I HAVE HAD THE BEST YEAR EVER AS FAR AS CROPPING IS CONCERNED I PLANTED THEM IN RAISED BEDS IN THE GREENHOUSE, WHICH I HAD EMPTIED OF SOIL AND FILLED UP WITH JUST THE GARDEN WASTE THAT WOULD NORMALLY HAVE GONE ON THE COMPOST HEAP. LEFT THE MATERIAL TO ROT DOWN OVER THE WINTER AND PLANTED THE TOMATOES STRAIGHT INTO THE COMPOST THIS SPRING. I ALWAYS CUT ALL THE FOLIAGE OFF AS SOON AS THE TOMATOES HAVE GROWN AND STARTED TO RIPEN ON THE BOTTOM TRUSS,THAT WAY THERE IS LESS CHANCE OF BLIGHT ATTACKING THE PLANTS AND IT DOSNT SEEM TO STOP THE REST OF THE TRUSSES PRODUCING THE SAME AMOUNT OF FRUIT. THIS WAY WORKS FOR ME BUT LIKE ALL ASPECTS OF GARDENING THERE ARE NO HARD AND FAST RULES TO GROWING ANYTHING. DO WHAT SUITS YOU I LIVE IN THE THE SUSSEX AREA, PERHAPS THE GOOD AND BAD RESULTS IN CROPPING IS AN AREA THING THIS YEAR.
My tomatoes have been very good this year too. Planted just two in outside in pots, this year I dispensed with Gardeners Delights and went for Sungold and Lizzano. Very happy with both of these especially the Lizzano, and would definitely have both again.
kaymay: This year I tried some other varieties which you may want to try out. Interesting ones were Orange Banana (large plum) and Orange Santa (small plum), Green Zebra (medium stripey), Big Green (good for cooking but actually turn red!), Garnet (v.tasty cherry), Goldkrone (sweet yellow cherry), Shirley (large cooking), Trilly (small plum), Chocolate Cherry (says it all),
Lossetto didn't produce much but Supersweet 100 F1 gave me over 100 super sweet cherries so it did what it said on the tin.
willbara: Seems like the fresh compost in raised beds is just ideal. It's just a pity the nutrients don't last so digging out and starting again has to be done every year so it's ongoing. I'm a firm believer of home composting against buying bags from the garden centres. My hobby is actually producing a 'super compost' which is an all year round job.
This year I experimented planting 3 tomato varieties (one identical seedling in each) in 10 inch pots. My own in one and the other using John Innes compost. I was delighted yesterday when I added up the tomatoes on each, mine produced 33, 38 and 40 per cent more.
If anyone is interested in how it was done I'd be happy to share 'my secret'.
Mine are only just beginning to ripen. I don't know what variety they are, mostly commercial. This has come about because the bowel care nurse advised my mum to avoid fruit with pips, so I fillet her tomatoes and the seeds go into the food waste bin and thence to the compost bin. I sowed my seeds in a mix of coir and home made compost, and every pot grew tomatoes in addition to whatever I'd sown. So I didn't bother sowing toms, just potted on and planted out the free ones. (Meanwhile, the old dear's diverticulitis is less bothersome, so we did well to follow the nurse's advice.). The toms are probably meant for greenhouse culture, and I don't have one. I expect growing greenhouse tomatoes outdoors is the reason they're so late. There were several fasciated flowers, and the resulting fruits belong in a freak show. I'll post a photo when I pick them.
While i agree with you that its an ongoing job ,taking the old compost out and putting new in every year, what i should have added is that i dont have a compost heap,i use my greenhouse beds as the place to put my garden waste covering the beds with membrane to make the beds look more respectable.
After the tomatoes have finished producing i empty the beds mix the old compost with an equal amount of sharp sand and a small amount of phostrogen which i then find makes an ideal compost for dahlias , carnations and chrysanths all of which i grow in containers.
tootles
lovely basket of tomatoes the yellow look really good, what variety are they?
