Friday 11 March 2016

Whittled Down To Two

It's this time of year when I'm usually thinking about starting off some seeds, my fingers are always itching to get the seed packets opened and kick off the growing season, however, having given up my allotment at the end of last year, there truthfully isn't all that much to do this year. I do still want to grow things in the garden but until I've given it a bit of an overhaul and decided how and where I'm going to grow everything, I'm keeping things simple. There really needs to be some planning done but having given the allotment up due to lack of time, it's going to have to wait. Instead, my growing plans for this year have been cut down to the bare minimum.

I usually grow a selection of tomatoes but even if I wasn't looking to simplify things because of lack of time, I'd already decided that I would whittle down my selection to the two varieties I'm most impressed by at the moment and those are Bloody Butcher and Maskotka.


I grew Bloody Butcher for the first time last year, I'd come across some young plants in a local garden centre and though I usually grow my tomatoes from seed, I just couldn't resist this name so a plant ended up coming home with me. It's an heirloom variety and produces tomatoes in a range of sizes from very small to beefsteak size, though the ones on my plant last year were mostly a decent salad size.


They have good firm flesh and I was very impressed with the taste.


I think you can tell how juicy they are by this next photo.


Instead of buying a plant as I did last year, I've bought a packet of seed from Simply Seed, an online company which I haven't used before, but I have to say that I was very impressed with their service, the seeds were delivered with superfast speed. It's more economical buying seeds than buying plants, but I find it more fun to grow things from seeds anyway.

The second variety of tomato I'll be growing this year can't, in my opinion, be beaten. I discovered Maskotka two years ago and I think it will be a tomato which I always grow from now on.

They're a bush type plant but not compact by any stretch of the imagination, they still need staking and they tend to sprawl all over the place but they're heavy cropping and taste absolutely delicious so I'm inclined to forgive them their untidy habit.


The fruit is cherry size and has a wonderful taste, sweet and thin skinned. I usually keep them in a bowl on the worktop in the kitchen so that I can snack on them throughout the day, it's like popping sweeties in your mouth.


I wrote an earlier post about the potato varieties I'm growing and apart from them, the only other thing I shall be growing this year is cucumbers. I've gone for my favourite snack sized variety, Mini Munch. It's going to be very different this year without the allotment.

52 comments:

  1. Even when I have never been able to grow anything, I have always grown some toms, just think you will have more time to relax in the garden xx

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    1. I really couldn't do without my tomatoes, I love growing them and I love eating them and shop bought ones just aren't the same. Not sure about having more time to relax, just having enough time to do everything I need to would be good.

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  2. I love cherry tomatoes. Mac is growing our tomatoes from seeds this year too.

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    1. I love cherry tomatoes too, it's so easy to keep them handy and pop them in your mouth as you pass by. More healthier than sweeties. I like growing from seed rather than buying plants, it's more fun and you feel as though you've accomplished more when you're harvesting the fruit.

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  3. I am sure you will miss the allotment, time is definitely a valuable commodity. I have just started potting up the seeds, they are now on every windowsill in the house. We are using mainly seeds that came free with our magazine subscription. I have made a note of the tomatoes, so that I can give them a go.

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    1. We'll definitely miss the allotment but it's something we can go back to at a later date when we've got more time on our hands. That's one thing I won't miss, trying to find space for all the seedlings. Maskotka is one tomato I would definitely recommend you try, I wouldn't be without it now.

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  4. I'm looking forward to starting off some seeds this weekend. I'm organising a community front garden competition in the village I live in.

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    1. I'm holding back on my seed sowing for a few more weeks, even though I'm itching to get cracking. I shall savour the time I spend sowing them seeing as I'm sowing very few this year. The community front garden competition sounds interesting, I look forward to hearing more about it.

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  5. I tend to only grow two tomato varieties on the plot. I may try Maskotka next year as you're not the only blogger who rates them. Happy gardening. Flighty xx

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    1. It will certainly make things much simpler growing just two varieties, it's always so tempting to grow more are there's so much choice. I can thoroughly recommend Maskotka, I do hope you give them a try.

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  6. OH my - we LOVE growing our own tomatoes. I've never heard of "Bloody Butcher" before. Hopefully we can find some here in the states. We are so spoiled growing our own....the ones in the grocery stores taste like rubber.
    xxx

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    1. I don't think people realise how tasteless tomatoes from the grocery stores taste unless they've sampled home grown ones, we get spoilt having tomatoes with so much flavour. Bloody Butcher was a new one to me last year but I was so impressed with it that I'm growing it again this year, I do hope it performs as well this time round.

