Rare tomatoes from a Garden Organic collection of endangered vegetables and fruit will be made available for gardeners this spring thanks to a new venture.
Garden Organic, the UK’s leading organic growing charity, has teamed up with Delfland Nurseries to make a selection of tomato plants available from the charity’s Heritage Seed Library – a collection of vegetables made up of varieties either dropped from seed catalogues or handed down as family heirlooms, at risk of otherwise being lost from gardens forever.
The Heritage Seed Library works to conserve varieties by growing its accessions for seed each year, building stock and distributing seed to its 10,000 strong membership. This is the first time that the varieties have been made available as plants, other than at the charity’s HQ, Ryton gardens.
Through the new venture, gardeners will be able to buy The Heritage Seed Library tomato collection consisting of 6 plants containing the varieties: Jubilee, Darby Pink-Yellow, Tomato Noir, Pink Cherry, Yellow Currant and Wladeck via mail order. All of the plants are organic, peat free, and grown by Delfland Nurseries with £2.23 from each pack supporting Garden Organic’s work.
Head of the Heritage Seed Library, Neil Munro said, “The Heritage Seed Library is famous for its vast selection of tomato varieties. Hopefully this venture will see more gardeners growing and enjoying these varieties, which without the work of the Heritage Seed Library would no longer be available. We hope the more people that grow and enjoy this tomato collection, the more they will understand why it is important that we conserve them.”
Jill Vaughan of Delfland Nurseries said, “It’s a great opportunity to be able to access seed from this very important collection of vegetables and make them available to gardeners. There are some real gems in this tomato collection and we’re pleased to be able to give gardeners the chance to buy them as ready grown, peat-free plug plants to get their gardening off to a head start.”
Delfland Nurseries is taking orders for the tomato plants now and delivery dates for the collection are: March, April and early May.
To order your Heritage Seed Library tomato collection visit www.organicplants.co.uk or call 01354 740553 (Mon to Fri 9am – 5pm).
Tomato “Jubilee”
Indeterminate. Cordon. Previously commercially available. Described as “the best flavoured yellow”. Produces a heavy yield of slightly flattened globes of around 170-200gms; fruits have a mild but good flavour.
Tomato “Darby Pink-Yellow Striped”
Indeterminate. Cordon. Saved seed from striped tomato fruit from the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, Littlehampton. Do equally well in polytunnels, a cold greenhouse in pots and outside in a pot against a south-facing wall. Flavour is best when fruit are really ripe.
Tomato “Noir”
Indeterminate. Cordon. This variety was donated to the Heritage Seed Library by John Yeoman of the Village Guild. Produces large, sweet flavoured, dark red fruit with green shoulders. John Yeoman describes them as “a rare and decorative novelty.
Tomato “Pink Cherry”
Semi-determinate. Pinch out side (axial) shoots regularly. Prolific and hardy doing well both outdoors and under glass. The small, plum-shaped fruits begin pink, becoming red once ripe, have a pleasant, mild flavour and look wonderful in a mixed salad.
Tomato “Yellow Currant”
Indeterminate. Cordon. Originally a South American wild tomato. Bushy plants produce an abundance of tiny (1/2″) bright yellow tomatoes with a sweet taste.
Tomato “Wladeck’s”
Indeterminate. Cordon. Brought over from Poland after World War II by Wladeck Neitzgoda. This prolific variety can be grown outdoors or under glass. “Heavy trusses, which require ingenuity to support. Fruits are large and vari-sized beefsteak-type…the taste is a revelation – unsurpassed flavour and aroma.”
More information
Garden Organic – Heritage Seed Library
Delfland Nurseries – Leading organic propagator.