In This Week’s Newsletter …
Encouraging Tomatoes to Ripen
Both on and off the plant
Thinking About Next Season
Lessons learned from your own experience.
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Encouraging Tomatoes to Ripen
There is still about seven or eight weeks before temperatures take a nose dive, but it’s good to think ahead.
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A Few Lessons for Next Season
Is that variety really crack resistant?
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Please leave a comment below if you would like to. If you are on Facebook, you can make a comment on tomato growing there also if you wish.
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Avril Aitchison
Hi Nick,
You are talking of next season already and out of 11 plants, we have only eaten about 7 ripe tomatoes this summer. I live in south-east Scotland and my tomatoes are in a PVC greenhouse.
I cannot believe it is September next week! I am starting to get a bit worried about the cool temperatures and my green, some large and small toms. Normally my toms are ripe in July /August, not September!!
I either need to move south or heat my PVC greenhouse (not very cost efficient) or get a glass greenhouse which my 3 year old son will probably smash!!
Which way should I turn?
Nick
Hi Avril,
It has been a poor season, I’ve still got more green tomatoes than ripe ones – as you say, we are at least a month or two behind schedule.
I think the only thing that will improve things is some good weather. let’s hope for an Indian Summer before the UK Winter!
A pollytunnel is a good option and easily repaired.
Regards,
Nick
douglas
Hi nick,
i mentioned on here 6 weeks or so ago that id seriously considered ditching my tomatoe plants this year due tio poor growth etc. Well I didnt,but at same time didnt bother too much with them,fed them about once every 10 days or so and only looked at them ,even to water them, once a week.So i guess you could say i neglected them,but theyve come on leaps and bounds .the shirleys have produced quite large tomatoes with around 12 ripe ones in last week…..the moneymakers have lots of tomatoes though smaller than last year,but still ok.The only dissapointment plants are the ailsa craigs ,which although quite big ,for some reason are rather soft and mushy.But all in all not a bad season considering the dull weather here in n.wales……maybe the answer is to ignore the plants lol
regards
Nick
Hi Douglas,
It’s funny you should say that … next season I plan to grow a few plants without any special treatment and give them the minimum amount of everything – just to make sure!
Regards,
Nick
maria
can you tell me what causes tomato blight thank you.
Nick
Hi Maria,
Wet weather and damp conditions cause blight – it is a fungal disease that usually starts with brown patches on leaves, then stems and fruit. It is also known as potato blight and has the same affect on potatoes too.
Regards,
Nick