The best seeds for totally tasty tomatoes They don't grow any of my stalwarts at Worton, but cultivate an entirely different crew. David Blake finds much of his seed in Australia, where he was brought up (although it's easier for British gardeners to buy seed from the United States). He finds these varieties do fine here, although in our climate they might not be quite up to Australian production, where he would sometimes get three crops a year. David and his Dutch wife, Anneke, have lived in Holland and so throw their sourcing net much wider than most of us, which means there's always so much to learn from a visit to their garden and farm shop, whatever the time of year. There is an incredible range of tomatoes growing in the glasshouse and a couple of large polytunnels at Worton - more than 50 varieties, with more than 200kg (440lb) produced in a good week. We can't all grow this many, however, so I tried to pin David down to selecting some favourites from the standard or larger-fruiting types. Stupice This was David's tried-and-tested number one. This is from the Czech Republic and is a determinate type (which means it gets to a certain size, stops growing and bushes out, rather than continuing to climb like a vine). The advantage of the determinates is that they need no training, with no need to pinch out lateral shoots. I love the pinching part, but it can be a bit of chore and puts some beginners off growing tomatoes. Stupice" does not even need a cane to support it - it prefers a bed of straw on the floor. I don't usually grow determinate types as they tend to be very heavy croppers but for only a short time. That's not true of 'Stupice," which is very early to fruit (from mid June inside), prolific until September (one plant will produce about 10kg/22lb of fruit) and is the last to succumb to blight at Worton, so could also be grown outside. The fruit is small to medium-sized (about 125g/4½oz), very thin-skinned, does not crack and has a sweet but gentle flavour. It's always in the top three in taste trials in Australia and very widely grown there. David usually does three sowings of 'Stupice," one in January in a warm greenhouse (these fruit by the middle of June, weather permitting), the next batch in early March, with a final lot in mid April to keep him in tomatoes until the first frost. Orange Banana This was David's next choice, a very tall indeterminate type (i.e. vine-growing, which needs support and training) which will grow to 7ft plus if you let it, with very little leaf compared to stem. This makes it look oddly gappy as it grows, but it's a huge producer (again 10kg/22lb of fruit per plant), even with quite bad light levels. The fruit is medium to large (150g-200g/ 5oz-70z), with excellent flavour, lovely texture and a great shape. It starts to crop early and continues to the first frost. 'Aunt Ruby's German Green This is a huge variety which I want to grow for its name alone. This is easy - disease-free and bountiful, with large fruit (up to 650g/23oz) which are extremely juicy. They're thin-skinned which makes them all the more delicious, but means they crack a bit when nights get colder. This has a distinctly melony, sweet flavour, delicious with Parma ham. It is a late-cropper which needs a little defoliating to keep the fruit free from leaves. Jaune Flamé This is a great colour and hugely popular in Australia and New Zealand. It is very sweet, with a rich aromatic flavour. It's a prolific indeterminate variety (at least 10kg/22lb per plant), but the crop tends to come thick and fast and then stops. Caro Rich This is so-called because it has very high carotene levels and apparently lots of trace elements, which make it super-healthy eaten raw. The fruit can get huge but it is easy to grow, with a delicious salty, rich and acidic flavour and a perfect texture for slicing for salad.It's tomato-sowing fortnight in the next two weeks so get going as fast as you can. Worton will have plants available from May for planting straight into the garden. Four varieties, 'Stupice," 'Aunt Ruby's German Green," 'Orange Banana" and 'Jaune Flamé" are available by mail order from specialist American seed company Tomato Growers (001 239 768 1119; email customer service@tomatogrowers.com). Caro Rich" is available as seeds and plants from UK-based Simpsons Seeds (01985 845004). Other American seed specialists with a good range of tomatoes include Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Tomato Fest. Worton Organic Garden, Worton, near Cassington, Oxfordshire, is open Fri & Sat, 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm (07718 518964)