Tomato Growing Thread 2012

That's a lovely sight this morning Scrungee. No doubt you'll be busy in the kitchen soon
converting this lot into preserves. What do you like to make?
Jenny

 

Not nearly enough tomatoes this year to bother getting the passata machines out. Anything that doesn't get eaten in salads will be roasted and turned into pasta sauce as and when required. None of my 2 bin bags of passata jars (bought when Asda were selling SmartPrice passata @ 6p/jar - much cheaper than buying new ones from Franchi at over £2 each + P&P) will be used this year.

 

Fantastic Toms Scrungee....but you can get help for the Tape measure fettish,i'll come with you think i need it too

 

I do that because I get confused on U.S. websites where small toms are posted beside a dollar coin and larger ones beside a dollar bill.

 

Cue: all the boys trying to impress you with their "results"

... or should that be "queue"?!

 

This year's extra early toms (another, much larger bush variety) for bringing on and putting out well advanced as soon as the weather was good enough were a complete failure because of the awful weather.

I'm too worried about bringing blight indoors to root side shoots for late season use, and my saved seeds weren't early enough for a July sowing for late toms.

But I'm going to sow some seeds now and put them under my lights and attempt to get some fresh Winter tomatoes. I found Red Robin was one of the varieties that grew well under lights earlier in the year.

Then perhaps an early Spring sowing, so 4 sowings a year (including a 'standard' one), plus the opportuning for some side shoot cuttings from indoor plants. I always like to try something new every year.

 

I've deliberately abstained from spraying my Koralik 'blight resistant' tomatoes again this year, and again they're continuing to crop and haven't a sign of blight when all else around them is blighted:





Some of my blighted cordon toms



But my Koraliks are still cropping fine:

 

Smashing John

Still got a few on my 2 year old plant. Just not very big.

 

Not bad that John I'm still getting a FEW from my blighted Sungold plants, I'll let them keep going for now. As for Cues, well, I reckon I've had three or fourNext year, I'm only going to try outdoor ones. Never tried outdoor ones before, but they can't be any worse...

 

Also still getting some from my blighted Sungolds - the fruits haven't shown any sign of blight whatsover, Minibels from window boxes and Koraliks from the plot by the gallon bucket full.

 

Lovely display of fruits there Scrungee - worth more than money. Home grown..

 

Scrungee and JWK - wonderful pics of healthy toms, I am so envious. I must have done somthing wrong not one of mine made it into a salad. So today picked them all and made green tomato chutney.