Page 67 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2023

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There’s Tomato
Life With
Tomatoes
Pelted at nobility and ne’er-do-wells alike down through the ages, tomatoes are synonymous with self expression. So it only seems apt that these fruit should exhibit wild, varied, expressive characteristics in terms of their palettes, profiles, and patternations. With bulbous, irregular, incandescently-hued cheeks - cheeks as characterful as those of the peasants who’ve proffered pomodori projectiles - tomatoes are quite literally a riot of colour.
However, in common with many types of produce, the full expression of tomatoes has become somewhat neutered in recent years. The homogenising, sanitising influence of supermarkets with their persuasive, if unsustainable, prices has seen commonly available tomatoes vastly reduced in terms of variety.
Thankfully, life finds a way. In the
case of tomatoes their quintessentially robust and versatile nature with regard to growing conditions has allowed growers to rediscover rarer varieties. Moreover, the plants ideally lend themselves to cross breeding - leading to ever more eyeopening interpretations.
We’ve covered incredible permutations of tomato cultivation in these pages before. In 1.22, 2.22, and 3.22 we detailed the exploits of such tomato luminaries as Tomato Revolution, Mrs Bees, and Wesley Burton respectively. But it’s a subject that’s hard to resist revisiting given the pace and panache of modern approaches to tomato growing.
Keeper of a reassuringly regular-sized garden, Niall Radford is nonetheless an exemplar of diverse pomme d’amour plantation. Concentrating his efforts on a couple of small greenhouses for 2023, he has seemingly devised a perfect set up for his plants, which grow in AutoPot XL modules. As he explains, ‘I only fill the pots to about 15L with a mixture
of coir, compost, and perlite.’ The grow media seems to have provided a perfect combination of aeration and water retention in which Niall’s beautifully niche heirloom tomatoes are thriving.
Think fruity-fresh, Sart Roloise with
their gorgeous, ombre fades - from purple shoulders to yellow-green blossom ends. Perfectly formed, intensely flavoursome, indigo and green-mottled Kaleidoscopic Jewels, dazzling little opal shaped fruit that absolutely live up to their moniker. Prefer something milder, yet dense and meaty? Niall’s ‘crushing’ that too with voluptuously shaped, crimson and black Crushed Hearts.
Yet more spectral splendour is on show with orange to black-purple Lucid Gems, a beautiful, sweet tomato that dials down the acidity. For a psychedelic inner vision you could scarcely do better than Niall’s P20 Beauty King’s with their wildly structured, vibrant pink interiors. The list can, and does, go on, running the gamut of Ozark Sunrise, Midnight Sun, Black Beauty, Rebel Starfighter VT16, Pink Berkeley Tie Dye, and Blue Beauty. Fed on a two-part, water- soluble, mineral feed and a little Fulvic Acid the plants and fruit are exhibiting a robustness of form and colour that is quite extraordinary.
The fruit are able to reach such astonishing highs thanks, in part, to the
means by which they’re supported. In their individual AutoPot modules the plants each draw water from a reservoir, via pipework to their own individual requirements. As the plants know the correct rate of intake better than any human they’re always
set fair to achieve their full potential. The whole system is completely power free and requires no running water, making it low maintenance, sustainable, and safe to leave unattended for long periods if needs be. And who wouldn’t want a getaway given the conditions we’ve all been ‘enjoying’ of late!?
The weather, whatever. On every conceivable level this summer’s squibs have been almost exclusively damp - for Niall and most U.K. growers alike. That has eased some of the usual pressures of excess temperatures, but also complicates matters considerably.
With fluctuating but generally sub par temps and rain aplenty, it’s a fine balance to be struck between maintaining airflow and maximising warmth. Consistently inconsistent, there’s often a seasonably
hot day to throw into the mix too. In Niall’s experience of 2023, ‘the weather has been a hinderance with fruit slow to ripen, it has also meant that I’ve had to pay a lot more attention to ventilation.’ The general health of the plants has not been too bad though and at least responding to variable watering requirements is entirely taken care of with the AutoPot modules, minimising workload on the irrigation front.
Still can’t get enough of these beautiful tomatoes? Neither can we, that’s why
we follow Niall’s continuing adventures
via his instagram feed @niallradford - as should you. Hasten there at once! There’s something new to see practically every day!
25L AutoPot XL modules keep Niall’s tomatoes irrigated and fed power-free with no running water required
Whilst his setups are reassuringly regular in size, Niall’s range of tomatoes is anything but ordinary