They are not only round and red: the colour of the tomatoes from Michael Hager vary from cream, yellow, green, pink, red, purple and black. The fruits, that are currently on display on the harvest table of his nursery in the German Bartow, are not only round but also heart and egg shaped. The smallest are barely larger than a pea while the largest example weighs around 1.5 kilo. "The large diversity is just fascinating," says the master grower who has been running a tree nursery along with horticulture company for more than 20 years.
Around 1,100 tomato plants are grown in the family company's plastic greenhouses from 200 different varieties. These originate from all over the globe, from around fifty different countries. "The most come from Russia," says Hager, who wants nothing to do with the hybrid tomatoes coming from the supermarkets and wants to preserve the nearly forgotten tomato varieties.
Hagers favourite tomato variety is the 'Black Russian'; a sweet, black/red tomato strain from Russia. Every year, the Hager family grows at least two plants from every variety they have. The fruits are sold until the end of September to various customers and celebrity chefs. They retrieve the seeds from what remains and in the winter they sell them on the internet.