Crop type: Tomatoes
Solanum lycopersicum ‘Cristal’ AGM
Common name: Tomato ‘Cristal’
Crop slug: tomatoes
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Cristal’ is a cordon salad tomato producing reliable crops of tasty red fruit with reasonable disease resistance. It is suited to cultivation under glass, although a sunny sheltered outdoor position can also support a crop. The cultivar holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 1–1.5 metres
- Ultimate spread
- 0.5–1 metre
- Time to ultimate size
- 1 year
Its columnar upright habit needs a tall support and regular tying.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Clay, loam or sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well drained
- Soil pH
- Acid or neutral
Keep the root zone evenly moist; abrupt changes can split fruit or encourage blossom-end rot.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H1c — grow outside in summer at approximately 5–10°C or warmer, with protection from frost
An unheated greenhouse is the most dependable setting; acclimatise plants before moving them outside.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
| Season | Flowers | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Yellow | Green | — |
| Summer | Yellow | Green | Red |
The uniform red salad fruit is the cultivar’s main edible and visual feature.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Evergreen on the profile; normally grown as an annual crop
- Habit
- Columnar and upright
- Name status
- Accepted
- Award
- RHS Award of Garden Merit
Genus
Solanum includes annuals, perennials, shrubs and climbers with simple or lobed leaves, five-lobed flowers with prominent stamens and fleshy fruits.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Start seed indoors or in a heated greenhouse, then grow on under glass or in the warmest sheltered outdoor site after frost. Maintain even moisture and support the main stem.
Propagation
Propagate by seed, sown indoors in warmth.
Pruning
Remove side-shoots as they appear. Pinch out the growing tip after seven trusses under cover or four outdoors.
Pests
The profile lists glasshouse whitefly and tomato moth.
Diseases
Rare honey fungus, blossom-end rot, magnesium deficiency, tomato spotted wilt virus and grey mould under glass are listed risks.