Hundreds and thousands, a dear little tomato
I officially love Summer. I thought I loved Winter the best, but as I have got more mature older, I have realised that I used to like Winter because Christmas is in it. Now I still love Christmas the most, but I’m really loving Summer. Allow me to expand on that.
I’ve always half-heartedly and incompetently messed around with plants, but not knowing what one is doing is rather a drawback. Even worse than that is asking your very garden-competent parents for instructions and then not really understanding what they’re talking about.
Pinch out the side shoots (offhand, in the style of ‘don’t forget to wipe your bottom’)
Mmhm. Pinch them out from where?
From the side.
But it all grows out of the side. This bit?
No, leave that bit, pinch out this bit.
This bit too?
No. Leave that bit.
Pinch it. That means what exactly?
Nip it off.
Like this?
Well…more like this, but not that bit.
Whatever, dude.
So I took matters into my own hands. I had bought a punnet of teeny-tiny tomatoes; they were the size of cola pips (hands up who remembers cola pips?) and I loved them. Flicking through one of Mum and Dad’s garden catalogues, we saw a variety of tomato listed – ‘Hundreds and Thousands’. It has to be them and I must have those plants. Even better? No pinching out of side shoots required. Match made in Heaven.
They arrived as little plug plants, they had to sit in my kitchen for what felt like months, until they had outgrown their pots. One of the most stressful times of my life. Those 3 plants were trying to die! They were! They got dodgy coloured leaves, would suddenly collapse and were generally very highly strung. 3 operatic Divas in pots, I tell you. I wouldn’t mind, but I nurtured them – even got Mum to come over and visit them. She agreed, I was doing it all right – they just wanted to be outside, but not until they had filled their pots with roots. OK Mum.
First hint of spindly thin root on the bottom of that pot and those stroke-inducing buggers were outside. Inside for the night, then back out. Not in direct sunlight, but with a little dappled shade. They were more demanding than Alex and frankly, that’s incredible.
Oh yeah.. Mum, I told you they had filled the pot with roots – they sort of had. Never mind, eh.
So fast forward and they are in hanging baskets, suspended from a hanging basket stake thing that looked very alarming until the baskets were ready. Well, they’ve grown…and grown…and grown. They make Topsy look like an underachiever. So pretty with the yellow flowers, hahaha goodness, so many yellow flowers. Here come the little tomatoes, goodness hahaha, so many tomatoes. Green tomatoes, but lo! They are ripening, slowly, but it’s happening. See the little orange one peeking out?
The most dreadful picture of Alex ever taken. It just goes to prove that if you try to use a child for scale and perspective in a photo, it bites you back. Gone to kick a football before I could try again. Shows the scale nicely though.
Shameless use of Ian for scale too. He looks so uncomfortable in this picture. That’s because he’s thinking, ‘I’m going to have to eat this lot’.
So there you have the saga and wonder of the tomato variety ‘Hundreds and Thousands’. *wry chuckle* it certainly lives up to its name, and I hope that Ian and Alex are looking forward to eating that lot.
Oh! Didn’t you know? I don’t like tomatoes. Well, I like cooked cherry tomatoes as long as they’ve collapsed and are with other veg. A raw tomato? Not on your nelly.
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11th August – An update.
The first of the tomatoes are ripened and have been sampled by the tomato eaters of the family – a big thumbs up. Words used were ‘outstanding’ ‘so sweet’ and ‘excellent’.
I have seen the seeds in the shops, so it would have to be our recommendation for next year!
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UPDATE 7th September
So lots of people have had the opportunity to try these. Lots of people, because there are LOTS of tomatoes! They are so sweet (apparently) and very popular. Definitely, definitely growing them again next year.
They are at their best when very ripe. Dear little things.
I actually ran out of time harvesting some this evening. Man, they live up to their name.
Ha! I love this picture of Ian. I also do not like raw tomatos. No thanks. Please cook it up, put it in a sauce or label it ketchup and im good.
Glad I have a fellow member of the no raw tomatoes club – it’s nice to keep such good company
Hello Anna, we met briefly a couple of weeks ago at Pat’s.
I just love the miniature tomatoes, but if they don’t all ripen I have a fantastic authentic Indian recipe that uses a 50/50 mixture of green and red tomatoes. Also includes tamarind garlic sultanas and an array of spices among other things. It keeps for years and improves with time. (oldest in my store is early 1990s) Iv’e been making it on and off since the sixties when I first discovered Indian food and started experimenting with recipes collected by Dhramjit Singh.
Best wishes for the blog
Julia
Hi Julia!
That recipe sounds fantastic and I know Ian would adore it if you wouldn’t mind sharing it? Luckily the tomatoes seem to be ripening in steady stages because Ian and Alex are having to have tomatoes more or less with every meal! I managed to palm some off on my neighbour this morning
Lovely to hear from you. x
Well done haven’t tried this variety, may give it a whirl next year. Don’t forget the patio courgette. I Have one plant in a pot & still harvesting, well worth growing. Only water & feed required !!!!!!
Oh yes, I am definitely giving the patio courgette a try. I would love to try battering and frying the blooms!
Hundreds and Thousands are small but the flavour is unbelievable! They compare with the best of the best for taste and look great in hanging baskets etc.