Moneymaker

When we ask our neighbours in West Cork what variety of tomato that they grow, or used to grow, almost everyone says Moneymaker, often in combination with a cherry tomato like Gardeners Delight or Sungold F1.

We think the proof is in the pudding. People would stop using it if the variety gave them trouble.

Moneymaker is a high yielding all round tomato that is relatively forgiving and easy to grow. It used to be one of the most popular varieties among professional growers in the 50-60’s, i.e. before the F1 hybrids took over the professional market. The problem with F1 hybrids is that their seeds will produce a different fruit to their parent fruit forcing growers to buy new seeds from the seed company each year if they want to grow the same tomato again.

Moneymaker produces plenty of red globe-shaped medium sized tomatoes (80-110g) with 2-3 seed cavities.

Moneymaker is sometimes is looked down upon for poor flavours. We think this is unfair and probably related to situations where the tomatoes have been picked early and thus have less flavour. Given the chance to ripen fully, this is a good salad and table tomato.