Tomato Growing 2024

Frost sweetens veg right? . Most will be fine, there are about five that were outside though

Last big harvest, need to pull out about five plants as they are moulding

 

Yes but tomatoes are a fruit!

 

Tomatoes definitely on their last legs now with blight! I've had a good crop for sauces and soups for the freezer.

 

Back garden is getting very little sun now, so I've moved a couple of my bush tomatoes to the front where it still gets sun all day, and they will have the benefit of the heat reflected from the house wall. Sun will eventually disappear from the front garden too; it's south facing but on the north facing side of a hill, so the sun doesn't come up high enough to reach us in the winter. It's a real frost pocket; when there's been snow or ice my street seems to be the last place in town to thaw out again.

I made tomato soup yesterday, including basil and oregano from the garden, plus onions, garlic and a couple of sweet potatoes that needed using up. It's very good, and will be my lunch for next two or three days.

Still got plenty ripening.I pick a few each day as soon as they show a bit of orange, and put them in my porch which gets very warm in the sun.

 

All my honeycomb are now splitting so I've decided not to water the plants anymore and see if it stop happening.
They are on their last legs anyway.

 

Poor season ,no sunshine,but there's enough sitting in a bowl. Time to turn them into relish but that means back to supermarket trash again ? Damn.

 

This next week is supposed to be sunny, so I am hoping a few more will ripen, and the rest will be chutney. Luckily my NDN wants to make chutney also, otherwise I would have gallons of the stuff, and I'm the only one who eats it in this house.

 

Some of my Sungolds and Choc Cherries are still slowly ripening but unless it stays reasonably warm for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be left with some green ones.
Having already got a stock of Chutneys,Pickles, Relish etc from previous years, I thought I'd try cooking them down with tomato puree and Curry powder and use when making a curry. No doubt it will need some adjustment when I come to use it but thought it worth a try.

 

Blight has finally found my Outdoor Girl tomatoes so I've been picking all the unblemished green ones I can find. I'm not a chutney person so I was thinking curry too. I've seen a few recipes for Green Tomato Dahl which sounds worth a try.

I've had a good crop from the Outdoor Girl so far, and all my bush tomatoes are still looking perky, so I don't have any complaints!

 

My blight was much worse than I expected, several plants keeled over and fruit going brown. we will see what is the last to survive. None of the black cherry tomatoes like rosella yielded much and one of the three died rapidly to blight. They were tasty though. Tbh none of the varieties this year were very good, but I think that is due to the conditions. The highest yield was going to be this mystery orange tomato I grew from reading market but it is succumbing to blight now.
Latah and Galina did yield the quickest, but only a week before the others and not many yet still. Horrible weather

Physalis is chugging along just fine but its so tall it kept falling over. Next year in a big pot.

my biggest success tbh has been the european strawberries, I grew mignonette from seed in december and theyve yielded lots over the year with 0 issues. Slugs dont eat them either, but you gotta pick them every other day. Non stop fruit since June.

 

@Adam I Physalis do tend to get huge and ungainly but if you have the space, the fruits are well worth it.
I haven't intentionally grown them this year but have one doing it's best in the compost heap
Interesting about the Strawberries - I'm thinking of a new variety for next year so your info. has come in handy.

 

Physalis do get tall but I have them in open ground, not that I planted them, they grew from seed lying in the ground from two years ago. maybe more.

Once grown you never need to buy more seed.

 

Not only tall but the spread can be pretty ridiculous too. Agree about the seed, pops up all over the place

 

I picked up remaining tomatoes, and pulled out plants in the greenhouse and outside. Overall we had loads of tomatoes to eat in August, but ideally should've harvested at least 3 times more. Already looking for the next season. Even varieties to grow already chosen.