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Gardeners World blog

Grow & eat

Heritage vegetables

Posted by: Adam Pasco, 12 November 2007, 10.12AM

Tomato 'Snow White Cherry' I'm beginning to wonder whether growing old heirloom or heritage varieties of vegetables is really worthwhile. My tomato 'Snow White Cherry', sold as a heritage variety by many companies, was a real disappointment this year, and I wish I'd grown 'Gardener's Delight' or any one of my favourite reliable performers instead.

The crop looked quite reasonable, as my picture shows, but the fruits really didn't have much flavour. They developed to a pale yellow colour rather than white, which does make it hard to determine when fruits are actually ripe to pick. Many turned soft and fell before I realised they were fully ripe, while others split badly later in the season, and weren't as tolerant of irregular watering patterns (is that my fault or the variety?).

I've been a member of the Heritage Seed Library run by Garden Organic for many years, and fully endorse the value and ethos of saving varieties from extinction. After all, you never know when the genetic material they contain could be of value in future plant breeding projects.

However, it's best the assumption that old varieties are necessarily better than new ones. Yes, some are unusual and create a good talking point, while others have lovely stories attached to them. But if you are primarily interested in getting the biggest yield and best flavour for the space and effort then this may not come from heritage crops. After all, why did the seed companies stopped selling them in the first place?

I'll be treating heritage crops as a novelty from now on, then I won't be disappointed if they don't perform as well as my 'tried and tested' favourites.

Comments

  • Helen

    12 November 2007, 02.22PM

    I haven't tried heritage varieties but I grew Gardeners Delight again this year - have done for several years and I was disappointed with them. They were tasteless and very small. I was planning on growing something different next year like Black Russian.

  • straedaek

    12 November 2007, 05.48PM

    I would usually fully agree with you. When it comes to potatoes and carrots, I always stick to my well known and reliable varieties. But I usually try the odd heirloom one, and now and then you'll find a hidden treasure. This year I came across the tomato variety 'sub arctic plenty', which won me over completely with their sweet taste and ability to produce a good yield in a cold climate up here in the North Isles (no, not outside, but in a cold greenhouse). So I would suggest, if you got the space, give some of the old varieties a go!

  • MIke

    13 November 2007, 09.29AM

    I agree with Adam, I tried some Heritage varieties this year and also had problems. I tried Brandywine and Black Russian. Yields were poor although the flavour of Brandywine was good both suffered badly from blight and rotted before they ripened. Olivade I also grew was a superb cropper, tasted well and suffered no blight problems.

  • Eireen

    13 November 2007, 07.00PM

    I agree with Helen. Like her I have grown Gardener's delight for years. However they were most disappointing this year. They didn't crop well and were quite tasteless. I shall try another variety next year. I also found my Plum variety yielding a small crop this year.

  • Willow

    16 November 2007, 03.42PM

    I grew gardeners delight for the first time this year and was very dissapointed both by yield and flavour, they were grown both in a cold greenhouse and outsde in the north of england.

  • JOHNNYHODGES0

    16 November 2007, 08.22PM

    I have had an allotment in excess of 25 years,this has been an abysmal year,never before have tomatoes performed so badly,heritage and F1s just best to put this year behind us,and move on,its not any variety,just an appalling wet summer,hope things are better for 2008.

  • Margaret Morris

    18 November 2007, 04.39PM

    I think your disappointment over Snow White Cherry might have more to do with the weather conditions this past season than anything elase. I have grow it and I think the flavour is every bit as good as Gardeners Delight which I have also grown. We tried Broad Ripple yellow current this year in a cold greenhouse and when it finally cropped the flavour was excellent. Tomatoes need sun which they did not yet this year.

  • Anon

    20 November 2007, 04.59PM

    I also agree with the heritage seed, but I myself grew tigrella toms and was dissapointed at texture and taste, I wish I'd grown shirleys

  • Gillian S, Dundee

    06 December 2007, 04.29PM

    Yes, the tomatoes were disappointing this year. However when they did ripen they were great. We grew tigerella (in the greehouse) and tumbling toms (in hanging baskets outside) and they both did surprisingly well, weather considering.

  • gaynorthegardener

    26 December 2007, 01.28PM

    Im a new allotmenteer Ive only had mine since April. I tried growing several verieties of toms, inside in a big plastic greenhouse and outside, I was hit by blight both in and out and I lost the lot. Not a good start and not very encourageing but it gave me some hope that it wasnt only me. Keeping my fingers tightly crossed for next year and praying we all have a better year next (surely it cant be as bad as last). The slugs loved the weather and I couldnt even grow a lettuce, well I ended up with the remains of stems, didnt matter what I tried to use as barriers they won.

  • Adam Pasco

    29 December 2007, 10.37AM

    Don't be put off Gaynor. Every new season provides challenges, but also great opportunities. I predict a great year on your allotment in 2008. Don't be backward in coming forward, and ask those experienced people on your allotment site for advice. I'm sure they can help you choose crops that will beat the pests and diseases, and provide you with delicious crops. Good luck!

  • lottie

    05 January 2008, 12.00AM

    I got my allotment in April 2007 and the carrots beetroot, onions, peas potatoes were brill and even got 2nd for my peas in the annual event. Evan got a cup for the newcommer. So I can not complain about last year. Could be different next year though

  • J Natrass

    13 January 2008, 04.01PM

    I have grown sweet million for the last couple of years in a cold greenhouse in the north of the country and have found them to be the best small tomato - lovely and sweet and quite a heavy cropper even last summer when other varieties were very disappointing including Gardeners Delight. I also grew a variety called 'Sparta' which was recommended by Pippa it also performed reasonably well and I will give it another try this year. Would certainly recommend you try Sweet Million.

  • Mary Fossey

    26 January 2008, 01.19PM

    If you are using growbags for your tomatoes ignore the instructions to cut holes out.Instead, shoogle the contents to loosen the compost and then cut the bag in half across the middle.Stand each end up like a bucket and plant one plant in each.The plants will develop a much better root system and you will have a much bigger crop.I always have great success with this method.I also use nettle feed.It stinks but the plants love it!

  • 01 January 2007, 12.00AM

  • marge

    26 March 2008, 04.12PM

    Surprised to read all your comments about gardeners delight. I grew it for the first time outside last year and got lovely sweet tomatoes in abundance. no blight or any other problems but did use tomato-planters and tomato growbags so maybe this helped? last tomatoes picked in november for green tomato chutney will be growing twice as many this year!

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