Tomatoes Seed Bank

      

This collection of tomato seeds has been built over the last 14 years is thanks to a number of seed circles, one that I ran for two years and virtual seed parcels. 

Currently there are 181 varieties of Tomatoes in my Tomato Seed Bank of which 29 are F1, I will be saving the seeds from plants grown from F1 seeds if they are worthy of saving and seeing what I get from the exercise. 

Up until 2023 I used to inspect the list below and decide on the 22 varieties that were to be grown in the back garden. Six that would be grown in Quadgrows in the allotment greenhouse and normally six that would be grown out on the allotment plot.

In 2025 I grew all Blight Resistant tomatoes and as the greenhouses were out of action as I could no longer get in and out of them because of my mobility issues I grew 10 plants out in two of the new raised beds. Six plants in one and 4 plants in the other and had quite frankly more tomatoes that usual when growing many more plants.  

In 2026 as I could not get down to the allotment I grew Crimson Crush, Crimson Cherry, Big Mother Fucker and Tennis Ball and the other varieties I donated to my neighbour and his family.

2027 If mobility returns will see an increase in the numbers and the varieties of seeds that will be sown and grown

Tomato seeds if kept in ideal conditions can last between 5 - 10 years, so I have marked seeds coming up to 10 years old as < Refresh Seed and will sow them to replenish the seed bank in 2027. I may have to recruit some fellow plot holders to grow as there appear to be many seed that need refreshing in the Tomato Seed Bank in 2027     

Alisa Craig - Mr Fothergills - Sow by 2019 
Alicante - Sow by 2017 < Refresh Seed 

Alfresco - Mr Fothergill's - Sow by Dec 2026 
Althaea - Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Arielle F1 - Marshalls - Sow by 2019
Artisan Pink Tiger - Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Amish Mayberry - 2013 - Self Saved 2016 < Refresh Seed 
Angelle - Grapevine 2018
Arnyalma - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 
Arrat Flamed - MYP&Q 2019

Attraction - Marshalls - best by 2017 
Aztek - Joe Mills Grow With Me 2022 -  Sow By 2024 

Bajaja - Thompson & Morgan Sow by 12/2019 

Balconi Red - Thompson & Morgan Sow by 12/2020  - Self Saved 2018

Balconi Yellow F1 - Seed Megastore - Packed 2019 - Sow By 2021 

Balcony Red - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Berkeley Tie-Dye - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 
Big Mother Fucker - Donated self saved - 2025  New

Big Yellow Zebra - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 
Blaby Special - Saved 2014 < Refresh Seed 

Black Cherry Tomato - Grapevine 2018

Black Krim - S.Bassett MYP&Q Seed Circle 2018

Black Icicle - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 

Black Russian - Grapevine 2018

Black Sea Man - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 

Black Strawberry - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Black Trifele - Grapevine 2018

Black Vemissage - Grapevine 2018

Bloody Butcher - D.T.Brown 2020 
Blue Zimmer - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Blueberry Dessert - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Blush - Grapevine 2016
Blush Yellow Plum - MYP&Q 2018
Brown Sugar - Grapevine 2016

Buffalosun F1 - Suttons - Sow By 2026 

Burlesque F1 - Suttons - Packed 2022 - Sow By 7/2024 

Camp Joy - No Date

Carotina (Big Orange) - Grapevine 2018

Chiapis Wild - Grapevine 2016 
Cherry Cascade Thompson & Morgan Sow by 12/2019

Cherry Falls F1- Mr Fothergills - Sow By 2020

Cherry Honeycomb F1 - Mr Fothergills 2021 

Cherry Kisses - Thompson & Morgan Sow by 12/2019
Cream Sausage - Grapevine 2016
Crimson Cherry F1 - 10 Seeds - Dobies - Saved 2021 - Cost £3.99 

Crimson Cherry F1 - 10 Seeds - Suttons - Saved 2021 - Cost £4.49  

Crimson Crush F4

Crimson Plum F1 (Nagina)  - 10 Seeds - Dobies - Saved 2021 - Cost £3.99 

Crimson Plum F1                 - 10 Seeds -  Suttons - Saved 2021 -  Cost £4.49 

Crokini F1 - Dobies Packed year ending 2024 Sow By 2027 

Cuban Flower - Grapevine 2016 

Cuor Di Bue - Off Magazine 

Dark Galaxy - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 

Delicious - No Date < Refresh Seed 

Delta Dawn - Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Early Door Sandpoint - MYP&Q 2019

