Tomato Growing Thread 2012

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by JWK, Mar 1, 2012.

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  1. Fat Controller

    Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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    As promised :)

    P1010907.JPG

    That one is currently the biggest on the vines, and I've harvested three similar sized ones so far.

    Got a good few wee ones starting and hiding among the foliage:

    P1010903.JPG


    P1010906.JPG

    And another big-ish one:

    P1010908.JPG

    Best of it is, I can't eat them as I am allergic to them, but they are being well received by the women folk of the house who tell me that they are crunchier than supermarket ones and taste better :)
     
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      Fat Controller, Jun 24, 2012
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    • Fat Controller

      Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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      And back on topic for the thread:

      This is the problem I have been having, although it 'seems' to be settling down a little now (hope I haven't spoken too soon!)

      P1010909.JPG

      Here are the first ones that appeared - still there, just not doing much.


      P1010905.JPG


      I don't think that they are looking too unhappy though?

      P1010904.JPG

      And here are the latest babies - these were side shoots that I whipped off a week or so ago and decided to plant - they haven't died, so I presume that they stand a chance?


      P1010910.JPG
       
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        Fat Controller, Jun 24, 2012
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      • Jenny namaste

        Jenny namaste Total Gardener

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        Wow. Your cues are superb. How can you tell the difference between m and f? I think one of them tastes more bitter?
        Our toms FC are waiting for that big yellow ball in the sky. Mine have been on the plants for 4 weeks and have hardly changed colour at all . Probably the skins are as tough as old boots now. Thank you for piccies.
        I will get mine ready for a photo shoot in the morning,
         
        Jenny namaste, Jun 24, 2012
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      • Phil A

        Phil A Guest

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        You plunge them into boiling water for a few seconds & then whip them out and put into very cold water.

        The skins peel off easily then. If you are going to freeze them, gouge the seeds & runny bits out of the middle & pack the flesh into freezer bags, expel as much air as possible before freezing.

        The pulp that you gouge out, put on a sieve, and then drink the tomato juice that comes out of that:dbgrtmb:
         
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          Phil A, Jun 24, 2012
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        • Fat Controller

          Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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          The male flowers appear as just a flower - the females have a very small fruit behind them which grows and grows into the cucumber; I believe that there is only a problem if one of the male flowers gets pollinated - if that happens, then all the female fruits from that point on are bitter, so the plant is useless. I must admit that it is a wee bit alien going in daily and whipping flowers off, but it seems to be paying off.

          Thanks for the tip Ziggy - I didn't think that it would be possible to freeze them. With mine, I am half tempted to get a sack of onions and some garlic, then marry them up with the home grown chillies, basil & tomatoes to make a sauce and then portion it up to freeze, then use as a base for curries, stews or even bolognese through the winter
           
          Fat Controller, Jun 24, 2012
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        • Phil A

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          Now your talking:dancy::dbgrtmb:

          Sounds excellent. I'd sweat the Onions & Garlic in some Olive Oil first.

          Leave the Basil till last.

          The point of de skinning & removing the pulp is for the sauce, the seeds go bitter when frozen & the skins are just a pain in the Tree.

          It doesn't have to be exact & a few seeds won't hurt, and it is messy but well worth it.

          Your sauce will take very little reducing & can be used for all those things you said plus Pizza topping:dbgrtmb:
           
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            Phil A, Jun 24, 2012
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          • Fat Controller

            Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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            Thanks Ziggy - just need for everything else to catch up on the chillies now; they seem to be doing so much better than anything else.
             
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            • Jenny namaste

              Jenny namaste Total Gardener

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              Aaah FC - are you the chief chef chez vous? You sound as though you live to eat - not the other way round:thumbsup:
              comme moi,
               
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                Jenny namaste, Jun 24, 2012
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              • Fat Controller

                Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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                Chief cook and bottle washer, although Mrs C is dabbling more and more in matters of the pots and pans (she is good at it too, just don't tell her I said so!)

                We do like our food, and are always game to try something new - must admit that the current financial climate is making that a bit more difficult, but hopefully the garden will go some way to assisting.

                I'm just constantly amazed this year that we are getting stuff out of the garden and eating it - I even had home grown lettuce in a sarnie the other day (very nice too) - - I never would have thought that I was capable of growing anything, let alone edible stuff; better still, I would seem to be being reasonably successful at it too. :)
                 
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                  Fat Controller, Jun 24, 2012
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                • Phil A

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                  That is exactly the raison d'etré for Gardeners Corner:dbgrtmb::autlvs:
                   
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                    Phil A, Jun 24, 2012
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                  • Kristen

                    Kristen Under gardener

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                    Not enough air?

                    Toms and Cucumbers not really happy together in a small greenhouse as they need different levels of humidity.
                     
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                      Kristen, Jun 25, 2012
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                    • Fat Controller

                      Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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                      Ah, that would definitely answer it then - it is really quite humid in there, and busy; I must confess that I probably haven't been rolling up the windows as often as I should, so on the warmer days it must have got sweaty in there.

                      Trouble is, I have nowhere else to put the cues or the toms?
                       
                      Fat Controller, Jun 25, 2012
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                    • Kristen

                      Kristen Under gardener

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                      That's a very common "ailment" :) Just have to learn to managed Toms & Cues together, it will be a bit of a compromise.

                      I have my Toms on the back wall of my greenhouse, and the house is 30' long ... so the Cues are warmer and more humid than the Tom's nearer to the door. (I stand shallow trays of water around the Cues, and the increased humidity also helps against Red Spider)

                      But I think yours are suffering from a "stuffy" atmosphere, although the Cucumbers will in general appreciate higher humidity.

                      You could grow Cucumbers outdoors, and just use the greenhouse ones until the outdoor ones are cropping, then rip them out so the Toms have more room (although having said that most people say that outdoor TOMS taste better than indoor, so I suppose you could even do it the other way round!)

                      Let me know if you need any "yet-more" suggestions to help you make up your mind!!
                       
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                        Kristen, Jun 25, 2012
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                      • OxfordNick

                        OxfordNick Super Gardener

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                        Im out at work most of the time, so I made a modification to my blowaway to move the air whilst the sun is out (remember when that happened ?)
                        [​IMG]
                        --
                        Looks a bit Heath Robinson but really helps to keep the humidity down.
                         
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                          OxfordNick, Jun 27, 2012
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                        • HarveyMoon

                          HarveyMoon Apprentice Gardener

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                          I noticed you have a little leaf curl on your Tom plants in the 7th picture, any Idea what causes it? as this happens to me every year, it does not affect the crop though
                           
                          HarveyMoon, Jun 28, 2012
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