Crops › Tomato (Specialty)
How to grow Tomato (Specialty)
in the UK
Sow March to April, plant out May to June, harvest July to October. About 75 days from seed to plate.
Now, specialty tomatoes, they're not just your average red round 'uns, are they? These bring a bit of cracking colour and shape to your plot, proper eye-catchers and dead interesting to taste too, you know what I mean. I always like to sneak a few into the greenhouse for a bit of a talking point when folks visit.
Sowing
Getting these specialty tomatoes started, it's an indoor job for us up here in the North East, like I say. You'll want to sow your seeds indoors, March or April, in small pots or modules, about 1 cm deep. They need a bit of warmth, a propagator or a warm windowsill will do, and if you've got grow lights, even better, gives them a proper head start. Keep the compost moist, and they should pop up within a week or two, ready to grow into those interesting shapes and colours in about 75 days. You can often find plug plants for these too, if you miss the sowing window.
Growing on
Once they've got a couple of proper leaves, you'll need to prick them out and pot them on into bigger pots. They're a bit tender these, so no rushing them outside until all danger of frost is well past, usually mid to late May for us. Harden them off properly first, then plant them in the greenhouse or a really sheltered, sunny spot on the plot, giving them a good 60 cm between plants. Most of these will need staking or tying in as they grow, or even a good big container for some of the smaller types.
Looking after it
Tomatoes are thirsty things, especially once they're setting fruit, so keep them well watered and feed them every couple of weeks with a proper tomato feed. Pinch out the side shoots on indeterminate varieties – that's the ones that keep growing taller – to help them put energy into fruit. A good mulch helps keep the moisture in, too.
What goes wrong
Now, blight can be a bit of a nightmare with tomatoes, especially in wet summers, so try to keep good air circulation around them. Keep an eye out for whitefly in the greenhouse; sticky traps can help keep them down, to be honest. Remove any affected leaves quickly to stop things spreading.
Harvest
You'll be picking these from July right through to October, depending on the variety and when you sowed them. They're ready when they've coloured up nicely and feel a bit soft to the touch. Honestly, these specialty ones are best eaten fresh to really appreciate their unique colours and flavours. Don't let them sit about too long, get them in a salad or on a sarnie straight away.
I always reckon the best way to get cracking flavour is to make sure your plants are getting plenty of sunshine and consistent watering; no drying out, then flooding, you know what I mean?
Dates for your plot
Type the first half of your postcode and the plant-out advice shifts to your area's typical frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Green Zebra This heritage variety ripens to a lovely striped green with a tangy flavour, a real standout on the plate. It's great if you fancy something a bit different and want to surprise folks at dinner. | No club votes yet |
| Tigerella A proper early cropper, these red tomatoes with orange stripes are a cracking sight. Ideal if you're keen to get your first tomatoes of the season a bit sooner. | No club votes yet |
| Yellow Pear These heritage tomatoes are small, bright yellow, and shaped just like a little pear, dead cute really. A good choice for salads and for gardeners who like something visually interesting. | No club votes yet |
| Black Russian This heritage beefsteak type has a deep, dark brown-red colour and a rich, smoky flavour. Perfect for slicing up onto sandwiches or just eating fresh, a proper tasty one. | No club votes yet |
| White Wonder These heritage fruits are a pale cream colour when ripe, with a lovely mild flavour that's not too acidic. Give these a go if you fancy something a bit unusual and gentle on the palate. | No club votes yet |
| Lemon Drop A bright yellow cherry type, these little beauties have a cracking lemony tang. Perfect for pots and containers on the patio or balcony, even if you've only got a small space. | No club votes yet |
| Copia This heritage beefsteak tomato is a real looker, with stunning red and orange stripes both inside and out. It's a fantastic choice for a proper showstopper in salads. | No club votes yet |
| Purple Calabash A heritage variety with a really unique ruffled shape and a deep purple colour. It's a conversation starter for sure, and has a rich, complex flavour. | No club votes yet |
| Williams Striped This heritage beefsteak tomato offers a beautiful mix of red and yellow stripes, making it look cracking when sliced. Grow this one if you want a hearty tomato with visual appeal. | No club votes yet |
| Old German A big heritage beefsteak, these are a lovely yellow with streaks of red marbling through them. Great for a proper meaty slice on a burger or just on its own. | No club votes yet |
