BUSH OR CORDON?
Amateur is one of the few bush type tomato varieties. It requires no pruning other than removal of dead or decaying leaves. There is a key reason that bush tomatoes are not very popular with British gardeners and it’s because the tomatoes tend to mature within a short time frame. This variety however ripens very well on a window sill which extends the cropping period considerably.
The Amateur has no special requirements and it should be grown as described here and
pruned as described here. General care advice throughout the growing season is given here.
APPEARANCE AND TASTE OF THE AMATEUR TOMATOES
The Amateur variety of tomato produces fruit which are a typical tomato red on the outside and orange / red on the inside. The fruits are about average sized, typically 35g per tomato. Taste is neither sweet nor acidic and it is full of tomato flavours.
SUMMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF
THE AMATEUR
F1 OR OPEN POLLINATED?: The Amateur is open pollinated and will grow true from saved seed. Click here for clear instructions and even clearer pictures on how to save seeds from Amateur tomatoes.
GROWTH TYPE: Bush type, needs only minimal pruning to keep the centre of the plant open. This is an mid season maturing variety which takes 80 days from transplant to fruit maturity. This is a compact tomato plant which grows to about 90cm / 3ft high.
WHERE TO GROW: Outdoors or a cool greenhouse.
USE: Salads, sauces and by itself
SKIN COLOUR / TEXTURE: Red and medium thick
FLESH COLOUR: Orange / red
TASTE AND TEXTURE: Good mixture of sweetness and acidity, flesh has lots of juice.
STORAGE: Stores well and can be ripened on the windowsill well.
TOMATO SIZE: Typical tomato size, weighing about 35g per fruit.
REGULARITY OF CROPPING: Regularly produces a good yield even in average weather conditions
AWARDS: None
SPECIAL FEATURES: Reliable cropper in the UK
WHEN TO SOW THE AMATEUR SEED
The key dates for sowing and planting out The Amateur tomato seeds are given below.
- Sow seeds in pots indoors
- Pot up young plants
- Harden off young plants
- Plant out young plants
WHEN TO HARVEST THE AMATEUR TOMATOES
This variety is a bush (determinate) type tomato and if they are pruned in that way you can expect to be picking your first The Amateur tomatoes in the
BUYING THE AMATEUR SEED / PLANTS IN THE UK
Seeds for this variety are not widely available in the UK but there are a few suppliers online. You are very unlikely to find these seeds for sale at garden centres.
If you need any more information on growing this variety, click here to go to our main tomato page.
Other varieties which may also be of interest include:
| RED ALERT | GARDENERS DELIGHT |
| SUNGOLD | SAN MARZANO |
COMMENTS / QUESTIONS LEFT BY OUR READERS
Sometimes our readers ask specific questions which are not covered in the main article above. Our
Outdoor Tomatoes comment / question and answer page
lists their comments, questions and answers. At the end of that page there is also a form for you to submit any new question or comment you have.
When and How to Sow Tomato Seed
Ongoing Care
Pruning Tomatoes
Pest and Disease
Tomato Nutrient Defficiency
Save Tomato Seeds
Tomato Variety Review
Tomato Question and Answer
THE AMATEUR TOMATO VARIETY
The Amateur has been grown in the UK for at least 65 years and reliability is one of its key attributes. In our very variable summer weather this is one variety which produces a crop when others are likely to fail. Relatively rare in the tomato world this is a bush variety which produces tomatoes that are larger than the cherry types but requires only minimal pruning for a good crop.