Tomato Growing 2025

Somewhat worried about my Bloody Butchers. They are well and truly wilting in the intense heat we are having atm and yes I live in Scotland! It was saying it was 31oC according to my car so god knows how hot it was in the greenhouse. Of course not normally experiencing these temperatures I have never even considered shading.Not sure they are going to recover. The rest of the varieties I grow have some curled leaves but seem ok as do the cucumbers. Even the melons were drooping but have perked up this evening. The BBS have not.

 

When they go really limp probably shading is about the best thing, even just a sheet thrown over the roof should help.

Once shaded a spray with water to up the humidity helps them recover as well but best not to spray until you have some shading in place.
If they are potted probably water at least twice a day until it runs out the bottom, I've on occasion knocked plants out of pots thinking they were wet, only to find the bottom half of the pot is quite dry and as such the roots haven't bothered to use that part of the pot.

 

Thanks Pete. 2 of the BB’s are not looking too bad the other 2 look like….add your own expletive!
I have loads of tomato plants so not a big deal.
Good advice re pots. Most of my tomatoes are in the soil beds in the greenhouse but the excess ( always end up with too many!) are in pots in the greenhouse. 2 days ago 2 of the pots had tipped over having top heavy plants in them. I thought the pots were really wet, they were not!
I will dig out an old sheet and will water the path in the greehouse to increase humidity.
Don’t think it is meant to be quite as hot today. Did I ever think I would be wanting things to cool down

 

I've given my mystery self-seeder a large container and virgin compost. It had better come up with the goods!

 

I'm sure you have given them a good talking to.

 

I'm sure it'll come up in conversation next time I'm out there

 

I use old bedsheets or similar @hailbopp for the growhouse, although I didn't need to use them until a few years ago when we had a record breaking summer in terms of heat. Never needed shading in the past here either. Usually trying to protect toms from wind and rain!
Originally I used a small blue polythene tarp that gets used for painting protection, and I put it across the front using a few hooks top and bottom which lined up with the holes on the tarp. That worked well, and also stopped the r*ddy magpies getting in and stealing the toms!
I only have a small set up, and the heat inside it can be hideous. I've currently got a mattress protecter sheet on the gr'house - just attached with clothes pegs at the top, and a plank weighting it down at the bottom. I looked out another old sheet to cover the little plastic one I bought recently for a couple of extra toms I had. That seems to help.
Just bodge anything together and it should help. Fingers crossed your toms are ok.

 

Outdoor Sungolds


Jenny namaste

 

Plenty of Sungolds here and even the Choc cherries are ripening up - earlier than usual ( probably begging to come in from the heat in the GH) The Tumbling toms can't seem to make their minds up - strange as they usually ripen alongside the Sungolds.

 

My tomatoes look a mess this year because I planted them out into too rich compost. Huge foliage and thick stems. Fruit has begun to set, one plant has thrown lots of flowering side shoots so I have left it to its own devices.

 

I've been picking the outdoor Sungolds for the last two weeks. This week I've started on the Gardener's Delight (had at lunch), Auntie Madge's and Garnet.

 

My outdoor tomatoes have been looking fairly limp on most afternoons, but they have set a really good crop of of toms.
I only have one greenhouse tom in a pot and 50% of the fruit have BER.

The outside ones have pretty much caught up with the inside plant anyway.

 

The Beefsteak tomatoes in the greenhouse are huge, and I can see a blush forming on one, so, perhaps, soon we will be enjoying our first tom of the season.

 

Thanks, @burnie . I do love to have a snoop around other people's greenhouses.