Yes I agree with @MikeOxgreen, for those of you having very high temps in the UK and are growing tomatoes in full sun and sheltered, the sun may damage them. I have to shade mine down here and leave the leaves on as well.
@MikeOxgreen I think pruning lose leaves just helps to improve ventilation to prevent blight as well as make harvesting easier..
Maybe, but if the weather carries on as forecast then blight will not be an issue this year (it was last year for some). Ventilation is not so good at the ripening stage as it blows away the Ethylene which the plant produces to ripen the tomatoes.
I have not cut a single leaf and have had ripe toms for about 2 weeks now, the first ones to ripen are the lowest and some are hidden by leaves.
They aren't difficult to harvest, but are so low i've had to put straw under them. Maybe next year i'll cut off the bottom truss before it sets to prevent this, the slugs are getting to some. When they ripen properly on the plant it's where the flavour comes from.
Yes I agree with @MikeOxgreen, for those of you having very high temps in the UK and are growing tomatoes in full sun and sheltered, the sun may damage them. I have to shade mine down here and leave the leaves on as well.
I think that's all of us here Are you having record temps over there as well?
Where I live is ideal for tomatoes - except this year!! The high temperatures are destroying the growing and the ripening process. It's hot and dry. I plant my plants in "trenches" so that I irrigate the trenches and the water slowly seeps down. My toms are split at the top but they do taste good!! (Nothing to do with irregular watering!) Production this year is at a record low and for commercial growers, is a disaster. I won't comment about my cucumbers and my pimentos and peppers are scorched. Aubergines are pathetic. We have been experiencing 40°C temperatures with a hot dry Mistral wind since about mid/end June. It got hot all of a sudden which interrupted growth. Apparently, it is a promise of things to come.
Where I live is ideal for tomatoes - except this year!! The high temperatures are destroying the growing and the ripening process. It's hot and dry. I plant my plants in "trenches" so that I irrigate the trenches and the water slowly seeps down. My toms are split at the top but they do taste good!! (Nothing to do with irregular watering!) Production this year is at a record low and for commercial growers, is a disaster. I won't comment about my cucumbers and my pimentos and peppers are scorched. Aubergines are pathetic. We have been experiencing 40°C temperatures with a hot dry Mistral wind since about mid/end June. It got hot all of a sudden which interrupted growth. Apparently, it is a promise of things to come.
Merci, if you look closely there is spinach and strawberries there too. The weather this year has played into my hands as we live quite high up and there is a lot of wind. I can open the doors are either end of the polytunnel and let the cooling winds blow through to keep the plants happy - usually! We haven't had many still days this year. What it will be like with different weather I don't know as we haven't been here long enough. I didn't grow anything last year as we were in the process of moving, but read that a lot of amateurs had a bad tomato year due to a cold and wet August. As humans we will adapt, maybe in the future your farmers and commercial producers will be pushed up the Alps where it's cooler and windy.
And you down below will be growing pineapple and oranges
They told us that back in the 70’s. Get your grape vines up and growing, it will all be wonderful, at least with our emissions antics we have warded of the imminent ice age which we should be going into now, What’s best, living with heat, or under an ice sheet.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Ventilation is not so good at the ripening stage as it blows away the Ethylene which the plant produces to ripen the tomatoes.
You may be able to supplement the Ethylene by putting your banana skins in there (or some over-ripe ones you've cadged from the veg shop). I do this every year. Maybe it works, maybe not.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Ventilation is not so good at the ripening stage as it blows away the Ethylene which the plant produces to ripen the tomatoes.
You may be able to supplement the Ethylene by putting your banana skins in there (or some over-ripe ones you've cadged from the veg shop). I do this every year. Maybe it works, maybe not.
The OP could yes, but i'd need a lot of bananas this year
If I knock an unripe one off or when it gets too cold I do bring them in and put them on the bananas in the fruit bowl.
There does seem to be some sort of 'message' that goes around the greenhouse. Like the OP I've had some Shirley that have been fully formed for weeks with no sign of ripening. All of a sudden this last week they've started to ripen at exactly the same time that my chillies and my Piccolo toms have started.
Strangely though I've been getting loads of lovely ripe Maskotka toms (same greenhouse) for several weeks now. Never grown this bush variety before but thanks to someone on this forum I gave them a try this year. I'll definitely be growing them from now on.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I’ve got the Maskotka, seeds @Fire. They’ve been and still are brilliant, lots of toms already and loads more to come. Much better than the Tumbling Tom I’m growing.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
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Ventilation is not so good at the ripening stage as it blows away the Ethylene which the plant produces to ripen the tomatoes.
I have not cut a single leaf and have had ripe toms for about 2 weeks now, the first ones to ripen are the lowest and some are hidden by leaves.
They aren't difficult to harvest, but are so low i've had to put straw under them. Maybe next year i'll cut off the bottom truss before it sets to prevent this, the slugs are getting to some.
When they ripen properly on the plant it's where the flavour comes from.
Are you having record temps over there as well?
Where I live is ideal for tomatoes - except this year!! The high temperatures are destroying the growing and the ripening process. It's hot and dry. I plant my plants in "trenches" so that I irrigate the trenches and the water slowly seeps down. My toms are split at the top but they do taste good!! (Nothing to do with irregular watering!) Production this year is at a record low and for commercial growers, is a disaster. I won't comment about my cucumbers and my pimentos and peppers are scorched. Aubergines are pathetic. We have been experiencing 40°C temperatures with a hot dry Mistral wind since about mid/end June. It got hot all of a sudden which interrupted growth. Apparently, it is a promise of things to come.
What it will be like with different weather I don't know as we haven't been here long enough. I didn't grow anything last year as we were in the process of moving, but read that a lot of amateurs had a bad tomato year due to a cold and wet August.
As humans we will adapt, maybe in the future your farmers and commercial producers will be pushed up the Alps where it's cooler and windy.
And you down below will be growing pineapple and oranges
You may be able to supplement the Ethylene by putting your banana skins in there (or some over-ripe ones you've cadged from the veg shop). I do this every year. Maybe it works, maybe not.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
If I knock an unripe one off or when it gets too cold I do bring them in and put them on the bananas in the fruit bowl.
Strangely though I've been getting loads of lovely ripe Maskotka toms (same greenhouse) for several weeks now. Never grown this bush variety before but thanks to someone on this forum I gave them a try this year. I'll definitely be growing them from now on.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Much better than the Tumbling Tom I’m growing.