One of the few vegetables I planted when I first arrived (even before moving in) was tomatoes – mainly the cherry variety. These are great little plants and fruit – being able to pick a handful of mixed varieties for a salad for one person, or harvesting a larger crop for entertaining or preserving. The cherry plants are also a little more manageable than some of the more rampant varieties.

This year is no different, just that I now have more room and can plant more. As usual, like the potatoes, I have approached this with enthusiasm and seem to have collected lots of plants that now need to be planted. The back garden wall is an excellent location, offering lots of sun and is fully wired which saves me from staking. I’m also using terracotta pots and the raised veg beds. I’ve overdone it and think a few may find their way into neighbour’s gardens. So far for the cherries I have:

• Cherry Gold
• Orange Sunrise
• Sweetbite
• Grape Toms
• Yellow Pear (a favourite visually for colour and shape – tastes good too)
• Broad Ripple Yellow Currant
• Cherry Ripe
• Cherry Roma
• Truss Sweet
• Cocktail
• Mini Roma
• Black Cherry (sounds dramatic)
• Sun Drop
• Little Sugar Yellow
• Pink Cherry
• Cherry Falls

For larger varieties I have

• Tumbling Red Tom
• Tumbler Yellow
• Grosse Lisse
• Beef Steak (sounds like a “Man’s Tomato”)
• Black Russian

This time, all varieties are clearly tagged so I can determine the best performers (or best locations). I’ll also collect and label seeds. It’s been a bit disappointing that I don’t seem to have plants coming up from last year’s crop. I was careful to leave some of the tomatoes to self-seed. Well, it’s still early in the season.