Adriana’s top 10 heirloom tomato picks for spring 2014
Spring wouldn’t be spring and vegetable garden complete, without tomatoes – try these suggestions this year:
• ‘Amish Paste’: a high yielding all round tomato – great as a salad or sandwich tomato but dense so equally as good for sauce or pastes; fruits in 13 weeks from transplanting.
• ‘Brandy Wine Pink’: I love this, large, beefsteak, full flavoured tomato; fruits in 11 weeks from transplanting.
• ‘Tommy Toe’ – this would have to be the best small tomato on the market bigger than a cherry tomato and full of flavour- still one of the best heirloom varieties there is; fruits in 10 weeks from transplanting.
• ‘Rouge de Marmande’: slightly flattened and ribbed plus few seeds and great flavour make this old, early season favourite, a must for the spring garden; fruits in 10 weeks from transplanting.
• ‘Black Russian’: great short season variety with a delicious, full bodied flavour; fruits in 10 weeks from transplanting.
• ‘Black Krim’: dark blackish/green skin with a dark red centre; another great beefsteak variety and a known performer; fruits in 13 weeks from transplanting but well worth the wait!.
• ‘Green Zebra’: A classic heirloom variety that produces yellow stripes when ripe. Well worth trying; fruits in 11 weeks from transplanting.
• ‘Princepe Borghese’: if you like the idea of drying your own tomatoes – with low moisture content this one is the best for the job; fruits in 13 weeks from transplanting.
• ‘San Marzano’: for those that love making their own sauces and pastes this tomato is coreless too and extremely high yielding - so very well suited to the task; a classic cooking tomato; fruits in 10 weeks from transplanting.
• ‘Wild Sweetie’: loved by children; it is the sweetest tomato you are every likely to grow. Produces lovely trusses of cherrysized fruit. Well worth a try and it fruits in just 9 weeks!
There is a wealth of vegetable varieties that can be sown in spring – here are a few to start you off and that will add interest, colour and form to your garden too:
Dwarf beans – can be sown now in September in all but cool areas (wait until mid-october for cool areas); use them as an edging plant to define beds. To add interest to the garden, try cultivars such as ‘Royal Burgundy’ or ‘Purple King’ for stunning purple beans, or ‘Goldrush’ for a golden variety.
Beetroot – can be sown now in all areas – try ‘Bull’s Blood’ for stunning dark purplish red foliage or ‘Red Ace’ for bright red foliage and beets; sow small amounts right through spring and into early summer.
Bok Choy – choose slow bolting varieties in warmer areas; those sown in September in cool and temperate areas are usually harvested with 6-8weeks before the hotter weather comes around. Try Pak Choi ‘Chokito’ it is a very adaptable variety.
Cabbage – can be sown from September in cool areas (wait until late summer in hot regions) – make sure you choose a variety that suits your climate though. Why not try the mini-cabbages (such as ‘Gonzales’) that are now available. Rows of mini-cabbages look great as a garden feature too.
Carrots – you can choose varieties that can extend your harvest from September sowings right through to autumn in most regions. The feathery foliage makes an attractive edging plant for borders. ‘Nelson’ is a great baby carrot that can be sown in September through to the end of spring. Or try the well know ‘Nantes’ – a reliable performer in all areas. ‘Red-core Chantenay’ is a heritage variety and one also worth trying. For fun, and to add colour to the plate, try some of the purple varieties such as ‘Purple Haze’.
Cucumbers – can be sown in warm areas in September but wait until mid-spring in cool regions. Grow them on a brightly painted lattice to add colour to your garden. Try Lebanese or apple cucumbers for a change.
Onions can still be sown in September in cool regions – in warmer regions autumn is better. Let some go to seed for attractive seed heads! Spring onions can be sown virtually year round in many areas so try these now and keep sowing a couple of rows, all spring, for a continued supply.
Peas can be sown in cool areas now and through to October – try snow peas such as ‘Oregon’ or the early ‘William Massey’ for shelled peas. Again peas look great on a painted trellis or on tripods to add interest to your garden.
Sweet corn – looks great in any garden and the cobs are delicious too – sow in September in all but cool regions where you are best waiting until late October. Plant in blocks of several rows, rather than one straight row, to aid wind pollination. The tassels as they mature look great too!
Zucchini – makes a great architectural statement in the garden – make sure you have plenty of room as they do spread. Try a golden and a green to provide your family all summer and autumn. Sow in September in warm and temperate areas but leave it until late October in cool regions.
Artichokes – make great architectural statements in the garden - propagate from offsets (shoots that arise from the base of the plants) in spring (temperate and cool areas) or sow seed. There are some great cultivars available:‘green Globe’ and ‘Violetta’ are two well established performers.