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  7. I'm glad to see that even with your down-sizing plans, Maskotka is not going to "get the chop"! Like you, this is one I will grow every year. I haven't sown any tomato seeds yet, but I got my chillis in yesterday.

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    1. Your reviews of Maskotka, along with one or two others, are what made me try them in the first place. I'm so pleased I did as they're the nicest tasting tomato I've tried. I'm giving it another few weeks yet before I sow my tomato seed, it's still a little cold, not to mention dark, so they'll only grow leggy without the right conditions. They usually catch up anyway.

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  8. Tomatoes, runner beans and courgettes are what I'm going to grow, along with some salad leaves and cucumbers. Oh and potatoes. I like the sound of both of your tomatoes, I've not heard of that seed company, off to look them up now.

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    1. I'm hoping that I might have the garden planned out a bit better to be able to grow more next year, we'll see. Perhaps growing things like runner beans which need space going upwards rather than ground space is the way to go in the meantime, perhaps I could slot a few plants in somewhere.

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  9. Jo - they look great choices, and you just can not beat the taste of home grown tomatoes. I think those that are fortunate to have time and space to grow their own should definitely do it. I think children too can be encouraged to grow seeds etc.

    Slightly off topic, but the grand-children are already talking about growing their Sunflowers again ... and that's just great!

    Enjoy the remainder of Friday and have a lovely weekend.

    PS Don't take Archie wild garlic picking - he will get far too muddy! LOL!

    All the best Jan

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    1. The difference in taste between shop bought tomatoes and home grown tomatoes is amazing, I would have never believed it if I hadn't tried it for myself. I rarely buy tomatoes out of season because they just don't compare, I'd rather do without and wait until I've grown them myself. I'm a great believer in catching children while they're young and introducing them to the wonder of gardening, whether it be growing their own food or planting sunflower seeds and seeing the huge plants which emerge from a tiny seed. It's sad that so many children don't have these experiences, they can create a lifelong love of gardening and that can only be a good thing. There's definitely no wild garlic picking on the agenda for Archie, that farmer's field we have to cross to get to the woods is far too muddy, he'd come home black!

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  10. It will certainly be different for you this year.

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    1. Very different. Even this early in the season, I can see that we won't be devoting much time at all this year to gardening. It's sad in a way but the pressure's off and that's a good thing, we just don't have the time to devote to an allotment at the moment but it's something we can hopefully get back to in the future.

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  11. It's a jiggle to find room, our garden is so small, well not really but we have an extension to the house, decking and a garage, so the growing plot is small, but there are loads of tricks we can do to make more growing space. Clever you for cutting back on the varieties.

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    1. It's the same here, the garden isn't really so small, it's just the way it's set out at the moment, it needs redesigning if I'm to have some veg beds in it. It's very tempting to grow lots of varieties, especially with tomatoes and potatoes as there's so many interesting ones to choose from, but I know what I like now so it makes sense to cut down, especially at the moment.

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  12. I cut down a lot last year and will be doing the same again, for reasons of time mostly. I found it far more enjoyable concentrating on a few things and growing them well rather than stretching myself to the limit.

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    1. I think with an allotment, you can afford to grow larger amounts and lots of different varieties but when time and space are at a premium it pays to choose carefully. I'm hoping that I've made a wise choice this year.

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  13. If you get a crop like you did last year you'll be laughing! I like your choices, I would always go for spuds and tomatoes too as a first choice, then herbs.xxx

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    1. I had my best year ever last year, I do hope this year's a good one too. Herbs would come near the bottom for me, I don't use that many of them and much prefer growing veggies.

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  14. When time is an issue, it is still nice to be able to pick a 'few' things to eat. Our tomatoes (only 3) have done quite well, even with the extreme heat, but are nearly finished now. My favourite was an acid free yellow variety (can't find the label)which didn't crop heavily, but is delicious. The other two were a small roma and a cherry type. I've picked plenty of those. Good luck with the garden reconfiguring and have a good weekend. Take care.

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    1. I couldn't go a year without growing anything at all. Sometimes it doesn't matter if a variety doesn't crop so well as others, the taste more than makes up for it. It's like that with Anya potatoes which are my very favourite, though saying that, they did remarkably well last year.

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  15. Boy, those tomatoes do look good, Jo. I can almost taste them! :o)

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    1. There's nothing quite like home grown tomatoes. I always like to grow plenty so that I can share them with friends and family.

