Variety-red-alert

By David Marks
An unusual variety because it’s a bush type and the seed merchants would have you believe that needs no support. In theory that’s true but another virtue of this tomato variety is that it can produce a very heavy crop in many conditions and the sheer weight of the tomatoes often breaks unsupported branches. Red Alert is very well adapted to growing outside (and in a greenhouse if you must) and is especially suited to containers and grow bags. If true to type most of the tomatoes ripen within a week or two of each other.

BUSH OR CORDON?

Red Alert is one of the few popular 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 all mature at the same time often resulting in a glut. Fine if you want to freeze them but not good if you want to ea them off the vine over a couple of months.

APPEARANCE AND TASTE OF RED ALERT TOMATO

Alicante tomato
The Red Alert tomato

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SUMMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF RED ALERT

F1 OR OPEN POLLINATED?: Red Alert is open pollinated and will come true to type from saved seed. Click here for clear instructions and even clearer pictures on how to save seeds from Red Alert tomatoes.

GROWTH TYPE: Bush type, need no pruning

WHERE TO GROW: Outdoors does very well and also in a greenhouse.

USE: Salads, and by itself

SKIN COLOUR / TEXTURE: Deep red, medium thin skin

FLESH COLOUR: Red

TASTE AND TEXTURE: Sweet normally but very variable taste depending on the soil it is grown in

STORAGE: Average ripening ability on a window sill

TOMATO SIZE: Cherry tomato sized but very variable depending on growing conditions

REGULARITY OF CROPPING: Regularly produces a good yield

AWARDS: None

SPECIAL FEATURES: None other than its variable taste and size.

WHEN TO SOW RED ALERT SEED

The key dates for sowing and planting out Red Alert seeds are:

  • Sow seeds in pots indoors
    Second week of March
  • Pot up young plants
    Second week of April
  • Harden off young plants
    First week of May
  • Plant out young plants
    Third week of May

WHEN TO HARVEST RED ALERT TOMATOES

This variety is a bush type tomato and if they are pruned in that way you can expect to be picking your first Red Alert tomatoes in the last week of July

BUYING RED ALERT SEED / PLANTS IN THE UK

Seeds for Red Alert are available from many online seed merchants and a good number of garden centres. They tend not to be available from the discount stores and supermarkets. The cheapest we could find was at Buckingham Nurseries.

Red Alert is also sometimes available as pot grown tomato plants. Taking into account postage it is probably cheapest and easiest to buy them from your local garden centre.

 

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:

AILSA CRAIG
GARDENERS DELIGHT
SUNGOLD SAN MARZANO

COMMENTS / QUESTIONS LEFT BY OUR READERS

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