Waverley Tomato

Small plant, which have small number of HUGE pink tomatoes; suitable for large container cultivation. Very flavorful and meaty, not mushy like so many huge tomato varieties. Also appreciated are the deep green , thick rugose leaves, very decorative and pretty. Best of all, plants proved disease resistant in my blight-prone humid climate. Recommended.

I purchased a packet of these on a whim, given Victory's excellent prices and the fact that I'm currently experimenting with various tomato cultivars, anyway. Out of 9 varieties grown this year, Waverley is the first tomato that I am chalking up as a must-grow in the future.

Germination was in excess of 80%, which I consider excellent, with rapid growth and good overall health from the seedlings. Said plants were started indoors and transplanted into a red clay-heavy soil with varying amounts of light, ranging from about 2-7 hours of direct exposure. This only seems to have hampered the fruit maturation rate slightly, which is consistent with most tomato cultivars tried.

Plants seem to range between 2-1/2- and 4-ft high, with a very thick central vine: so much so that some plants may not need staking until fruit begins to throw the balance off. While very strong, these plants do grow low to the ground, making both the plant and fruit somewhat vulnerable to pests that may shy away from taller plants, (like earwigs), as well as blights and diseases transferred through soil. Still, in spite of most plants being blighted, (no, I didn't prune the lower leaves, likely resulting in the blight), they've survived while other plants have struggled. Branches from the central vine are very tidy and uniform, and require no additional support, even with the large-for-plant sized fruit.

But what of the fruit? The fruit develops quickly, but grows VERY tightly to the vine, which can make inspection difficult. Size, on average, is about 4-inches in diameter, with some specimens getting closer to 7-inches. Flesh is pink with medium/high acidity, (based on the highly scientific tingle test :) ), very little core, good amounts of flesh, and modest gel. Flavor is good, but lacks the floral sweetness of, say, a Brandywine or Cherokee Purple. Skin is mild, shelf-life decent, and fruit productivity superb, especially given the limited size of the plant.

Overall, I'd say that the Waverley's are worthy of challenging, (and besting), most container tomatoes on the market. The little plants put out good slicer-quality fruit and are very easy to maintain. If you're undecided, I'd recommend giving them a shot. I'll be surprised if you're unimpressed at season's end.