Solanum lycopersicum 'Legend'

RHS Plant Profile

tomato (beefsteak) 'Legend'

Synonyms

Lycopersicon esculentum 'Legend'

Fruit Edible

A large, bush tomato, great for growing outdoors. It produces reliable crops of red salad tomatoes with good blight resistance

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1 year
Max Spread: 0.5-1 metres
Max Height: 1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H1C

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Solanaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Solanum can be annuals, perennials, evergreen or deciduous shrubs or twining climbers, with simple or pinnnately lobed leaves and star- or bowl-shaped, 5-lobed flowers with prominent stamens, followed by fleshy fruits
Name Status: Unresolved

How to Grow

Cultivation

Tomatoes can be started from seed indoors or in a heated greenhouse. See tomato cultivation. For help with diagnosing tomato problems see our video What's gone wrong wtih my Tomatoes?

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors for further advice

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Edible fruit
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Bush types do not need to have side shoots removed.

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly and tomato moth

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), blossom end rot, magnesium deficiency, tomato spotted wilt virus and grey moulds under glass