Tomato Growing Thread 2022

I was on the balcony today & looking at the tomatoes. They are still wilting though the overnight temps now being lower than a few weeks ago have helped to keep them less wilted early in the morning. But as soon as the day starts to warm up a little they begin to wilt again.

I saw the fungi fruiting bodies (Can't really call them mushrooms or toadstools! ) this morning & remembered to take a few pictures!
.

.

.
Don't worry I have no intention of eating them!!!
.

 

I am now down to 2 plants out of 9 in my greenhouse, all pulled out due to blight, botyrtis or simply finished for the year. Interesting to compare it to my converted shed, which gets less light due to its construction and a lot more ventilation for the same reason. Even though the greenhouse has a louvre and two auto vents it is nowhere near as well ventilated as the wonky ex shed. The plants in the shed are all still alive and well, still producing although that will stop soon as the sun is now too low to get above a stand of pine trees to the south.

The late season star has been costoluto Fiorentino, after being an early and mid season disappointment it has produced loads of firm and very tasty cooking tomatoes.

 

@Hanglow Lovely looking toms!

 

I've removed more than half my tomato plants. They were not producing any more fruits & I needed the space. Other years I would have left them another month but as this year's plants have done so badly I decided enough was enough! I have left 4 plants in 1 growbag for a couple of more weeks as they have fruit on them & to give them a chance to ripen before I remove them as well.

 

So im stuck with kilos of ripe toms on trays, red cherry ones outside, and plenty big green outside ones that will struggle to ripen now. Too many plants, c.20 odd

Was going to make passata but the local Farmfoods has been selling it dirt cheap so ive got plenty of that so making my own aint worth it now.

Having just tucked into a jar of this years pickled peppers i think next year im going pepper daft instead of tomato daft.

 

As well as the chutneys and relishes, you could ferment some for later in the year.
Placed in a brine solution @2%, under an airlock, 7-10days at room temperature, then store in refrigerator. Life expectancy 3-6 months (the tomatoes!)

 

I've still got some ripening outside, but not many left now.
Touch wood not seen any blight yet.

 

Never even heard of fermented tomatoes!!?? Does it produce Tomato wine or another ingredient???

 

Take a look here:
Kitchen Garden Fermentation

&
Nourishing Whole Foods Recipes - Nourished Kitchen

 

I've not tried fermented toms yet but I do a lot of other veg, hot sauces etc. It's not traditionaly as popular in the uk as it is elsewhere for some reason, probably because the Mongols never got to us who brought it to Europe from the far east . Which is a shame because it's a great alternative to vinegar pickling , which I also do a lot of. I made some tomato and courgette chutney yesterday for my Xmas cheese board, recommended.

 

.
I think you got the wrong person @infradig! Perhaps you meant @WeeTam
.

 

Got 4 of these dwarf parfait left, all large. They are green tomatoes so I think they have started to ripen. Also small harvests continue to come, I'm picking them not quite ripe as botyrtis is on the rise. However my allotment is now in shade as the sun is too low, so non of the chillis will ripen much more I fear so am picking them green.

 

Well done, @Hanglow, you got a nice harvest there!

 

This may be my last post in the tomato growing thread for 2022 as I've now got rid of the remaining 4 plants. I spent around half an hour on the balcony yesterday morning removing the last of the unripe tomatoes from the plants.

When I finished I decided I would remove the plants as there is no chance any more toms will grow this year & the plants still were "wilting" So there seemed no point in keeping them any longer.

I can now use the space where they were to put some of the pots that are up against the front of the balcony railings further in to the back of the balcony, to where the tomato plants had been. That way they will get some protection from adverse weather & from the dropping of the pigeons above us!

Now I have been left with a problem or should that be 3 problems??? What do I do with the 3 growbags??? I've never used them a 2nd year to grow tomatoes; every year I buy fresh bags. But I did use the compost in pots & especially in the big troughs on the balcony floor. But if they contain spores from whatever variety of wilt illness that infected them this year I can't use them for that purpose next year. I've also been told that the spores will have no trouble overwintering outside if I were to put it on a garden as a mulch over the winter! So ...