We have cut about half of the leaves off, from the bottom, and cut down a bit on the watering. It worked well last year. Tomatoes are gradually ripening through, enough for a couple each day. Patience!
My toms are gradually going red (or orange, as the new trialed variety are), but I have had a few split. I'll take on board the comments about over watering, makes sense. I am grateful to have any tomatoes. This year has been mad, my favourite crunchy mini cucumber (Picolino) is behaving very strangely; when it starts to form a fruit it grows into the shape of a tiny butternut squash and as it matures it fills out to become a perfect 3-4" cue. Crisp and lovely as ever. They didn't do that last year or before, maybe this crazy weather keeps putting the brakes on the growth? It looks like a half inflated long balloon!
I've been picking tomatoes in my little green house for about 4 weeks now. Ingrown from seeds free in GW magazine. I agree that heat plays the biggest part in ripening. But I also think feeding with tomato food helps
Crazycatlady my Cues are exactly as you describe yours,the only 2 plants to "pot on " from sowing from seed are Thompson & Morgan " White " cucumber seeds.They are a pale green,growing in a "cheapish" growbag.After last years " Blight " disaster ,losing indoor,outdoor,hanging basket toms, I purchased " Ferbine " an F1 hybrid seed,very blight resistant & they were "potted on " into dearer growbags impregnated with seaweed,they have been stopped after 4 trusses have set, only 3 "normal" size green fruits per truss.The only difference with the toms in dearer bags,rather than the usual cheaper versions I 've used,is that there appears to be loads more foliage than normal & less fruits. Why I don't know, anyone else noticed more foliage than normal using the dearer seaweed bags ?
I've never used dearer ones supadad. I have always used the thinner traditional ones by a well known firm with yellow and red graphics, but I usually put the compost in large pots. This year they have behaved differently, there is plenty of fruit but the trusses seem to have developed erraticly with some large toms interspersed with lots of smaller ones, so pound for pound less than usual. Not counting last year of course which was pretty poor. I wondered if it was the compost, It didn't seem quite the same this year. One year I was in too much of a hurry to pot them on and put them into theIr big pots before the first flowers appeared and then wow, did I get leaves!
supadad, lots of foliage and not many flowers is usually a sign of too much nitrogen in the soil.
Anaconda, if you're getting significantly different sizes and/or shapes on the same plant, the original seed could have been crossed. It's been known to happen with commercial seed suppliers.
Yes, Italophile, one of my tom plants is very different from all the rest. It must have been a rogue seed. When I grew tomatoes in England my wiser neighbours said you can hang whole tomato plants upsidedown from the garage rafters to let them ripen off at the end of the season.
Great to read advice about tomatoes and I'm new to it all as well. I've got two hanging baskets (courtesy of Homebase!) with Tumbling Toms in them - have had a lot of fruits so far but.....the skins are really tough.
Any tips on toms with thinner skins please? Have fed them as I should etc.
Posts
Warmth and sunlight for growing, warmth for ripening. Sunlight doesn't play a role in the ripening process.
We have cut about half of the leaves off, from the bottom, and cut down a bit on the watering. It worked well last year. Tomatoes are gradually ripening through, enough for a couple each day. Patience!
My toms are gradually going red (or orange, as the new trialed variety are), but I have had a few split. I'll take on board the comments about over watering, makes sense. I am grateful to have any tomatoes. This year has been mad, my favourite crunchy mini cucumber (Picolino) is behaving very strangely; when it starts to form a fruit it grows into the shape of a tiny butternut squash and as it matures it fills out to become a perfect 3-4" cue. Crisp and lovely as ever. They didn't do that last year or before, maybe this crazy weather keeps putting the brakes on the growth? It looks like a half inflated long balloon!
I've been picking tomatoes in my little green house for about 4 weeks now. Ingrown from seeds free in GW magazine. I agree that heat plays the biggest part in ripening. But I also think feeding with tomato food helps
Crazycatlady my Cues are exactly as you describe yours,the only 2 plants to "pot on " from sowing from seed are Thompson & Morgan " White " cucumber seeds.They are a pale green,growing in a "cheapish" growbag.After last years " Blight " disaster ,losing indoor,outdoor,hanging basket toms, I purchased " Ferbine " an F1 hybrid seed,very blight resistant & they were "potted on " into dearer growbags impregnated with seaweed,they have been stopped after 4 trusses have set, only 3 "normal" size green fruits per truss.The only difference with the toms in dearer bags,rather than the usual cheaper versions I 've used,is that there appears to be loads more foliage than normal & less fruits. Why I don't know, anyone else noticed more foliage than normal using the dearer seaweed bags ?
I've never used dearer ones supadad. I have always used the thinner traditional ones by a well known firm with yellow and red graphics, but I usually put the compost in large pots. This year they have behaved differently, there is plenty of fruit but the trusses seem to have developed erraticly with some large toms interspersed with lots of smaller ones, so pound for pound less than usual. Not counting last year of course which was pretty poor. I wondered if it was the compost, It didn't seem quite the same this year. One year I was in too much of a hurry to pot them on and put them into theIr big pots before the first flowers appeared and then wow, did I get leaves!
supadad, lots of foliage and not many flowers is usually a sign of too much nitrogen in the soil.
Anaconda, if you're getting significantly different sizes and/or shapes on the same plant, the original seed could have been crossed. It's been known to happen with commercial seed suppliers.
Do you mean Ferline, superdad?
Mine are loaded with toms, 8 - 9 per truss.
They are hardly turning, maybe I should keep the greenhouse door close up a bit for extra warmth?
Great to read advice about tomatoes and I'm new to it all as well. I've got two hanging baskets (courtesy of Homebase!) with Tumbling Toms in them - have had a lot of fruits so far but.....the skins are really tough.
Any tips on toms with thinner skins please? Have fed them as I should etc.