john worcester wrote:
Have jus seen F1 totem tomatoes growing in pots at our local train station.
Looking it up on the internet i've seen there are also seeds called
*Ferline* F1 hybrid-1.

Iirc, totem are a bush tomato. Ferline are an indeterminate, so will grow
up and up and need staking. I'm not sure why you're linking the two, unless
you are just confused by the F1 bit. That's not the variety, it's just the
'type' of hybrid seed (which means you won't be able to keep seed from the
fruit and get the same type)

All very confusing for a novice. We want to grow these container toms on
our patio (south facing in north london).

There are lots of container tomatoes you can grow. You probably want to
look up 'bush' tomatoes if you want ones that are self-limiting in size.
This year we have Minibel and, um, something else that I can't remember.
We've tried Totem before. The seeds tend to be quite expensive (tend to
be about 3 pound for a packet of 5-6), but you can sometimes pick up the
plants for 'normal' tomato plant price.

Which are the best ones to go for please? Have we left it too late to have
a go at it this year? Thanks.

It's too late to do them from seed. You need to do that before end of
April, really. If you can find somewhere selling the plants, there is
still plenty of time, although I'd get moving. Try B+Q or your local
nursery or farmers market, etc.