In article ,
(Nick Maclaren) wrote:

However, only about a third of the flavour is due to the variety.

I would put it at 75%. Last year, I grew Gardeners Delight, Red Alert
and Ailsa Craig on the same small plot with identical treatment.

The Red Alert was Ok to eat, very early and little work
The Ailsa Craig gave pleasant medium sized fruit and was rather a thug.
The Gardeners Delight were packed with that real tomato flavour form a
golden age when tomatoes were real tomatoes ...

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

The message
from "Sue da Nimm" . contains these words:

You had a James Captain? My first bike was a James Commando (in 1968,
although it was far from new) Much later I used to enjoy confusing people
by
telling them my first bike was a commando :-))
Steve

I had a James Commodore, then a Triumph Cub, then a pre-unit Bonnie ... and
then a husband who didn't approve

Should have traded him in for a new one.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Sue da Nimm" . contains these words:

You had a James Captain? My first bike was a James Commando (in 1968,
although it was far from new) Much later I used to enjoy confusing people
by
telling them my first bike was a commando :-))
Steve

I had a James Commodore, then a Triumph Cub, then a pre-unit Bonnie ... and
then a husband who didn't approve

Should have traded him in for a new one.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

In article ,
(Steve Harris) writes:
| In article ,
| (Nick Maclaren) wrote:
|
| However, only about a third of the flavour is due to the variety.
|
| I would put it at 75%. Last year, I grew Gardeners Delight, Red Alert
| and Ailsa Craig on the same small plot with identical treatment.
|
| The Red Alert was Ok to eat, very early and little work
| The Ailsa Craig gave pleasant medium sized fruit and was rather a thug.
| The Gardeners Delight were packed with that real tomato flavour form a
| golden age when tomatoes were real tomatoes ...

Your method of comparison has the effect of excluding two of the
three factors I mentioned, so it is not surprising that you didn't
notice them!

Grown where? I am comparing them with the taste when grown in a
country which suits tomatoes. While the only 'tasty' tomato I have
grown is Texas Wild, I have tried the tomatoes that other gardeners
enthused over. I didn't, and the Texas Wild was disappointing.
The reason being, of course, that it isn't practical to emulate the
light levels of the tropics here, though it is possible to grow
tomatoes 'dry' if under cover.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

I ordered seven varieties noted for flavour from Chase (HDRA), they
arrived
some time later than my visa was debited and I sowed them the same day
in
exactly the same way as I always do, in the greenhouse.

That was two weeks ago. The lettuce, cabbage and sprouts have germinated
but
not the tomatoes. I'm even more disgruntled now, the seeds were
expensive
and there weren't many.

Unless your greenhouse is very well heated, you'll wait at least another
week, maybe a fortnight - unless we get a spell of really sunny weather.

Grrrrrrrrr

Don't be impatient. I would have planted them inside in trays or
individual pots.

They were sown - not planted! - in individual pots in the thermostatically
contolled heated greenhouse in exactly the same way I have always done. I
have never known tomato seeds to take so long to germinate.

Mary

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Nick Maclaren) wrote:

However, only about a third of the flavour is due to the variety.

I would put it at 75%. Last year, I grew Gardeners Delight, Red Alert
and Ailsa Craig on the same small plot with identical treatment.

The Red Alert was Ok to eat, very early and little work
The Ailsa Craig gave pleasant medium sized fruit and was rather a thug.
The Gardeners Delight were packed with that real tomato flavour form a
golden age when tomatoes were real tomatoes ...

I suspect that there are Gardeners Delight and Gardeners Delight. I have
always had the same flavour even from sowing and growing in identical
conditions. Perhaps some producers are getting on the GD bandwagon and not
being quite as honest as they might be ...

Mary

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

Nick Maclaren wrote:
: I would like to get hold of some tomato seeds that will produce
: deliciously flavoured tomatoes.
:
: I know that these seeds exist but are not sold at regular suppliers
: because of registration fees and such like.
:
: But I have no clue about where to start looking.

: There are a fair number of flavoursome varieties sold by normal seed
: merchants - do a Web search for Tucker's, Thompson and Morgan, and
: look out for Unwins and so on. You can get the unusual varieties
: from Henry Doubleday, but you have to join the association (not a
: major problem!)

: However, only about a third of the flavour is due to the variety.
: Another third is not watering as much as commercial growers do,
: and the last third is maximising the amount of sunlight. Not a
: lot that you can do about the last in the UK :-(

And the 4th third (:-) is flavour preference - some like sweet tomatoes,
some like less sweet. What some would describe as wonderfully flavourfull
others would describe as poor! So try a few. My regular favorite
outdoor uk tomato is Red Alert, a bush type.

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from "shazzbat" contains these words:


Howard
R100RT

BSA Dandy (forced on me); G3 Matchless, several Matchless and AJS 500
singles; AJS 500 twin; 1938 & 1939 Velocettes, both MSS; 1929 KTT Velo';
1929 B29 (2¾HP) Douglas; D1 Bantam; ZB31 BSA; 1938 990cc V-twin sv AJS;
Douglas T35 Mk1; T35 Mk1 Trials; T35 Mk3; T35 Mk3 Sports; T35 Mk4; T35
Mk4 Sports; T35 Mk5; Plus Ninety; Dragonfly; 998cc Vincent Black B******
(all Lightning bits); Velocette Clubman's Venom; Triumph Trophy; now got
BMW R80.

There may have been more, but - oh yes, two Arial Red Hunters and a TSX.....

Strewth, now there's a history!

--
Howard
R100RT
Formerly James Captain, A10, C15, B25, Dnepr M16 solo,
R80/7, R100RT (green!)

The message
from Howard contains these words:

Strewth, now there's a history!

And when I get a round tuit I'm building a vintage-ish bitza out of
vintage-ish bitz.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Howard" wrote in message
...
David Hyams wrote:

Cheery tomatoes are always the best for flavour although not big enough
for
sandwiches.


Cherry tomatoes, on the other hand, are great in quick pastas.

Now I was just enjoying the mental image of cheery tomatoes. :-))

Steve

"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Howard) wrote:

I know that these seeds exist but are not sold at regular suppliers
because of registration fees and such like.

"Gardeners Delight" are scrumptious, widely available and cheap.

I'm glad you said that, because I've just sown the ones we got on the cover
of GN recently. Haven't tried them before.

Steve

In article ,
(Mary Fisher) wrote:

Perhaps some producers are getting on the GD bandwagon and not
being quite as honest as they might be ...

Well, these excellent GD were Wilkinsons and it says 49p on the packet
:-)

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Mary Fisher) wrote:

Perhaps some producers are getting on the GD bandwagon and not
being quite as honest as they might be ...

Well, these excellent GD were Wilkinsons and it says 49p on the packet
:-)

Oddly I've always been satisfied with what I've bought from Wilkinsons. Not
that I've bought much but have no complaints.

Mary

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

The message
from Howard contains these words:


Strewth, now there's a history!


And when I get a round tuit I'm building a vintage-ish bitza out of
vintage-ish bitz.

Would an A10 cylinderhead gasket be any good to you?

--
Howard
R100RT
Formerly James Captain, A10, C15, B25, Dnepr M16 solo,
R80/7, R100RT (green!)

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

The message
from Howard contains these words:


Strewth, now there's a history!


And when I get a round tuit I'm building a vintage-ish bitza out of
vintage-ish bitz.

Would an A10 cylinderhead gasket be any good to you?

--
Howard
R100RT
Formerly James Captain, A10, C15, B25, Dnepr M16 solo,
R80/7, R100RT (green!)