Crimson Crush tomato: growing, care & uses

Eric

I love plants. I have a BSc. in Turf and Landscape Horticulture, an MSc. in Crop Production, and a Ph.D. in Crop Science, as well as over 20 years of experience in landscaping, gardening, horticulture, and agriculture. The central focus throughout my career, has been on caring for the soil, as healthy soil makes for healthy plants, and plants are integral to the sustainability of life.

Favourite vegetables: basil, garlic, onions and leeks
Favourite fruits: ripe figs, blueberries and dates

Are you tired of losing your tomato crop to blight? Look no further than the ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato, a very blight resistant tomato.

Long tomato truss on plant — ‘Crimson Crush’ tomatoes produce medium to large round fruit on long trusses [Photo: Eurybia/ Shutterstock.com]

The ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato, Solanum lycopersicum ‘Crimson Crush F1’, is one of the most popular blight-resistant tomato cultivars on the market. It is a wonderful low-maintenance variety, thanks to its blight resistance and high yields. Read on to find out all about the ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato as well as how to grow and care for this wonderful hybrid.

Contents

‘Crimson Crush’ tomato: profile
Origin and history of the tomato
Taste and characteristics of the ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato
Growing and caring for ‘Crimson Crush’ tomatoes
Harvest and uses

‘Crimson Crush’ tomato: profile

Other names	‘Crimson Crush F1’
Fruit	Salad/ Slicing Tomato, deep red
Flavour	Juicy, sweet, balanced, full flavour
Ripening time	Mid to late season
Growth	Indeterminate, cordon type
Location	Outdoors or greenhouse

Origin and history of the tomato

The ‘Crimson Crush F1’ tomato is a hybrid bred by Simon Crawford and a Ph.D. student at Bangor University. It was the first offered on the market by Suttons. Unlike heirloom varieties, this hybrid’s seeds may not produce plants that are true to the parent. So, if you try to save your seeds, your new plants may not have the same fruit size or taste. It is also possible that the plant might not have the same level of blight resistance as the original.

Taste and characteristics of the ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato

While bred for its blight resistance rather than an intense flavour, the fruits of ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato are nevertheless sure to please. Its fruits are high-yielding and have a juicy and sweet, yet slightly acidic, full flavour.

The fruit is medium-sized and round, with some slight imperfections that add to its charm. They grow to be about 200 g each on average. This makes them perfect for slicing and as salad tomatoes.

‘Crimson Crush’ plants produce an abundant amount of fruit on long trusses. When grown indeterminately, the plants can easily reach heights of more than 120 cm tall. So, it is important to support these plants with stakes, trellises, or cages.

tomatoes ripening on a plant showing symptoms of blight — ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato plants can produce a decent yield even when exhibiting symptoms of a blight infection [Photo: David Orcea/ Shutterstock.com]

Growing and caring for ‘Crimson Crush’ tomatoes

‘Crimson Crush’ tomatoes are truly blight resistant. Other varieties will succumb to tomato blight (Phytophthora infestans), but ‘Crimson Crush’ is very blight-resistant and will even fight blight. The plant will keep growing and still produce abundant yields even after developing blight symptoms.

They are best grown outside in your garden in the full sun but can also be grown in containers or in a greenhouse. As ‘Crimson Crush’ is a cordon-type tomato, allow one or two main leader stems to grow and pinch out the side growth for best yields. Use wire to attach your plants to a trellis as they grow, or place tomato cages over them to provide the support they need.

Like most tomatoes, ‘Crimson Crush’ requires rich, well-draining soil. Whether supplementing your garden soil, or for use as a potting compost, our Plantura Organic Tomato & Vegetable Compost will provide an excellent source of peat-free organic matter and a healthy dose of nutrients that will sustain your plants as they grow. You can start your seeds indoors in March and plant outside once the risk of frost has passed.

Water your plants regularly as tomatoes do not like to dry out. Inconsistent watering can lead to developmental issues, like cracking of the fruit or blossom end rot. Throughout the growing season, your plants will need more nutrients as they consume what is available in the soil. When the first truss starts to develop fruit, use an organic slow-release fertiliser like our Plantura Tomato Food.

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Harvest and uses

When your ‘Crimson Crush’ tomatoes are deep red and slightly soft to the touch, they are ripe and ready to harvest.

This can be anytime between July and October, depending on the weather and when you planted your plants. It is also possible to pick unripe fruit that has started to develop colour and allow it to ripen inside your house. Your ripe ‘Crimson Crush’ tomatoes are great in salads, delicious as sliced tomatoes on their own or in sandwiches. While they are a juicy tomato, they are meaty enough to make great sauces as well.

Has the ‘Crimson Crush’ variety sparked your interest? Check out our detailed article on pruning and pinching out tomato plants in order to get the maximum harvest out of your ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato plants.