Tomato Growing Thread 2022

I also used to grow toms on an allotment so I understand perfectly! At that time I didn't know keeping the foliage dry helps a lot in preventing blight!

 

Soggy summers= blight.

I dont mind some rain but this successive piddle without some dry days inbetween is just annoying.

 

I swore last year would be my last, but trying mostly the so called blight resistant ones this year.
If it doesn't work I think it will my last year this year.

 

Thanks very much, guys... I'll leave them alone.

Never grown Bush toms before, and these were not intentional as they should have been Cordons.

 

I use neem too, I also add some potassium bicarbonate which can help with molds. Not usually a problem at this time of year though.

 

When i was researching what varieties to grow this year, I found out that Tomato Eden used to sell a determinate version of bloody butcher. Might be worth keeping the seeds and seeing if it repeats next year
Best big hybrid for sweet taste, Best big Heirloom disease resist - Tomatoville® Gardening Forums



I'm getting a lot of leaf curl at the moment with most of my plants, not sure if I'm under or overwatering them or if the compost has too much nitrogen etc.

 

Already got a truss netted for seed saving, @Hanglow Mind you, many of my BB fruits were seedless last year, so I might net another for insurance.

I've seen BB described as indeterminate, determinate, semi-determinate and compact determinate. I've observed a tenancy for the main stem to fork into two, and I grow it as four stems as 140cm is about as tall as it wants to grow for me. Hadn't heard of a distinct dwarf variant. The fact that it's no longer available makes me suspect it proved unstable, as a plant such as I have here would be highly desirable if it bred true.

 

Hello all,

I planted my tomatoes a little late this year as I had a bottle-neck in the Grow Tent. They have just about caught up now and have been moved into the greenhouse. I can see from the quantity of flowers that I may be in for a good crop!


Maskotka tomatoes

Now the Grow tent is free from chilis and tomatoes, I use it to grow salad lettuce away from the slugs/snails. Lettuce grows very well under the lights.


Lettuce in Grow tent


Closer view

Regards

Ademission

 

Surprised to hear such responses from die-hard Tom growers! Yes there will be Blight this year in my opinion as there seems to be a 'damp' predominance to the weather so far! Not worried by Tom's, as growing Crimson Crush but what about the potatoes. My gardener's got some cracking ones, all in containers with too much space left for earthing up. Thus too much damp air which will encourage fungi!
OK growing Tom's inside a greenhouse will allow you to keep them dry, but I can remember, centuries ago when I taught, that the job of jobs at hot lunchtimes, the kids almost fought to spray the greenhouse with those lovely brass sprayers!!! Helped them set seed I said!!!
Regarding other apparent, or real, problems concerning cordon/bush characteristics, could this be the result of inadvedant cross breeding, either in amateur situations or even some nurseries. This process seems to have affected the taste of many very popular varieties recently so why not other characteristics????

 

I started growing tomatoes in the early 70s,inside and out, still remember the amazing crop I got in 1976. I used to weigh it all back then.

First encountered blight in the 90s,up until then I'd heard of it but never seen it.
I can remember still picking outdoor crops in early November ,not every year but sometimes.

But blight seems to start earlier every year now , not sure why, but last year was the worst year I've ever had and managed to pick only red alert which is the earliest I've come across but only has a short season.

 

They were looking better today thankfully. I've attached a picture of a russian oxheart that is always curling, I did read that oxhearts are particularly prone to it

Just noticed my azoychka in the greenhouse border has set its first fruit.

 

Planted out some Tom's into Halos (and ordered some more!!) So more organic matter and nutrimate. Having decided to grow just two varieties I've finished up with 5! Grew Roma from Gardeners, was given beef Tom and a plum variety brought in by the gardeners friends! They're all excellent plants so hopefully will boost tomato pulp in the freezer for Winter! Obviously got masses of plants so finding places to plant them! All extras going into ground in Halos! So all my presumed extra ground for other crops, including flowers has disappeared! And now it's started raining so all t!⁸hose seedlings I was going to plant outside will have to go into pots and plug trays! Must persuade my neighbour to grow Tom's again this year. No a gardener but I 'tutored' him last year, successfully