Tomato Growing 2024

My understanding of blight is that each year it spreads from the southwest, moving north and east.
To spread blight requires high minimum temperatures and high humidity, there are Hutton Criteria for the spread of blight these are two consecutive days with minimum temperature of 9°C and 6 or more hours with RH above 90%. There is a "BlightSpy" web page see blightspy that forecasts blight possibility.
Growing under cover or in a sheltered dry area reduces blight possibility.
In Essex I could get away with outdoor tomatoes, here in Devon no chance.
One of the common sources of blight is volunteer plants from where farmers have dumped gash potatoes the previous year.

 

We’ve a fair few setting but none starting to ripen yet, which I think is slightly later than usual for us.
Lots of trusses forming over the last couple of weeks, but I’ve just pinched out the tops to try and encourage ripening/larger fruits.

Am growing 2 beefsteaks, Burlesque and Costoluto forientino both new to me. At the current rate of growth, I think they may be more chicken nugget than beefsteak


Also a large cherry which is a red/green variety, homegrown seed, ancestors seeds squished from a supermarket tomato (IOW Tomato Stall heritage selection a couple of years ago). This isn’t fruiting as prolifically as last year so could be a change in seed across the generations or could just be the poor year everyone seems to be reporting?

 

Even on a low fruit setting level August is a tomato month again:

 

yes the rain can splash them from the soil onto the leaves. you only need one to germinate in the wrong place

one lady recommended pruning all the lower leaves to avoid this

 

Hi, @JWK I can’t quite visualise what you do and how re lowering the plants?


I’m probably having a senior moment

 

We were very late in sowing tomato seeds as we were having a new eco tunnel built. However we do have fruit but all still very green. I have removed many leaves to allow better ventilation and more sunlight for the fruits but they have now been green for some 3 weeks. On a garden club visit in our village yesterday both gardens had greenhouses full of deep red tomatoes and had been picking for some weeks. We live in hope!

 

Aah, that makes sense now. Thank you

 

I have blight and BER now, so i think I'll just give up now for this year

 

BER is mostly a genetic susceptibility, what varieties did you go with?

 

I nipped the tops off all my Outdoor Girl tomato plants today. Plenty of fruit set, just waiting for the ripening now. Bet they'll all come at once.

 

Roma @Adam I, Not usually a problem.