Tomato Growing Thread 2021

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by JWK, Jan 4, 2021.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2008
    Messages:
    30,681
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Surrey
    Ratings:
    +45,628
    Today's pickings, last of my Sungold with plenty of Santonio still coming and Honeymoon:
    20211012_125939.jpg
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Alisa

      Alisa Super Gardener

      Joined:
      Apr 21, 2014
      Messages:
      527
      Gender:
      Female
      Location:
      Portsmouth, Hampshire
      Ratings:
      +1,550
      Super, still going plants in October :SUNsmile:

      Mine gone long time ago.
      One of the reasons for failed year for me could be the compost in the greenhouse - it could have dried out last winter, I didn't improve or water it in spring.
      This year I watered multiple times now, added old horse manure and sowed phacelia.
       
      • Like Like x 1
      • Scrungee

        Scrungee Well known for it

        Joined:
        Dec 5, 2010
        Messages:
        16,524
        Location:
        Central England on heavy clay soil
        Ratings:
        +28,996
        Today's picking of polytunnel cherry toms, red are Suncherries, others mainly Orange Paruche and some Sungolds. Now I'm not watering them they're not getting as big as earlier in the season. Have to be careful picking as the truss stems are getting brittle.

        Looks like there might be no frost until November, so maybe several more pickings like this, and the ripening indoors at home from trusses cut off the night before the first frost.

        IMG_20211013_123532166_HDR.jpg

        Lost another plant to botrytus.

        IMG_20211013_121024081_HDR.jpg
         
        • Like Like x 3
          Last edited: Oct 13, 2021
        • Alisa

          Alisa Super Gardener

          Joined:
          Apr 21, 2014
          Messages:
          527
          Gender:
          Female
          Location:
          Portsmouth, Hampshire
          Ratings:
          +1,550
          Wow, in October !!! 2 boxes. I'm still learning.
           
          • Friendly Friendly x 1
          • Scrungee

            Scrungee Well known for it

            Joined:
            Dec 5, 2010
            Messages:
            16,524
            Location:
            Central England on heavy clay soil
            Ratings:
            +28,996
            37 Plants with at least 25 cherry tomatoes on each capable of ripening before end October = 925 more to come.

            IMG_20211014_094410372_HDR.jpg

            My biggest tomato now tapes 3lbs 2ozs, but appears to be lightening in colour which happens just before a blush appears and it stops growing.
             
            • Like Like x 2
            • Alisa

              Alisa Super Gardener

              Joined:
              Apr 21, 2014
              Messages:
              527
              Gender:
              Female
              Location:
              Portsmouth, Hampshire
              Ratings:
              +1,550
              Question :)
              I see tomatoes are free growing (not in pots). How do you treat/improve soil between the seasons? Do you change it fully/partially?
               
            • Scrungee

              Scrungee Well known for it

              Joined:
              Dec 5, 2010
              Messages:
              16,524
              Location:
              Central England on heavy clay soil
              Ratings:
              +28,996
              Both, plus use crop rotation and pots. I used to have three 3 x 6m polytunnels, but have moved plots and now have one of them in my garden, one in the process of being being erected at my new plot and one to go back up next year. I also have an additional 3 x 7.6m tunnel at my plot which is where the pic above was taken. Thats a total of 76.8m2 (25.6 × 3m) under cover, but each tunnel has a 600mm wide full length central path with 1.2m wide beds either side, so a total planting area of 61.4m2 (25.6 × 1.2m x 2), and if each cordon tomato required 0.6 x 0.6m there would be space for 170 plants.

              I have changed soil in beds but it's a huge task, also dug out pits and backfilled around plants with MPC, grown in pots, plus practiced crop rotation, including letting polytunnel borders lie fallow when they have demountable staging erected over them with overwintering, spring sown/summer cropping stuff growing on it, followed by pots of autumn planted bulbs for cut flowers/planting spring containers, and I also store my bags of compost underneath it. As my 39 cordon cherry toms are adequate for our needs, my current'ish setup would allow this number with a 3 year rotation, and from next year a 4 year rotation.

              Nothing much grown under cover in pots this year as the derelict 3 x 7.6m tunnel I have taken on and recovered/refurbished hasn't had toms growing in it for many years, so I've filled 70% of it with tomatoes. But I did grow potatoes in containers in 2/3 of the remaining 30%, half in big 40L ones on the ground and numerous seed spuds for next year in 10L pots on the staging.
               
