Perhaps some of you will have to invest in a greenhouse if the weather is going to be more hit and miss. The only problem is that you need a fair few years of good crops to make it more viable than just buying them!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We say that here too @Biglad, although, if you were in America, suspenders means braces. The kind that hold up trousers, not teeth.... I gave up on those growhouses, too little protection, and the covers tear so easily. I invested in a little wooden/polycarbonate one a few years ago, and it's so much better. Still not as good as a proper greenhouse, but I'd have to get rid of a lot of plants if I wanted one of those.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I know what you mean as this is my 2nd (and last). I needed something immediately and was feeling flush at the time It's done a decent job so far. If it lasts another couple of years before it starts falling apart, I'll be happy.
I'll get round to constructing some kind of coldframe eventually Or maybe buy a more solid construction if I get another spending urge
@Fairygirl it was my greenhouse tomatoes that succumbed 1st. I'm trying to get as much of a crop as possible and am cooking the tomatoes for passata, I am removing anything that looks sick. I am so disappointed having managed to avoid any problems with all the other veggies. I think I've both over fed and over watered, the really rich compost at 8-10 inch deep probably had enough to keep plants growing well. Less watering next year too as I'm sure I wasn't getting this right.
All a learning curve isn't it @Wilderbeast? I probably over fed in the past too, until getting info from Italophile on this forum. I now only feed two to three times at most. I'm also growing in the ground this year for the first time, and I'm also growing a different variety, so it's hard to make a comparison with crops. Next year will be easier to judge, as I think I'll grow this one again. Odd that you had it in the g'house first though. Maybe spores were present already? I've never experienced blight. I suppose if doors are open a lot during very hot weather, it's easier for them to get in from elsewhere too. At least if you can crop some it's not a complete disaster.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Very sad for those who've been blighted. Mine are OK so far despite lots of rain. Outdoor ones this year are Costaluto Fiorentino, Golden Sunrise and Orange Paruche.
Especially for Eustace: Sadly all three of my outdoor varieties have succumbed to late blight. Costaluto Fiorentino was almost finished anyway but the other two would have continued producing for another month or so..... the remains are now on the bonfire. Greenhouse toms still good thankfully. Bummer year for blight.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
@Redwing yes, that is grow-your-own for you and me. Sometimes we get a bumper harvest and sometimes not much. Whichever way it is, it is learning and experience.
I saw the first signs of blight in the first week of August, or probably even earlier. I have been cutting off the affected stems and leaves since then. All my plants are in pots outdoors in the lawn. Most plants survived and it was not a total loss. Yesterday I cut down about 10 plants with various stages of blight on the stems but good fruit and disposed off them. I do not know what arrested the progression of the disease as I still
have around 5 plants laden with tomatoes, with blackened stems but the
fruit unaffected. I noticed that Gardener's delight and Moneymaker were
the worst affected; Tigerella, Tumbling Tom and Tamina least affected.
Funnily enough, when I first spotted blackening of the stems, I took off one of the sideshoots from the top of a plant and planted it in a barrel planter among beans and cucumber. A month later, there is no blight on that plant and it has 5 trusses of tomatoes. I'll try to take a photo tomorrow and post it.
Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth
My greenhouse gardeners delight tomatoes definitely got blight but I stripped every bit of foliage of every plant I had and removed all the rotten Tom's then just left them. Amazingly the stems just whizzened up but I lost very few Tom's, this weekend gone it was clear most plants had given up and I cleared nearly everything. The marmande that shared the greenhouse didn't suffer at all. The outside sungold have suddenly succumbed and collapsed over night.
One year my tomatoes got Early Blight … black stems and patches on the leaves … I was able to keep them going through the summer by isolating the affected plants, checking twice a day and removing affected leaves … we got at least a small crop.
This year my toms got Late Blight … 20 plants went black and collapsed overnight. I saved about 2lbs of fruit.
Late Blight is much worse than Early Blight in my experience.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Posts
Perhaps some of you will have to invest in a greenhouse if the weather is going to be more hit and miss.
The only problem is that you need a fair few years of good crops to make it more viable than just buying them!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Mine are in the blowaway @Fairygirl but as it is open more than it is zipped up, I fear for my first crop of little, green jewels
I gave up on those growhouses, too little protection, and the covers tear so easily. I invested in a little wooden/polycarbonate one a few years ago, and it's so much better. Still not as good as a proper greenhouse, but I'd have to get rid of a lot of plants if I wanted one of those.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'll get round to constructing some kind of coldframe eventually
Odd that you had it in the g'house first though. Maybe spores were present already? I've never experienced blight. I suppose if doors are open a lot during very hot weather, it's easier for them to get in from elsewhere too.
At least if you can crop some it's not a complete disaster.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Late Blight is much worse than Early Blight in my experience.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.