Tomato 'Shirley' F1 – Cordon Salad Tomato (2L Pot)

Tomato 'Shirley' F1 is one of the most widely grown tomatoes in Britain, valued for its disease resistance and dependable crop.

The fruit is medium sized, round and red at around 50 to 70g, with a straightforward sweet tomato flavour that suits salads and sandwiches. Picking runs from July through to October. Resistance covers tobacco mosaic virus, fusarium and cladosporium, which is what makes it such a forgiving variety in a greenhouse.

Shirley is a cordon reaching 180 to 200cm, so stake it or run it up a string, remove the side shoots regularly and space plants 45 to 60cm apart. It does best under glass but crops perfectly well outdoors in a warm sheltered spot, in a bed, an allotment row or a patio container. Plant it out only once all risk of frost has passed, because tomatoes are killed outright by the first frost and set back badly by cold nights. Water evenly rather than in bursts, since erratic watering is what causes blossom end rot and split fruit, and feed with a high-potash tomato feed once the first truss has set. Supplied as one established UK-grown plant in a 2 litre pot. Tomato foliage is in the same family as potato and is a known risk to pets, so keep animals away from the plants.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Tomato
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 180 to 200cm when supported, spaced 45 to 60cm apart
• Growth Habit: Upright single-stemmed cordon. Needs staking and side-shooting
• Perfect For: Greenhouses, outdoor beds, patio containers, allotments, kitchen gardens
• Foliage: Mid-green, cut tomato leaves
• Flowering Time: Summer, small yellow flowers before each truss sets
• Planting Position: Full sun. Grows well in patio containers and grow bags
• Soil Type: Fertile, well-drained, moisture-retentive soil or a quality peat-free compost
• Hardiness: Not hardy. Killed by the first frost, so it is a summer only crop and goes outside only once frost has passed
• Maintenance: Tie the single stem to a sturdy cane or string and pinch out the side shoots as they appear. Feed weekly with high potash once fruiting starts
• Seasonal Interest: Summer and autumn
• Type: Tender annual fruiting vegetable, grow your own