Tomato Growing Thread 2012

Looking at that excessive(?) amount another way, with the majority of my tomatoes being grown outdoors I like to try and get them away early if I can, so if the weather's mild enough to plant out in May I'll get an extra month's cropping, but always have a 2nd sowing coming on as a contingency. The expense of another sowing of saved non-F1s is minimal, but at £2.99 for 15 seeds it starts getting rather expensive.

After this year's experience of such rubbish weather causing tomatoes to be planted planted out so late that the first sowings were chucked away and even plants the 2nd (standard) sowing were past their best by the time it was OK to plant outdoors (or even in polytunnels!), I now want sufficient seeds for a possible 3rd (late) sowing just in case it happens again.

Quote from 'Noddy Goes Shopping'- I still haven't forgotten that sound advice.

 

Worth growing "armpit cuttings" to reduce seed usage? or would them come on-stream too late?

 

I trialled that for the first time this year with great success, but didn't actually bother planting them out as blight was ravaging everything. I only see them as a late season boost as I devote my small greenhouse to a plant production line rather than for tomato growing so I doubt if I'd be able to get plants large enough to take cuttings from soon enough.

But I was extremely impressed with just how low the first fruiting trusses were, which would negate some of the delay in planting out, so I was thinking about perhaps trying cuttings to produce some extra cherry tomatoes next year for roasting and turning into pasta sauce. Maybe the less time the plants are about, the less chance they'll have of being infected with blight?

Due to the incidence of blight this year, any thoughts of using cuttings from existing plants for overwintering tomatoes grown under lights have been rejected - must get some seeds of small bush toms sown soon - they'll probably be 'Red Robbin' (non-F1)from some of my saved seeds, and they also seem to have an OK flavour.

 

Only thought on this, greenhouse space permitting, is to start some off early with only the intention of using them as mother-plants for cuttings.

I suppose they would need [artificial] lights thought

 

Keeping quiet eh?

 

Thanks John. I suspected I'd have to clean it out, damn...

 

Well, that was interesting. I just watched Gardeners World. Monty said not to worry about changing the soil in the greenhouse as Blight needs living organisms to survive, ie tomatoes. Any thoughts?

 

Yes just thought about you Freddy as i watched it....Hmmm worth taking precautions though....good dig over and as John mentioned a wash down of GH with Jeyes but now i've seen that i wouldn't change the whole lot...having said all that i grow mine in pots but if i didn't i'd feel easier growing them back in the same ground...

 

I picked good clean fruit, but two days in the kitchen and the fruit is showing blight ?

The plants themselves seem pretty clean apart from some slight botrytus ? sp

Only on the Shirley the tomatoes have a small hole in the side, but there is nothing in there, only all the fruit are the same, as if a baby slug was present, but nope nothing in the hole I have eaten most now anyway

Jack McH

 

A bird?

 

Well, the reason I mentioned birds is because I've had a few in amongst mine this year. I didn't notice anything at first, but then I saw that there were a few toms on the ground, with holes in. Just a thought...