Ferline F1 Hybrid

Gardeners Delight - Kings Seeds Kitchen Garden - Sow By 2022

Gardeners Delight - Suttons - Sow By 2024  Packed 2021 

Garden Olive - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Garden Pearl - Sow By 2014

Garden Pearl  - Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 
German Lunchbox - No Date

German Queen - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 

German Red Strawberry - Grapevine 2018

Giallo D'Inveino - Grapevine 2018
Gigantomo F1 - Premier Seeds Direct - Sow by 2021

Green Zebra - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 

Gold Nugget Gelbei - Mr Fothergill's - 2020 Sow By 2024  

Gold Nugget  - Mr Fothergill's  2020 

Gold Rush Currant - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 
Golden Sweet - Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Halum Gelbei - Grapevine 2018

Harbinger - Sow By 2015 - Grapevine 2016
Heartbreakers Vita F1 - Suttons Packed year ending 2024 Sow By 2026

Heinz Soup - Saved 2011
Homosa - Grapevine 2018

Honeycomb F1 - Dobies Packed year ending 2022 

Indian Bush - No Date
Indigo Blue - MYP&Q Saved 2018

Ink Spot - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Jack Hawkins - Grapevine 2016
Kenilworth King George - No Date

Kibitz - Saved 2016

Latah Bush - Saved 2015 < Refresh Seed 

Legend - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 
Lemonita F1 - Dobies Packed year ending 2024 Sow By 2027 

Livingston's Favourite - Grapevine 2018
Lizzano F1 - Marshalls - Sow By 09/2021

Large Barred Boar - Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Losetto F1 - D.T.Brown 2020 

Lukullus - Grapevine 2018
Marmande - Magazine 2018 

Marvel Stripes - Saved 2015 < Refresh Seed 

Maskotka -  Mr Fothergills - Sow by 2021  

Matina -  Thompson & Morgan Sow by 2016 

Merrygold F1 - Mr Fothergill's - Packed Jan 2022 - Sow by 2025

Merrygold F2 - Self Saved in 2023 from a plant grown from the Mr Fothergill's pack 

Merrygold F1 - Suttons Packed year ending 2024 Sow By 2027 

Micro Purple - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Micro Tom -  Jungle Seeds bought 2018 and Self Saved 2018 
Mini Plum - TESCO  - Saved 2014 - get new seed
Minibel - Sow By 2014 < Refresh Seed 
Minibel - Wilko - Sow By 2021

Money Maker Speedy Seeds - Sow by 2024

Moscow Long  -Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022

Moskow's Ultra Skorospelyi - Grapevine 2018

Mountain Magic - D.T.Brown 2020 

Mrs Rucks - Grapevine 2016

Mountain Princess - Grapevine 2016

Nector Rose - Grapevine 2018 

Nimbus - MYP&Q Saved 2018
Noah's Stripes  -Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Oleron Yellow Cherry - Grapevine 2018 
One Hundreds and Thousands - Saved 2014 - Saved 2016
Orange Banana -Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Orange bush -Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Otto's Papa - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 

Outdoor Girl - Saved 2015 - Saved 2016 < Refresh Seed 

Paoline F1 - Mr Fothergills - Dec 2026 

Patio Plum - Marshalls - 2019

Peace Vine - Grapevine 2018
Piccolo - Saved 2011

Pink Charmer - Marshalls - 2020 Sow By 2022  

Plum Roma - Saved 2015
Polish Linguisa - Grapevine 2018

Pomodore Ciliegla - Sow By 2015 < Refresh Seed 

Principe Borghese - Grapevine 2018

Principe Borghese - Mr Fothergills - 2020  

Purple Russian Plum - Sow By 2014

Purple Smaragd -Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Rainbow Blend F1 Hybrid - Sow By 2015
Rapunzel F1 Saved 2018

Rapunzel F1 6 Seeds - Suttons Sow By 2025 

Raspberry Oxheart - Seed Parade 2020 

Red Alert - Thompson & Morgan - Sow by 2019
Red Bodyguard F1 - Thompson & Morgan - Sow by Dec 2025