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  16. Thanks for the recommendations - it's always good to know of new varieties. Our very favourite which we grew for years was called Vicky but we can't get the seeds at all now which is a shame xx

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    1. I've never heard of Vicky, probably why if you can't get the seeds now. That's such a shame when you find something you like, isn't it.

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  17. Although you're cutting back on the amount and varieties of vegetables you'll grow this year at least you have experience of the ones your family enjoy and have done well for you in the past. My husband is trying two varieties of tomatoes from the packets of seed we were given and two varieties using the seed he saved from last year's crop. He has the time to nurture his plants, but it's the space as they grow that's needed.

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    1. I know I'll get back to growing a wider variety of vegetables in the future but it's good to have a few things on the go this year. It's quite easy to let the enthusiasm take over and start off lots of seeds at this time of year but as you say, you need the space to grow them all on, something I'm without at the moment.

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  18. Ah, Bloody Butcher...a favourite here as well - you certainly have captured their deliciousness in those photos! Your and Mark's raves about Maskotka have me adding it to my list of varieties to try. It's not readily available in North America right now, but I'm sure that is bound to change.

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    1. I'm a recent convert to Bloody Butcher, I just hope the plants do as well this year as they did last year. I can't praise Maskotka enough, they're definitely the variety I'd choose if I had to grow just one. I do hope you can find some seed to give them a try.

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  19. Oh these look so yummy. i haven't had much success with tomatoes this year. The birds get them before I do :(

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    1. Last year was my best year with tomatoes yet, I'm hoping for the same again this year. I've never heard of birds going for tomatoes before, Archie used to be quite partial to them when he was a puppy, he'd take them from the plant before I got chance but he's stopped that now I'm glad to say.

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  20. I haven't even gone through my seeds yet to see what I need to buy! There is no point me sowing for another month yet so I am in no hurry......but sadly I find that leaving it this late means there are many things that run out. Seed catalogues don't cater for cold northern climes.

    Those varieties look great I will see if I can find them! Thank you for sharing.

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    1. I'm not sowing yet either but I have gone through my seeds, mainly because I won't be sowing many this year and I didn't want everything to be wasted. I've passed most seed packets on to people who will use them. Definitely give Maskotka a go if you can find some seed, they're certainly worth trying.

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  21. I've picked up some seeds to grow this year, they're all flowers though. I have been considering some carrots as it's been a while since I grew those. We don't have a greenhouse though.

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    1. I don't grow many flowers from seed, I just don't have anywhere to grow them as my borders and made up of perennials and theye're jam packed. I had my best carrot growing year last year, I grew them in a raised bed and the extra depth seemed to help enormously. Good luck with yours.

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  22. My mum always grows tomatoes, I'll have to mention these to her.
    Lisa x

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    1. I hope she shares with you, there's nothing tastier than home grown tomatoes.

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  23. I am going to try to grow tomatoes this year, i tried once but it was such a wet summer that they weren't very successful. I thought i would try them in the conservatory (now we have one).
    Thanks for the recommendations, i will look out for them :-)

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    1. I'm sure they'll do really well in a conservatory. I grow some of mine in the greenhouse and some outdoors and to be honest, the ones outdoors usually perform the best. I love home grown tomatoes, you never get that fabulous taste from tomatoes bought from the supermarket.

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  24. I like the sound of 'Bloody Butcher' Jo. We normally buy all the plants we grow in the greenhouse from the garden centre as little plants. I might look out for the seed to sow xx

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    1. I couldn't find Bloody Butcher seeds other than on the internet, I'm just hoping they do as well this year as they did last year.

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    2. Oh it's hard cutting down on the seed sowing Jo isn't it but it does have some advantages too. I'm growing 'Maskotka' from seed this year too plus one other but am also ordering some tomato plants. Will probably not sow though until the start of April.

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    3. It's been a case of needs must this year, no space means I've had to cut down but as you say, it will have some advantages, more time being one of them. I haven't started seed sowing yet, I'm with you, the beginning of April is soon enough.

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  25. We don't grow much - mostly herbs in pots, as one of the neighbours has more cats than we can count, which treat our garden as a toilet. Last year's lettuce simply went in the compost bin after finding cat poo in the soil!!

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    1. I wouldn't fancy eating things which cats had been around either. We used to get quite a lot of cats in our front garden, not so many now, but they don't tend to come anywhere near the back garden, especially since we've had Archie.

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