If you don’t like one type, then try another next year. You may well discover what is, for you, the ideal tomato. A flavour without compare. Every vegetable here has been chosen - from hundreds of trials - for a particular reason, which we try to explain in the description. Recently some of these old varieties have been re-discovered and are again popular with home growers who have different priorities to the commercial tomato grower. Why Heritage Tomatoes? Weighing 1000lb in cast iron and brass, and built a hundred and twenty years ago, these amazing devices have been in constant use ever since. Because all are open-pollinated (non-hybrid), if you wish you can even save your own vegetable seed

Like the modern tomatoes, the red heritage varieties contain lycopene, an antioxidant, cancer protecting compound. Incidentally, lycopene is more readily available to us and easily absorbed from cooked tomatoes rather than raw. Growing Heirloom (Heritage) Tomatoes Others are classified as indeterminate, which means they produce fruit on the vine, will need some support and all the side shoots removing. It’s important to remember when growing all types of tomatoes that they prefer a warm sunny position. They will also need feeding during the growing season to ensure the plants are healthy and fruits mature and ripen. You'll find no F1 hybrids or genetically modified seed here - just varieties that do really well and taste great when grown on a garden scale - a catalogue of real seeds for real gardeners wanting to grow proper vegetables.

Why Heritage Tomatoes?

The UK climate has been very unpredictable over the last few decades, with warmer, wetter winters and cooler, drier and windier summers. Then just for good measure we experience mini-heatwaves, blustery gales and unexpected snowfall. The weather in the UK has always been a major talking point but even more so now that global warming is having an all-round detrimental effect on plants. A wet, warm and humid atmosphere for example, are ideal conditions for the spread of blight, which can have a disastrous effect on outdoor tomatoes. Originally steam powered, ours are now run by an electric motor, & here's a video of one in action!

It can be hard for you to determine how much space to grow tomatoes. Several varieties of tomato varieties are available at all sizes in gardens and they may be tumbling cherries in window boxes or neat rows on the lot. What are the spacings for tomatoes? There must also be a consideration factor. Having a sunny south facing on a wall or fence would be a much better solution for greenhouses. Alternatively, cold roof terraces facing north are safer because there is little sunlight on them. Think of the brightest places in your garden Blight resistant varieties Our Unique Structure: Because we have no shareholders. the main aim of the company is not to make huge profits, but instead to supply great seeds to home gardeners at reasonable prices, and to educate people about home seed-saving. A greenhouse will allow you to grow a whole range of different tomatoes, and most usually greenhouse tomatoes will provide a heavier crop but that’s not always an option for everyone. So, whatever the outdoor weather is likely to throw at you, here are some of the best selections for outdoor tomato growing. The following types of tomato plants include blight resistant, cordon, bush, patio and plum varieties. Some are determinate, which means they are classified as bush tomatoes. These do not need side shoots removing but might require some support. The second tomato seed category we offer is cordon tomatoes (also known as indeterminate or vine tomatoes). The side shoots on these tomatoes should be pinched out as they grow, to channel the plant's energies into producing an abundance of juicy, healthy fruits. When growing cordon tomatoes outdoors, it’s best to restrict their growth to about 4-5 trusses, which will allow the fruits to form and mature properly. Otherwise, later fruits will be much smaller than usual and may not fully mature as the latter months of summer offer less sunlight and are generally cooler. Let's go outside – where will you grow your tomatoes?Growing heirloom tomatoes is just like growing ordinary tomatoes except that they may not be quite so tolerant of poor cultivation and require that bit more attention and skill to give of their best. Best Heirloom (Heritage) Tomatoes Growing the tomato outside has become possible in Britain even in the north. It is extremely important that tomatoes are warm so they will grow and produce before the cold arrives. Growing tomato in the air In recent times blight outbreaks have become very common and conditions for survival are becoming more common. It generally goes that if you travel farther north, it will be harder to succeed however it is all dependent on the microclimate in a vegetable plot Advice for outdoor tomato growing

It is not unusual for single fruits of this variety to weigh from 1 to 1 1/2 lbs each. The foliage shows the distinctiveness of the variety, for it is whole or entire, while in all other varieties the leaves are cut or serrated. It’s impossible to say what are the best heirloom tomatoes, it all depends on your personal taste and what appeals to you and your family. Try them and see. If you're looking for a specific tomato plant to grow indoors or outdoors, then you'll find our sub category listings very helpful in finding the right tomato seed variety for your needs. We have also split our tomato seed listings into three basic categories... The Real Seed Catalogue is produced by The Real Seed Collection Ltd ~ Company No 5924934 ~ VAT No 841181938 ~ DEFRA registered Seed Merchant No 7289 ~Tomatoes are one of the UK's most popular 'grow your own' plants, with beginners and seasoned growers alike tempted by the promise of their sun-ripened sweet and juicy fruits. With several thousand varieties of tomato seeds and tomato plants to choose from, here at Victoriana Nursery Gardens the Shirley family has endeavoured to offer a comprehensive selection of tried and tested tomato seed varieties, based on their own growing (and eating!) experiences. You may wonder why people bother – surely the modern varieties are best? Certainly they are more disease resistant and stronger growing than the heirloom varieties but there is one over riding reason – flavour. Firstly, we have tomato seeds for bush tomatoes (also know as determinate tomatoes) - these tomatoes do not need their side shoots removing and, as the name suggests, grow in more of a 'bush' form. One of the most remarkable features about this variety is the fact that, notwithstanding that it produces perhaps the largest fruit of any sort in cultivation, it is at the same time one of the very earliest to ripen; the cut we show being not more than one-half the average size.