| Pink Oxheart This heritage variety produces large, heart-shaped pink fruits with a lovely dense flesh and few seeds. It's a cracking choice for sauces or just plain slicing. | No club votes yet |
| Red Pear Just like the Yellow Pear, but these heritage beauties are a vibrant red and still pear-shaped. A good, reliable choice for adding a splash of colour to your summer salads. | No club votes yet |
| Orange Banana These heritage fruits are an elongated, bright orange shape, a bit like a small banana. They've got a good, sweet flavour and are dead easy to grow. | No club votes yet |
| Purple Bumblebee A heritage cherry tomato with beautiful purple and pink stripes, they look absolutely stunning in a bowl. Fantastic for snacking straight off the vine or for fancy salads. | No club votes yet |
| Atomic Grape These elongated heritage cherry tomatoes ripen to a striking purple colour with green and red flecks, proper eye-catching. They're dead good for a sweet, juicy burst of flavour. | No club votes yet |
| Indigo Rose This heritage cherry tomato ripens to an almost black-purple colour where it's been exposed to the sun, a real novelty. It's a cracking little tomato for visual interest and has a rich taste. | No club votes yet |
| Bosque Blue A heritage beefsteak type with a stunning blue-purple colour on the shoulders, turning red towards the bottom. It's a proper big tomato for those who want something a bit different and a good yield. | No club votes yet |
| Striped Cavern This heritage red tomato has lovely stripes and a hollow centre, making it absolutely perfect for stuffing. If you're looking for a tomato that's a bit more versatile in the kitchen, this is your 'un. | No club votes yet |
| Golden Jubilee A heritage variety that produces lovely golden orange, mid-sized fruits with a sweet, mild flavour. It's a reliable choice for a consistent crop and a bit of colour. | No club votes yet |
| Lime Green Salad This heritage salad tomato stays green even when ripe, which can fool a few folk, to be honest! It's got a zesty, tangy flavour that's just cracking in a salad. | No club votes yet |
| Tangerine These heritage mid-sized fruits are a bright, vibrant orange with a good, sweet flavour. A cracking choice for those who want a reliable and colourful tomato. | No club votes yet |
| Red Currant These are tiny, wild-type red currant tomatoes, absolutely bursting with intense flavour. If you want proper little flavour bombs for snacking, these are dead chuffed. | No club votes yet |
| Yellow Currant Another tiny wild-type, these yellow currant tomatoes are sweet and utterly delicious, perfect for a quick pop in your mouth. They're great for a bit of foraging on the plot. | No club votes yet |
| White Currant The palest of the currant types, these tiny wild tomatoes are a light yellow colour with a delicate sweetness. Proper little gems that are easy to grow and dead tasty. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
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Cook the harvest
A Tuscan classic that was invented specifically for a glut of ripe tomatoes and stale bread, and it remains one of the most honest and satisfying things you can make in late summer. The specialty tomatoes melt down completely into the bread to create a thick, porridge-like soup that is somehow greater than the sum of its parts. Deeply savoury, perfumed with basil and garlic, finished with good olive oil — this is proper peasant cooking at its finest.
45 min · easyRipe specialty tomatoes are crushed and marinated briefly with garlic and olive oil, then piled onto grilled sourdough spread with whipped ricotta and topped with molten, spiced nduja. This is the kind of thing you eat standing at the kitchen counter in August when the tomatoes are at their absolute peak. Fast, bold, and completely satisfying.
20 min · easyA celebration of the best tomatoes of the season, slow-roasted until jammy and intensely sweet, then laid over creamy burrata with a vivid green basil oil drizzled over the top. This is the dish to make in August when your tomatoes are at their absolute peak — the roasting concentrates every bit of flavour the plant has worked all summer to build. Serve with good sourdough to mop up the juices.
55 min · easyA thick, golden frittata packed with sweet specialty tomatoes that soften into jammy pockets as it cooks. This is the kind of thing you make when you have a glut of tomatoes and want something genuinely satisfying with minimal effort. Good warm from the pan or cold the next day with a green salad.
28 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: basil, marigold
Questions people ask
When do you sow Tomato (Specialty) in the UK?
Sow Tomato (Specialty) from March to April. Plant out May to June, after the last frost.
How long does Tomato (Specialty) take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 75 days, with the harvest July to October.
Which Tomato (Specialty) varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Green Zebra, Tigerella, Yellow Pear, Black Russian and more.
Track your Tomato (Specialty) from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.