Tomatoes, red and yellow and pink and green
Tomatoes, red and yellow, pink and green. Orange and purple and blue. Yes that's right - blue or more truly purple/black.
A Rainbow of Tomatoes
Red = Veranda Red, Red Dragon, Red Alert, Tumbling Tom Red
Yellow = Honey Delight or Lemon Sherbet
Pink = Rose Crush or Pink Charmer
Green = Green Envy or Artisan Green Tiger
Orange = Sungold or Vivacious
Purple = Artisan Purple Bumble Bee
Blue = Indigo Rose, Apple , Blue Berries, Blue Beauty, Cherry Drops
Are tomatoes really blue?
'Blue' tomatoes (or black) have been bred to produce high levels of anthocyanins. This pigmentation increases levels of antioxidants for added nutritional benefits. As these darker fruits take longer to ripen, the flavour is more intense. They need to be in full sun to achieve the dark colour becoming purple or almost black as they fully ripen. The series "Indigo" all have this colouring, varying in size from small cherry to beefsteak size.
The form of the plant can be bush, cordon (single stem) or vine (many branching) depending how much room you have.. Any side shoots are removed from a cordon but left on bush and vines. Vine varieties can be compact, intermediate or tall. Most are regular leaf but some are potato - leaved (they originate from the same family). Some do better in greenhouses, others are suitable for growing outdoors. There is some helpful advice on understanding tomato terminology to help you choose the best
Easy to grow from seed, the difficulty is choosing which variety?
This year I have a heirloom variety from the Heritage Seed library. I wonder how it will measure up against my favourite Sungold and new kid on the block Black Moon.
I start mine off in my little propagator once the peppers have germinated and I can pot those on. As soon as the tomato seedlings are big enough to handle (germination takes 7 - 14 days, true leaves 14-28 days) I pot them into individual 3" pots to grow on. I keep them cool but not cold and well lit for sturdy growth. I usually add some support to keep them upright. Once the roots appear through the bottom they are ready to plant out.
I grow my tomato plants in large containers outdoors in full sun but you can plant in the greenhouse borders or in the ground outside in a sunny sheltered space.. Leave plenty of room around them for the air to flow thereby reducing the risk of disease. I water my tomatoes early in the morning, watering from the bottom, not wetting the leaves.