Tomato Growing 2024

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by JWK, Jan 1, 2024.

  1. Obelix-Vendée

    Obelix-Vendée Head Gardener

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2024
    Messages:
    1,121
    Gender:
    Female
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Vendée, France.
    Ratings:
    +2,996
    I feel like pulling up all my plants. Most have flowers now but not a lot. The only one that produced a tomato has withered and died - ananas noire. We do leave the polytunnel doors open at both ends to let in pollinators and I suppose that means they've been a tad to cool at night but it's mid July!! Surely something more should be going on by now.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Informative Informative x 1
    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

      Joined:
      Jun 3, 2008
      Messages:
      32,392
      Gender:
      Male
      Location:
      Surrey
      Ratings:
      +49,804
    • pete

      pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

      Joined:
      Jan 9, 2005
      Messages:
      51,065
      Gender:
      Male
      Occupation:
      Retired
      Location:
      Mid Kent
      Ratings:
      +93,814
      Is it just me, or are people just growing more and more weird varieties of unknown performance.
      I'd experiment but if I did I'd always grow some more well known variety as a back up.
       
      • Agree Agree x 3
      • Creative Creative x 1
      • Obelix-Vendée

        Obelix-Vendée Head Gardener

        Joined:
        Mar 13, 2024
        Messages:
        1,121
        Gender:
        Female
        Occupation:
        Retired
        Location:
        Vendée, France.
        Ratings:
        +2,996
        @JWK they're in the ground in the polytunnel. The bed was cleaned by th echooks over winter then given a good layer of ourown garden compost and then a layer of well-rotted manure. They were watered in at planting time and subsequently by a seep hose.

        @pete Ananas noire is readily available in SMs here in the season and tastes good so not unusual to grow one's own.
         
        • Informative Informative x 2
        • DiggersJo

          DiggersJo Head Gardener

          Joined:
          Mar 14, 2024
          Messages:
          1,014
          Location:
          West Yorkshire....
          Ratings:
          +1,581
          Sounds like a pollination issue to me...
           
        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

          Joined:
          Jun 3, 2008
          Messages:
          32,392
          Gender:
          Male
          Location:
          Surrey
          Ratings:
          +49,804
          All I can think @Obelix-Vendée is too much nitrogen from your chickens, compost and manure, encouraging leafy growth at the expense of flowers.
           
          • Informative Informative x 1
          • pete

            pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

            Joined:
            Jan 9, 2005
            Messages:
            51,065
            Gender:
            Male
            Occupation:
            Retired
            Location:
            Mid Kent
            Ratings:
            +93,814
            @Obelix-Vendée , I've just looked them up, it says they are late season so I wouldn't give up on them yet.

            Have you grown them before?
             
            • Informative Informative x 1
            • eatenbyweasels

              eatenbyweasels Messy Gardener

              Joined:
              Feb 24, 2022
              Messages:
              544
              Gender:
              Female
              Occupation:
              Inmate
              Location:
              East Yorkshire
              Ratings:
              +1,867
              I love trying the weird and unknown! It's interesting in itself and it's also the route to finding new "must haves" that work well for my growing conditions.
               
              • Like Like x 2
              • JWK

                JWK Gardener Staff Member

                Joined:
                Jun 3, 2008
                Messages:
                32,392
                Gender:
                Male
                Location:
                Surrey
                Ratings:
                +49,804
                I used to grow Black Krim, a large black beefsteak but it was always the last to ripen, some years not till September and by then blight would come and wipe it out. I haven't been able to find a black beefsteak that ripens early enough in the UK for my conditions and has the same savoury taste.
                 
                • Agree Agree x 1
                • Informative Informative x 1
                • JWK

                  JWK Gardener Staff Member

                  Joined:
                  Jun 3, 2008
                  Messages:
                  32,392
                  Gender:
                  Male
                  Location:
                  Surrey
                  Ratings:
                  +49,804
                  That's my thoughts too, I have 8 varieties I have grown before and can rely on. Then a couple of new ones to me. If the prove themselves they might become keepers. There are more and more blight resistant varieties appearing which interest me.
                   
                  • Like Like x 1
                  • Alisa

                    Alisa Super Gardener

                    Joined:
                    Apr 21, 2014
                    Messages:
                    604
                    Gender:
                    Female
                    Location:
                    Portsmouth, Hampshire
                    Ratings:
                    +1,801
                    I have all new for me varieties this year, but not unknown, I'm in tomato group on facebook, these varieties grown by many people successfully. The other thing is that my technics are still not perfect, my greenhouse is small, hence I have to go back to some hybrids that are more forgiving. I want different shape/colour, and tasty tomatoes. Not giving up on learning.
                    So far I see that even with not that good year Barry's Crazy Cherry, Flaschen tomato, Night Queen started doing well.
                     
                    • Like Like x 1
                    • Informative Informative x 1
                    • Garrett

                      Garrett Super Gardener

                      Joined:
                      Aug 19, 2021
                      Messages:
                      177
                      Gender:
                      Male
                      Location:
                      England
                      Ratings:
                      +886
                      Each year I grow mostly old reliable favourites, then experiment with one each of new varieties to try them. Sometimes the new ones aren't to my taste (Brad's Atomic Grape) so I don't grow them again, but I also enjoy finding new favourites (Auntie Madge's plum).
                       
                      • Agree Agree x 2
                      • Like Like x 1
                      • eatenbyweasels

                        eatenbyweasels Messy Gardener

                        Joined:
                        Feb 24, 2022
                        Messages:
                        544
                        Gender:
                        Female
                        Occupation:
                        Inmate
                        Location:
                        East Yorkshire
                        Ratings:
                        +1,867
                        I'm trying a small black beef named Black Passion. Fingers crossed it's a good one. PXL_20240718_091400244.jpg
                         
                        • Like Like x 4
                        • Informative Informative x 1
                        • hamesy

                          hamesy Gardener

                          Joined:
                          May 22, 2024
                          Messages:
                          40
                          Gender:
                          Male
                          Location:
                          Staffordshire
                          Ratings:
                          +95
                          You're right, when I went down to the plot earlier, some of them have started to ripen :biggrin:
                           
                        • Obelix-Vendée

                          Obelix-Vendée Head Gardener

                          Joined:
                          Mar 13, 2024
                          Messages:
                          1,121
                          Gender:
                          Female
                          Occupation:
                          Retired
                          Location:
                          Vendée, France.
                          Ratings:
                          +2,996
                          i've grown ananas, including the Noire version. The chicken/compost/manure treatment is the same every year but the low light levels and poor temperatures are not. here are plenty of insects in the PT but just not many tomato flowers for them to pollinate.

                          Normally by this time I've had to stop the tomato plants as they reach the top of their supports and have been picking for a week or two. This year they're only 2/3rds of the way up. I have a mix of big beefy types plus medium and cherry types.

                          The assorted basils are happy tho.
                           
                          • Informative Informative x 2
                          • Like Like x 1
                          Loading...

                          Share This Page

                          1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                            By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                            Dismiss Notice