Tomato ‘Mountain Magic’ F1 Hybrid – Veg of the Year 2016

by | Aug 31, 2015 | Gardening News, Gardening Posts, Vegetables

Fully resistant strain for blight-free tomato growing in 2016

When it comes to blight-free tomato growing, Thompson & Morgan has it covered. Having promoted the world’s first late blight resistant outdoor cherry plum as Vegetable of the Year 2015, the mail order specialist has named fully blight resistant Tomato Mountain Magic F1 as its Vegetable of the Year for 2016.

tomato mountain magic f1 hybridBlight is a rising problem for UK growers, especially for plants raised outdoors, due to increasingly wet and humid summer weather – conditions the fungal disease thrives under. Mountain Magic F1 has been developed with outdoor growers in mind, meaning gardeners don’t have to invest in costly greenhouses to carry on growing the nation’s favourite grow-your-own vegetable.

Mountain Magic F1 is a cordon-trained variety ideal for sunny veg patches and borders, as well as grow bags and patio containers. Combining the rich flavour of heritage varieties with modern F1 hybrid disease resistance, this tasty tom has everything going for it! Not only does it have good resistance to early blight, it carries the late blight-busting Ph-2 and Ph-3 genes, giving it protection against all current British strains including Pink6 and Blue13, the most virulent to hit UK crops. It also has in-built genetic resistance to both verticillium and fusarium wilt as well as skin cracking.

The variety joins last year’s introduction, Romello F1, a compact, blight resistant baby plum variety. Fruits weigh 16-18g and grow towards the outside of the plant for easy picking. Romello F1, makes the ideal cherry tomato for salads or picking straight from the vine, alternatively treat it as a mini plum for the perfect pasta sauce. Romello F1 retails at £3.99 for six seeds.

Mountain Magic F1 is truly all-purpose – eat it from the vine, slice for salads, salsas and sandwiches, or use as a cooker or sauce base. Mountain Magic F1 retails at £3.99 for five seeds.

Both blight resistant varieties are ideal for an April sowing under cover, for planting outside in early June.

Thompson & Morgan Vegetable Product Manager Colin Randel said: “These two tasty toughies cover a range of kitchen uses as well as offering the antidote to blight problems on the veg patch. There isn’t a better duo for risk-free outdoor growing. Mountain Magic certainly deserves its title of Vegetable of the Year for 2016.”

Find out more about Tomato ‘Mountain Magic’ F1 Hybrid by clicking here

Thompson & Morgan names exclusive tomato mix its ‘Veg of the Year’

by | Sep 26, 2012 | Gardening News

Tomato Rainbow Blend - Vegetable of the Year 2013

Tomato Rainbow Blend – Vegetable of the Year 2013

Tomato Rainbow Blend – a stunning blend of ‘baby plum’ tomatoes in yellow, orange and red – plus a rare and unusual pink.

Tomatoes are Thompson & Morgan’s No. 1 selling vegetable and the company offers an incredibly wide range of varieties; from large ‘beefsteaks’ to tiny, tasty ‘cherries’, there’s something to suit the palate of every tomato lover. However, Thompson & Morgan is always on the look-out for new and unusual varieties to tempt its customers, and has found a great example in Tomato Rainbow Blend.

Offered exclusively by Thompson & Morgan, these fabulous 4 ‘baby plum’ varieties – Katiebell (yellow), Lizziebell (orange), Luciebell (red) and the unusual Flamingo (pink) – were selected from over 70 tomato varieties by 3 different breeders. Selection for sweetness, flavour and colour has produced this blend of the best ‘baby plum’ tomatoes. Plants are productive as well as attractive – up to 12 fruits per truss and up to 10 trusses per plant when grown under glass. When grown outside, gardeners should allow just 4-5 trusses to encourage fruits to fully ripen. The ‘baby plums’ are very juicy, boasting deliciously high levels of sweetness, – 8 to 9 on the Brix scale – and weighing on average 16-20g (½-¾oz).

The prettily contrasting tomato colours will brighten the garden or greenhouse and once picked, will make delicious and colourful additions to salads, tomato sauces and a whole host of other tomato dishes. Their thin skins mean that fruits resist splitting on the plant and are well-suited to being cooked as well as eaten raw.

Always pleased to be bringing a new and interesting variety to its customers, Thompson & Morgan believes that Tomato Rainbow Blend will appeal to gardeners who like to grow something a little ‘different’, as well as to anyone who appreciates the wonderful taste of home-grown tomatoes.

Buy Tomato Rainbow Blend here

Tomato facts

Pin It on Pinterest