Red Buffalo Horn - Grapevine 2016

Red Cherry - Sow By 2015 < Refresh Seed 

(Red Dragon F1) Y Ddraig Goch F1 - Dobies - packed year ending 2022 

Red Fox Cherry - Saved 2015 < Refresh Seed 

Red Pear - Mr Fothergill  Sow By 2019

Red Pear - Organic Gardening Catalogue Cherry - Packed 2022 
Red Robin - Saved 2015, Self Saved 2018
Red Zebra - Grapevine - Saved 2014, Self Saved 2016, 
Reisetomate - 15 Seeds - Organic Gardening Seeds - £2.99

Roma VF - Multipack 2018
Roma VF - Johnsons - 2018
Rosella - Grapevine 2016

Rosella- Kings Seeds - Kitchen Garden - packed year end July 2021 

Rubylicious F1 - Dobies - Sow By 2025

Sandpipe - Saved 2016 - Saved 2015 < Refresh Seed 

Santonio F1 Hybrid - Thompon & Morgan - Sow by 2020

Santarini (Greek Tomato) -Tomato Seed Swaps Saved by Col Pope 2022 

Schwarse Weinreich - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 

Sophia's Sweet Caramel - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Speckled Roman - Grapevine 2016

Stupicke Poini Rane - Saved 2016 - Sow By 2017 < Refresh Seed 

Sub Artic Plenty - No Dates < Refresh Seed 
Summer Cider - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 
Summerlast F1 - Marshalls - 2019 Sow By 9/2021

Suncherry Premium F1 -Thompson & Morgan Sow By 12/2020
Sungold F1 - - Mr Fothergill  Sow By 2019

Sunrise Jazz - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Sunset Red Horizon - Saved 2014 < Refresh Seed 
Super Marmande - Thompson & Morgan Sow By 2017

Super Roma - No Dates

Supersteak F1 - Mr Fothergill - Packed Aug 2022 - Sow By 2025

Sweet Aperitif - Sow By 2017

Sweet Million F1 - Mr Fothergills - Sow By 9/2022
Sweet Pea Currant - Sow By 2014 < Refresh Seed 

Sweet'n'Neat Lemon Sherbert  F1 - Seed Megastore 2019 
Tartufo - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Tennis Ball - Donated self saved - 2025  New

Terenzo F1 Hybrid - Sow By 2015 - Sow By 2017
Tigerella -  Thompson & Morgan - Sow by 2020

Tigerella -  Speedy Seeds - Sow by 2024

Tiny Tiger - NRTomatoseed - Packed 2026 Sow By 2029 New

Tiny Tim - Grapevine 2018

Tomatoberry Garden F1

True Black Brandywine - Grapevine 2018

Tumbler - Sow By 2014 < Refresh Seed 

Totem F1 - Jungle Seeds - Jungle Seeds Sow By ?  

Tumbling Cherry  - Mr Fothergill's - Sow By 2020 
Tumbling Tom Red -  Thompson & Morgan - Sow by 2020 
Vesennij Mieurinsky - Grapevine 2016
White Cherry - D.T.Brown 2020 

Yellow Mimi F1 - Marshalls 2019

 Yellow Perfection - Grapevine 2016 < Refresh Seed 

Venus Balcony - Russian Seed Company 2018 

Veranda Red - 6 Seeds - Suttons - £4.49

Veranda Red - D.T.Brown 2020 

Violet Jasper - Grapevine 2018

Vilmer - Joe Mills - Grow With Me 2022 - Sow by 2024

In My Seed Box For 2027 - Index 

In My Seed Box For 2027 - Tree Spinach

   

In 2023 I was planning to try Chenopodiumgiganteum (Tree Spinach) from Mr Fothergill’s Item Code:39203 £2.70 for Approximatly 1000 seeds. 

Due to fighting cancer & the autoimmune disease (unnamed), which has left me with Seronegative inflammatory arthritis, which has inhibited my activities on the allotment during 2024 & 2025, I have not got around to growing Tree Spinach, but its on the cards for 2026.

Tree spinach has eye-catching bright magenta with almost sparkly growing tips. Spinach plants can grow up to 2m tall, hence the name Tree spinach.

This vigorous plant can be harvested as a cut and come again leaf from 25cm tall. Easy to grow, adds columns of height and colour to the veg garden.

It has intense, almost glittery, brilliant pink baby leaves which look dazzling in a mixed leaf salad. Best picked when tender and very young, for use in salads or as a spinach substitute. It is fantastic melted in butter and keeps its magenta when cooked. Once it's tall, it does become a lot coarser.

