Seeds Of Revolution

Please tell us it hasn’t escaped your attention that the new Tomato Revolution seed range is about to drop? Actually, please tell us it HAS escaped your attention, or else the following isn’t going to be (quite) as exciting as it otherwise might be. 

For those who don’t already know, September 1st promises to be an ex-seedingly good day for fervent fans of fortifying, flavoursome, flamboyant, future fruits. That is the date when Tomato Revolution’s Lance Turner will be adding the following tomato seeds and more to the already masterful collection available from his online store. It’s a proud day for us too, many of these have been AutoPot-cultivated!

Why not start with a bang by introducing a seed that produces Lance’s, ‘best tasting tomato of 2024.’ Betty’s Smile is a brand new Dwarf Tomato Project release that in Lance’s words, ‘possesses a zingy tropical freshness followed by a lingering intense sweet finish that lasts over a minute on your palate.’ This dense, rich, pink mini beefsteak springs from a highly productive plant that tops out at around 5ft, making it home cultivation eminently manageable. There’s no excuse for a bland supply, Lance won’t have it!

Putting the initial emphasis on rich, balanced notes before a tropical finish is Rufus Rainbow. Again, these seeds produce relatively low-growing plants, topping out at 6ft, but with a particularly prolific output for a beefsteak tomato. The fruits are burnished orange in appearance and of a very healthy 10oz / 280g average weight. 

There’s plenty more value to be found in the fruit of Chupa Chups, a pink version of which is on the way this September. Plants produced using these seeds are heavily hung with bi-coloured red-antho fruits. The look, weight, and distinctive sweet flavour of the tomatoes have made the original Chupa Chups a real customer favourite, expect the pink variant to be another challenger to that crown.

The fruits made possible by Lance’s seed collection really do reassert the idea that ‘all art is but an imitation of nature’. This is never truer than with Wolverine, an astoundingly colourful tomato, seeds for which also land this autumn. Needless to say the natural artistry extends way beyond the exquisite purple and yellow skin. Meaty, balanced, with a slightly tart finish, the fruits are already garnering rave reviews from the lucky few who’ve tasted this years crop.

Combining the rich authenticity of flavour and form with ease of growing is Tomato Revolution’s great strength. Epitomising this is Dwarf Rebela, another fresh development that is reliably productive yet riding the ragged edge of possible flavours. Fully grown the plants from these seeds reach around 5ft, so again, they’re viable for pretty much any space. They are classed as F5 so minor instabilities do occur but not at the expense of quality. Bright green beefsteak-style fruits with black antho stripes and shoulders start to mass mid-season. These have a really nicely balanced flavour profile – strong yes, but not overpowering.

If you really want characterful tomatoes that can thrive just anywhere look no further than Lance’s range of micro dwarves. Averaging 20 inches in height when fully grown, these are ideal for balconies or even indoor spaces. 10 new varieties are bounding store-wards, here comes a whistle-stop tour of the collection.

Sticking it to your tastebuds with explosive consequences, Dynamite Delight offer both flavour and texture in abundance – ideal for salsas and the like. Then there’s Yellow Pygmy seeds which produce fruits with the most perfectly pearlescent yellow skin imaginable – really nice citrus twang to these. 

One might easily be fooled into thinking that the yellow-green progeny of Limelight seeds belong in a G&T. To be honest they’d probably end up being delicious there but the fruits are in fact quite a savoury affair. Grow some and slice one open! The interior has to be seen to be believed! 

Ever wondered what a green fire would look like? Well pick up some Emerald Flame, get cultivating, and check out the skin on the fruit. Light green stripes licking the dark verdant complexion, you could almost swear they were ablaze.

Nina Neutron seeds produce fruits which, far from being neutral, are positively charged with a vivid, pure red skin and juicy sweet taste. Incredibly pleasing to look at. As are Jochalos, one of the most delicious micro dwarves money can buy, or people can grow. These golden yellow spheres are reputedly of Bolivian descent. All we can say is, after one taste of it’s grape-sweet notes you’ll be Bolivian in these tomatoes!

Elsewhere, stealing our affections, is Little Heartbreaker. This seed produces deep red, nippled, heart-shaped fruit – oh yeah! Hence ‘Heartbreaker’! Fruits ripen early on the plants, allowing you to enjoy a classic, balanced tomato flavour profile not long into the season. Little Heartbreaker plants probably measure 12 inches / 30cm high without the pot, another easy to cultivate variety.

Laura? No idea why Lance has seeds called ‘Laura’. After Laura Dern? Laura Linney? Law & Order? Like two of the aforementioned they are nonetheless quite beautiful, charismatic, and lively. 

Next up ‘Canary Kiss’. Not 100% sure what the sensation of an avian snog would be like and whether there’s a parallel between that feeling and the flavour involved here. Could try it. Probably better to grow some tomatoes and find out that way. Regardless, the golden boules produced from these seeds are incredibly pretty and promise to be an irresistible nibble.

Lastly, Bonsai, a much more easy to grasp concept of a name. These seeds grow into fantastically productive little plants which often appear to be more fruit than foliage – marvellous!

Evocative and accurate in equal measure, Lance’s additions for 2025 are an absolute joy to behold – get thyself to his store from 1st Sept and snap some up while you can!