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I HAVE HAD THE BEST YEAR EVER AS FAR AS CROPPING IS CONCERNED I PLANTED THEM IN RAISED BEDS IN THE GREENHOUSE, WHICH I HAD EMPTIED OF SOIL AND FILLED UP WITH JUST THE GARDEN WASTE THAT WOULD NORMALLY HAVE GONE ON THE COMPOST HEAP. LEFT THE MATERIAL TO ROT DOWN OVER THE WINTER AND PLANTED THE TOMATOES STRAIGHT INTO THE COMPOST THIS SPRING. I ALWAYS CUT ALL THE FOLIAGE OFF AS SOON AS THE TOMATOES HAVE GROWN AND STARTED TO RIPEN ON THE BOTTOM TRUSS,THAT WAY THERE IS LESS CHANCE OF BLIGHT ATTACKING THE PLANTS AND IT DOSNT SEEM TO STOP THE REST OF THE TRUSSES PRODUCING THE SAME AMOUNT OF FRUIT. THIS WAY WORKS FOR ME BUT LIKE ALL ASPECTS OF GARDENING THERE ARE NO HARD AND FAST RULES TO GROWING ANYTHING. DO WHAT SUITS YOU I LIVE IN THE THE SUSSEX AREA, PERHAPS THE GOOD AND BAD RESULTS IN CROPPING IS AN AREA THING THIS YEAR.
i
My tomatoes have been very good this year too. Planted just two in outside in pots, this year I dispensed with Gardeners Delights and went for Sungold and Lizzano. Very happy with both of these especially the Lizzano, and would definitely have both again.
kaymay: This year I tried some other varieties which you may want to try out. Interesting ones were Orange Banana (large plum) and Orange Santa (small plum), Green Zebra (medium stripey), Big Green (good for cooking but actually turn red!), Garnet (v.tasty cherry), Goldkrone (sweet yellow cherry), Shirley (large cooking), Trilly (small plum), Chocolate Cherry (says it all),
Lossetto didn't produce much but Supersweet 100 F1 gave me over 100 super sweet cherries so it did what it said on the tin.
willbara: Seems like the fresh compost in raised beds is just ideal. It's just a pity the nutrients don't last so digging out and starting again has to be done every year so it's ongoing. I'm a firm believer of home composting against buying bags from the garden centres. My hobby is actually producing a 'super compost' which is an all year round job.
This year I experimented planting 3 tomato varieties (one identical seedling in each) in 10 inch pots. My own in one and the other using John Innes compost. I was delighted yesterday when I added up the tomatoes on each, mine produced 33, 38 and 40 per cent more.
If anyone is interested in how it was done I'd be happy to share 'my secret'.
I had a fab crop this year. The best in years.
For me this was definately down to planting in grow bags in the greenhouse and using tomato pots.
Still got a few growing now and this was from just one picking of circa 9 plants.
Mine are only just beginning to ripen. I don't know what variety they are, mostly commercial. This has come about because the bowel care nurse advised my mum to avoid fruit with pips, so I fillet her tomatoes and the seeds go into the food waste bin and thence to the compost bin. I sowed my seeds in a mix of coir and home made compost, and every pot grew tomatoes in addition to whatever I'd sown. So I didn't bother sowing toms, just potted on and planted out the free ones. (Meanwhile, the old dear's diverticulitis is less bothersome, so we did well to follow the nurse's advice.). The toms are probably meant for greenhouse culture, and I don't have one. I expect growing greenhouse tomatoes outdoors is the reason they're so late. There were several fasciated flowers, and the resulting fruits belong in a freak show. I'll post a photo when I pick them.
If you want a seedless tomato, try Jersey Devils, large tomato, no Pips and skin easily. Everyone germinated.
Old compost :
We seem to be on the same wave length,
While i agree with you that its an ongoing job ,taking the old compost out and putting new in every year, what i should have added is that i dont have a compost heap,i use my greenhouse beds as the place to put my garden waste covering the beds with membrane to make the beds look more respectable.
After the tomatoes have finished producing i empty the beds mix the old compost with an equal amount of sharp sand and a small amount of phostrogen which i then find makes an ideal compost for dahlias , carnations and chrysanths all of which i grow in containers.
tootles
lovely basket of tomatoes the yellow look really good, what variety are they?
Wow Lyn, thanks for this, I'd never heard of a seedless tomato. Will investigate.
Come on Old compost,Willbara has told us how he makes his compost, let's have your secret compost recipe.