Dear Bob, it is impossible to grow tomatos outside from our Autumn to late spring. However at the end of our growing season this year (early September), we always have a glut of green tomatos, in that they are not ripe. I know you can put them in a drawer with a ripe one and they will ripen due to ethylene gas from the ripe one. However we make green tomato chutney with the green ones which is delicious.
The more varieties we have the better. I make what some people call Ragu a sauce for a lot of Italian dishes like; lasagna, cannelloni etc. The more different tomatos the better it is.
Size does not matter as we do not bother with massive tomatos, we just go for taste and of course some of the big varieties would never ripen in our climate, even if you start them early.
I use Nasturtiums and the flowers in salads with tomatos, as the leaves are peppery and the flowers add great colour. Although we don't eat many salads in our flood ridden and freezing cold country at the moment.
Kindest regards from England.
Neil.
