To the Plantura products Crimson Crush tomato: growing, care & uses
Tired of losing your tomato crop to blight? Look no further than the ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato.
The ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato, Solanum lycopersicum ‘Crimson Crush F1’, is one of the most popular blight-resistant tomato varieties on the market. With its blight resistance and high yields, it makes for a wonderful, low-maintenance variety. This article will introduce you to the ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato and give you tips on how to properly grow and care for this wonderful hybrid variety.
Contents
‘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
‘Crimson Crush F1’ tomatoes are a hybrid type that were bred by Simon Crawford and a Ph.D. student at Bangor University, and were first offered on the market by Suttons. Unlike an heirloom variety, this hybrid type’s seeds may not produce plants true to form. Therefore, if you try to save your seeds, your new plants may not have the same level of blight resistance as the originals.
Taste and characteristics of the ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato
While it was bred for its blight resistance and not for an intense flavour, ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato fruit nevertheless, is sure to please with its juicy and sweet, yet slightly acidic, full flavour. The fruit is medium-sized and round, with some slight imperfections that are appealing to the eye. They grow, on average, to weigh approximately 200 g each, making them perfect slicing or salad tomatoes. ‘Crimson Crush’ plants produce abundant yields with fruit growing on long trellises. When grown as an indeterminate type, the plants can easily reach heights of over 120 cm tall. Given this, plants will need to be supported with stakes, trellises, or cages.
Growing and caring for ‘Crimson Crush’ tomatoes
‘Crimson Crush’ Tomatoes are truly blight resistant. Where other varieties will succumb to tomato blights, ‘Crimson Crush’ will keep on 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 the ‘Crimson Crush’ is a cordon-type tomato, allow one or two main leader stems and pinch off the side growth for best yields. Trellis your plants with wire as they grow, or use tomato cages.
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 also require more nutrients as they consume what is available in the soil. Use a slow-release fertiliser like our Plantura Tomato Food.
Harvest and uses
When your ‘Crimson Crush’ tomatoes are deep red in colour and slightly soft to the touch, you will know they are ripe and ready for 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 and allow it to ripen inside your house. Your ripe ‘Crimson Crush’ tomatoes are great in a salad, delicious as sliced tomatoes on their own, or on a sandwich. 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 articles on pruning and pinching out tomato plants in order to get the maximum harvest out of your ‘Crimson Crush’ tomato plants.
