous deep aubergine colour. This one has the grandiose name of Red and Black here in Australia but apparently known as Indigo Apple in the USA (a much nicer name I think).

It is a salad size tomato about the size of a golf ball. It got early blight for me but that might have been due to my underfeeding at first.

It is a good producer without being prolific. You need to be really really patient with this tomato as it takes about 18 weeks from transplant to harvest. It is slow to ripen and it is really important to keep it on the bush for longer - at least a few days after you think you can pick it. The bottom needs to be bright red before you pick it. It is also important to pick it before watering. Both of these will have an impact on the taste and it can be quite bland unless you pick it at the right time. I have red reviews on a lot of "black" tomatoes and this seems to be a common factor.

The black comes out with exposure to the sun. The more sun the tomato gets the "blacker" it becomes. Below you can see a tomato that has been exposed to our really really hot days recently and did not even have the shade of leaves from the bush. It is not ready to pic as you can see green on the bottom.

Cutting

When totally ripe the skin is a little thin and the tomato is juicy and holds together well. It does have a lot of seeds.

Taste

As stated above you must pick this tomato under the right conditions to get the best taste. It has a nice balance of sweet and tang and I rate the taste 8 out of 10.

Will I grow it again?

I think I will put it in next year. It is a pretty little tomato with a nice taste.


Seeds: The Digger's Club

Spotlight on ......... Tigerella Tomato

I LOVE this tomato. It was the first tomato that ripened for me to taste in my new vege garden. It is a stunning salad sized tomato and it a vibrant red with orange stripes. The skin is rather thin when completely ripe and it is a very juicy tomato.

This looks great in a salad and also tastes fab sliced on cracker and served with cheese.

This is a prolific bush and I do believe that it's producing season is long. It is a little prone to splitting so make sure you pick them early - don't leave them on the bush for too long.

It took about 10 weeks from transplant to harvest.

I purchased these as seedlings from the Digger's club and loved them so much I purchased the seeds too.

Today's crop

Cutting

Cuts well and holds together.

Taste

It has a sweet flavour with enough tang to make it taste good. It is not zingy like some of the more acidic tomatoes but has flavour and is nice to eat. It doesn't has as much depth as the darker / black tomatoes but it is a good clean taste.

Will I grow it again?

Absolutely - hence buying seeds after purchasing the seedlings. I will also save some from the plant. Children would love this unusual stripey tomato.

Seeds and Seedlings: The Digger's Club.

Spotlight on ...... Wapsipinicon Peach Tomato

Review

This is an unusual tomato as it has a slight fuzz on it - hence the Peach in the name. The fuzz isn't as pronounced as on a peach and you don't notice it when you eat it.

My bush is doing well and like most of my others, suffered from early blight due to improper feeding causing weak bushes. This was fixed with Dynamic Lifter.

Other than that the bush has been healthy. It produces well and takes about 10 weeks from transplant to harvest. Mine seemed to take a little longer than that, more like 14 weeks.

Cutting

I can only describe the skin as soft and "fleshy" to touch. Not thick or thin but a different feel to normal. Probably because of the slight fuzz. It cuts well and is juicy. The skin seems to mark easily as it is soft skinned - not thin but soft. It doesn't have the shine of a usual tomato skin.

Taste

Very low acid in this tomato. Great for people who can't tolerate the acidity of tomatoes. It has been described elsewhere as so sweet it could be a desert fruit..... To me it lacks that tang I am looking for.

Will I grow them again.

A big no for me as they don't really taste like a tomato to me and I miss that zing. This is just my opinion. I have read many great reviews for the taste..... I just like more acidity. Great for kids and people with low acid tolerance.

I am glad I grew them and tried it out as it is unusual.

Seeds: The Diggers Club.

Spotlight on....... Jaune Flamme

Review

Jaune Flamme is a bright orange salad tomato the size of a golf ball. My bush seems to be going well. It had some early blight but that could have been due to being underfed at first. It is very striking and almost luminous or fluorescent. The skin is shiny and smooth and they really stand out in the bush.

It is quite a prolific producer and one they start ripening you will get quite a few coming through.

The below show them on the bush but not yet ripe enough to pick - I made the mistake of picking the first one when yellow and unripe. The name is misleading as Jaune is yellow in French - leading me to believe yellow means ready to pick. The name should be D'orange Flamme however I guess that doesn't sound as good. The flamme part is right as it does almost glow.

The second picture shows them ripe and orange.

Here is a ripe one ready to taste.

Cutting

The skin is not thick or thin so it cuts well. I would use it in salads as it is not quite big enough for a slicing tomato unless you are putting it on Cruskits / crackers etc.

A couple of small blemishes on the bottom that I cut off before tasting. BTW - this is not the above tomato. I am saving that for a salad :-)  This one had a little split in it so I cut that one.

Taste

It has a quite nice taste to it. Enough zing to satisfy the tomato lover and a lingering flavour on the tongue.

Will I grow this next year.

The jury is still out.. It is a lovely tomato, tasty, quite striking in the salad bowl and a great producer. There are however many more tomatoes to try and this one is not a blow your socks off in my mind. I have just eaten my first one so after a few salads I will know better.

Seeds: The Diggers Club.