Tomato 'Yellow Peach'

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Tomato Yellow Peach

This year I tried the "Heritage" tomatoes offered as plants. Not all the plants supplied survived and grew but of those that did one cultivar, Yellow Peach, seemed to me to be outstanding.

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By: Richard Bailey, Wallington, Surrey

This year I tried the "Heritage" tomatoes offered as plants (because European Union rules do not allow sale of these particular cultivars as seeds) by Mr Fothergill's Seeds. Not all the plants supplied survived and grew but of those that did one cultivar, 'Yellow Peach', seemed to me to be outstanding.

It produces standard sized fruits with a skin that is not clear and shiny but just ever so slightly furry. Not so furry that you would notice it if you did not know, and certainly not as furry as a peach - so you need have no fear that the fruits will be rejected by fussy children! But you can just detect, by feel more than sight, the unusual texture. While the fruits are basically a uniform yellow they usually have a slight blue grey feathering around the calyx when young.

I have always liked yellow tomatoes - if only because they provide a talking point when non gardening guests come to dinner. And theirflavour is usually distinctive.

'Yellow Peach' certainly does have a distinctive flavour. It is, without doubt one of the best flavoured tomatoes I have grown (and that includes 'Brandywine' mentioned in "Gardening on the internet" in this Quarterly Bulletin). Flavour is always difficult to describe and is always a very personal matter, but I enjoy 'Yellow Peach' because it is not sweet, but achieves this without being acid. I am not a lover of cultivars such as 'Sungold' that have very sweet fruits and I find many others a trifle acid even when well ripened. For me 'Yellow Peach' is ideal, neither too sweet nortoo acid. Smooth is the word I would use to describe it.

The plants were grown out of doors against a south facing wall and trained as double cordons with the side shoots removed. Each branch was allowed to set four trusses. The first trusses set well, as did subsequent trusses. As I write in late August the first two trusses on each branch have ripened. I would predict ayield of 8-10 Ibs per plant if we do not get an early frost.

Each plant was grown in a bottomless 6 inch (15 cm) pot, containing a leaf mould soil/mixture, placed on a standard grow bag. On most days they were watered early in the morning and early afternoon, with an extra watering in the evening of the rare very hot days.

I mention watering because 'Yellow Peach' seems to be more than usually susceptible to blossom end rot. Despite the pots containing compost for water retention and the regular watering, several fruits were affected on the lower trusses. In one grow bag I also grew a plant of 'Ailsa Craig' which, being in the same bag, was subject to exactly the same watering regime. Not one fruit on that plant developed blossom end rot - nor did other cultivars in other pots and grow bags which also had the same watering pattern.

However, with the one proviso that extra care needs to be taken to counter blossom end rot 'Yellow Peach' seems to me an excellent cultivar. (I could probably have eliminated blossom end rot if I had applied a foliarfeed of calcium nitrate.)

By no means all old cultivars that have almost disappeared are worth rescuing - but this would seem to be one that justifies the effort.

This article originally appeared in the Members Bulletin, the journal of the National Vegetable Society, which is sent quarterly to members. You can Join the National Vegetable Society here

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