Chenopodium giganteum self-seeds prolifically, so keep harvesting the plants before they flower, or whip them out to feed to chickens or put on the compost before they run to seed.

Here is an article about Chenopodium giganteum (Tree Spinach) from Alys Fowler: Tree spinach | Gardens | The Guardian, that I did find informative

Now I did go looking for YouTube videos about Tree Spinach but what I found was not the variety Mr Fothergill’s is selling and Alys Flower has written about, that variety Tree Spinach (Chaya) cannot be eaten raw as salad and needs cooking for 20 minutes as there are traces of Cyanide in the leaves! 

I thought they may be different varieties and wrote to Mr Fothergill's Marketing Services manager to ensure I was correct? 

Hi Alan

These are two very different type of Tree Spinach. Our tree spinach Chenopodium giganteum (the one Alys Fowler also mentions) is completely different from Chaya- Mexican Tree Spinach Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (or Mayan Spinach). So, while the latter requires care in preparation, the former is completely safe.

 Hope this helps.

It did help to put my mind at ease, so remember if you find YouTube videos about Tree Spinach it's more than likely going to be the Chaya variety.   

Cultivation

Grow in any well-drained fertile soil, in a sunny or semi-shaded position. In the ideal growing conditions, they can grow quite rapidly and may require staking if they become too tall

Propagation

Sow indoors in early spring or sow direct in early summer, once the soil has warmed up

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Patio and container plants

Pruning

Harvest the leaves as required, to keep the plant compact and cropping well

Pests

Generally, pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Huw Richards has produced a very informative video on Tree Spinach 

In My Seed Box For 2027 - Index

In My Seed Box for 2027 - Swede

    

OK I admit when I think of swede it takes me back to my childhood as my Mum used to cook roast dinners all the time and swede was part of our staple diet, however since growing up and getting married it's not something that the wife was particularly fond off, so I haven't eaten it for some years. 

Chatting with my sister-in-law Pauline who also had a plot on the same allotment site, until she moved away.  She has not had much luck growing swede in the past. 

I have a vague recollection of my old Mum boiling it, mashing it and adding butter, but I may be wrong!

Swede Best Of All - Seeds To Suit  - Approx 50 Seeds - 29p 

Swede Best Of All - Seedmegastore - - Approx 100 Seeds - 49p Packed July 2026

This traditional variety is a popular choice, producing mildly flavoured sized purple topped roots 

Sow        Mid-May to Jun

Harvest  July - December

• Sow directly in the ground from middle of May through to July
• Sow thinly 12.5mm (1/2") deep in drills 300mm (12") apart in finely tilled soil
• When seedlings are large enough to handle thi to 150mm apart, they do not transplant well 
• Keep well -watered and weed free 
• Protect from birds 

 

Gowrie - Seedmegastore - - Approx 1000 Seeds - 99p Packed Sept 2026

A purple skinned variety that offers a combination of high dry matter yields with excellent disease resistance. Good colour and flesh texture.

Sowing Time: May to Late June.

 

Sowing Instructions: Sow seeds thinly ½ inch deep in drills 15 inches apart in soil that has been raked to a fine tilth.

 

Growing Instructions: When large enough to handle, thin seedlings to 6 inches apart, taking care not to damage the roots. 

In My Seed Box For 2027 - Index

Working On Beds 4 to 6

After a couple of days of rain this afternoon I managed to get the crown longitudinal ties drilled and fixed to the hoops, the Oilers and worm towers installed and beds 5 and 6 have been given another layer of vermiculite. Kelly is going to help me get more compost and mulch/ compost added to bed 5 and 6 tomorrow night weather permitting. I shall also look at what can be harvested from bed 1 tomorrow and pick up more windfall apples and leaves from the paths around the bed. I love being able to get what tools I need out the the Keter store and putting them back after I have used them.

Worm Tower installed bed 4

Hole for worm tower in bed 5 soil is nice and moist under the dry surface 

Worm tower installed such that cap will be at ground level once the bed has been topped up

Large Terracotta olla pot installed to the left of the worm tower

Smaller Terracotta olla pot installed to the right of the worm tower

A layer of vermiculite added to both bed 5 and 6 which will be mixed in with the auger Power Planter once more compost and mulch compost is added tomorrow

Scaffolding Debris netting laid over the structure such that the ends are more equal, I will able tie them in place tomorrow for now clamps are holding them in place to the crown tie