Crop type: Tomatoes
Solanum lycopersicum ‘Mecano’ AGM
Common name: Tomato ‘Mecano’
Crop slug: tomatoes
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Mecano’ is a cordon salad tomato best suited to a greenhouse or polytunnel. Its upright plants produce reliable crops of uniform medium-sized glossy tomatoes, a dependable protected-cropping combination recognised with an 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
The columnar upright cordon requires tall support.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Clay, loam or sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well drained
- Soil pH
- Acid or neutral
Use fertile protected soil or compost and avoid moisture fluctuations.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H1c — suitable outdoors only during frost-free summer conditions above approximately 5–10°C
A greenhouse or polytunnel provides its preferred shelter.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
| Season | Flowers | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | — | Green | — |
| Summer | Yellow | Green | Uniform glossy salad tomatoes |
Fruit uniformity and glossy medium size are its selection traits.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Evergreen on the profile; grown as an annual
- Habit
- Columnar and upright
- Name status
- Accepted
- Award
- RHS Award of Garden Merit
Genus
Solanum flowers have five lobes and prominent stamens, followed by fleshy fruits; the genus contains annual, perennial, shrubby and climbing forms.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Start indoors or in a heated greenhouse and grow on under protected full sun. Support the cordon and maintain even moisture.
Propagation
Propagate by seed indoors.
Pruning
Remove all side-shoots. Stop the leader after seven trusses under cover or four outdoors.
Pests
Glasshouse whitefly and tomato moth may attack.
Diseases
The profile lists rare honey fungus, blossom-end rot, magnesium deficiency, tomato spotted wilt virus and grey mould under glass.