              • Like Like x 1
              • Informative Informative x 1
                Last edited: Oct 15, 2021
              • Alisa

                Alisa Super Gardener

                Joined:
                Apr 21, 2014
                Messages:
                527
                Gender:
                Female
                Location:
                Portsmouth, Hampshire
                Ratings:
                +1,550
                Plenty of space to take care off and rotate cultures and get decent amounts of toms. :thumbsup:
                 
                • Like Like x 1
                • Scrungee

                  Scrungee Well known for it

                  Joined:
                  Dec 5, 2010
                  Messages:
                  16,524
                  Location:
                  Central England on heavy clay soil
                  Ratings:
                  +28,996
                  As my biggest tomato is starting to show some colour, meaning the seeds will be viable after it continues to ripen at home, I have cut it.

                  IMG_20211021_132043133.jpg

                  The girths in cm on 3 axes were 50.5 x 42.5 x 43.5 = 93,362 ÷ weight factor of 66 = 1,415g = 3lbs 2ozs.

                  And the weight was

                  IMG_20211021_140559663~2.jpg

                  So estimate was 1.5 oz's/3% out.
                   
                  • Like Like x 3
                  • Informative Informative x 1
                    Last edited: Oct 21, 2021
                  • JimmyB

                    JimmyB Gardener

                    Joined:
                    Oct 25, 2021
                    Messages:
                    360
                    Occupation:
                    Bit of ducking and diving
                    Location:
                    Jersey, Channel Islands
                    Ratings:
                    +602
                    Tragically I am surrounded by potato fields which were not rotated this year. That and the weather meant blight hit them early, the green was cut off the tops the the potatoes left to rot. Pretty much everyone I know in Jersey was blighted badly in their spuds and tomatoes this year - whatever measures they took. It was a catastrophe. Old farmer next door said that spraying with some copper based solution was the answer - but that just doesn't feel great in 2021. And clearly even that didn't work this year: the local farmers are in no way averse to a few chemicals.

                    I had a few plants that made it - by cutting off affected parts of the plants aggressively as they showed: the best were Sunrise Gold - using seed from last year's crop which was epic in scale.

                    Don’t know what to do next year: try (in a new spot)? Don’t try?

                    just to say: I think this thread is fantastic… hadn't appreciated that the same variety could change materially from one set of seeds to another. To be investigated. Along with the most blight resistant varieties available perhaps.
                     
                    • Like Like x 1
                    • Informative Informative x 1
                    • JWK

                      JWK Gardener Staff Member

                      Joined:
                      Jun 3, 2008
                      Messages:
                      30,681
                      Gender:
                      Male
                      Location:
                      Surrey
                      Ratings:
                      +45,628
                    • JWK

                      JWK Gardener Staff Member

                      Joined:
                      Jun 3, 2008
                      Messages:
                      30,681
                      Gender:
                      Male
                      Location:
                      Surrey
                      Ratings:
                      +45,628
                      I have cleared out the last of my plants, I was losing more fruit to botrytis so time to call it a day this year. These Santonio have been the best for me, shrugged off blight and very productive. These last few green ones will ripen and keep their good taste
                      20211029_132606.jpg
                       
                    • JimmyB

                      JimmyB Gardener

                      Joined:
                      Oct 25, 2021
                      Messages:
                      360
                      Occupation:
                      Bit of ducking and diving
                      Location:
                      Jersey, Channel Islands
                      Ratings:
                      +602
                      Thank you: yes - I've just had a read. Sounds like either one uses Bordeaux Mixture - which includes a toxic (to humans, livestock, fish and earthworms among others) copper compound, accumulating up the food chain - or try the blight resistant varieties but they only go so far.

                      I'm not keen on the chemical approach but that might mean no tomatoes which is pretty sad. And given what we have here in Jersey in the way of intensive potato and tomato farming, blight is perhaps just always going to be here.
                       
                      • Like Like x 1
                      • JWK

                        JWK Gardener Staff Member

                        Joined:
                        Jun 3, 2008
                        Messages:
                        30,681
                        Gender:
                        Male
                        Location:
                        Surrey
                        Ratings:
                        +45,628
                      Loading...
                      Thread Status:
                      Not open for further replies.

                      Share This Page

                      1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                        By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                        Dismiss Notice