Tomato Growing Thread 2012

PS - for next year do you remove growth above the fourth truss as soon as it appears? Or wait for the fruit to set on the 4 trusses first? Thanks.

 

Yes, the idea is to prevent the plant wasting energy on flowers, and forming fruit, that will not ripen.

I recommend that you note the date in your diary and, over the years, you may then have a "latest reasonable date" that you did this on and the truss ripened, then in an exceptional (i.e. early) year you might get away with an extra truss - ditto with some varieties if they form trusses more quickly. (and conversely in a lousy year that cut-off date might guide you to stop them at only 3 trusses :( )

 

Thanks for the tip, I'll do that
Any pointers on good varieties to go for? Oh and one final silly question - this doesn't apply to bush/basket toms does it? i.e balconi yellow/tumbling toms etc where you don't pic out side shoots - I'd leave them completely alone, or still limit to 4-5 trusses?
Thanks, and sorry for asking such daft stuff, but this is my first year of growing.

 

Sorry, I don't grow outdoor tomatoes. I would have thought it applies to bush as well (i.e. same principal of not letting the plant waste energy producing fruit that will not ripen), but equally I expect it is a too-large task to try to pinch-out growth of bush/determinate varieties

 

I never touched my Maskotkas in the window boxes. Didn't produce too much side shoot stuff. I'm in love with them - did well for me this year. Still picking fruit every other day,
Jenny

 

My general impression of this year is that whatever did well for you this year should be given pride of place in future years. This is based on the notion that that tomatoes that performed well for you - in one of the the most challenging years ever - should surpass themselves in a good year.

 

Like that Kevin, unnatural selection in action Reason that most Shire horses are passive now is that they ate the ones that were tempramental in the war.

 

Binned the majority of mine today 35kg of Green Tomatoes, a few left that are orange ish
-2c at the moment 3c in the GH So tomorrow should see the pulling of the runner beans :-(
What a year of disaster

Still my swing will make me happy next year on a patio:-)

Jack McH

 

I love looking back through my diary...it's quite interesting....last year the last edible tomato i picked from the GH was 7th Nov,the year before that it was the 1st of Nov....they are still looking ok so it'll be interesting to see how long this years last

 

I don't quite understand. At what point does one decide to have them out? I'd have thought that as long as the plant was alive and relatively healthy, and that there are still toms to ripen, then surely it's worth hanging on?​

 

You are a hardened gardener - I still find it hard to ditch anything. Even my four green failures I am hanging on to, thinking I must be able to incorporate them into a chutney. I would be making WORLD of chutney if i had that problem, probably that no one would want. It's probably why I have quite a few leggy lame duck plants in my garden - I keep kidding myself they'll eventually come good!

 

They need warmth to ripen ... better in a draw with a banana I reckon.

For me the decision is made around needing to get the greenhouse ready for winter. A complete pressure wash, change the soil, etc. and the weather not being miserably cold for that job.

That is coupled with what sort of state the crop is in. I still have Peppers and Aubergines ripening; the melon plants have completely died off - even through the fruits are not yet ripe :( (Been a disaster for them this year, together with my Winter Squash), once they are going-over then the whole lot will come out - the Tomatoes can stay until then.