This is all Random Orbital Bob's fault...

[Random Orbital Bob]

The advice is sound for single leader types NOT bush types. Steve's plants are Sungold which are the right type for this procedure. I had 10 mins spare before sports day so just nipped out and here's the pics:

First the sideshoots you need to pinch out...before and after on two separate plants (one with the actual shoot shown off the plant)

Now the bases of the stems showing how clear of branches they are

And finally a shot of several plants just for sheer gratuitous tomato-ness

 

[MrTeroo]

Slug pubs just attract more slugs from the area, a bit like announcing a party on facebook. Coffee grounds tend to deter them a little,

Do you have a Waitrose nearby? I'm not sure if they all do it but ours has a metal bin outside full of all the grounds from the free coffee they give away.

They even provide a scoop to help you put it in a bag

 

[Steve Maskery]

Do you have a Waitrose nearby?

In Kirkby-in-Ashfield?

 

[MrTeroo]

Treat yourself, give Netto a miss this week:


Waitrose branch - Wollaton
110 Trowell Road
Nottingham
NG8 2DH

 

[Steve Maskery]

Actually I was in there just the other day, as I had to go to Nottingham. It used to be the Co-op when I was there. It was nice. Posh stuff we just don't get. I was in Morrison's today. They are far from being a "good" supermarket, but they do have a half-decent fish counter, much better than the local Astescbury's. So it's fish pie tomorrow.

ROB, I've trimmed my plants as you described. I should say, though, that only two of them are SunGold. The others are Roma and Ailsa Craig. Does that make a difference? The SunGolds are noticeably taller than the others.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Roma is a bush, the others afaik are vine. Google determinate and indeterminate. It's not usually necessary to pinch out bush types, although you won't actually hurt them if you do. Many people grow bush types by choice as they don't take so much looking after (other than regular watering of course (which is much, much easier in the ground in greenhouse).

 

[MrTeroo]

Actually I was in there just the other day, as I had to go to Nottingham. It used to be the Co-op when I was there. It was nice. Posh stuff we just don't get. I was in Morrison's today. They are far from being a "good" supermarket, but they do have a half-decent fish counter, much better than the local Astescbury's. So it's fish pie tomorrow.

ROB, I've trimmed my plants as you described. I should say, though, that only two of them are SunGold. The others are Roma and Ailsa Craig. Does that make a difference? The SunGolds are noticeably taller than the others.

Did you happen to notice if they had a metal bin of coffee grounds at the entrance? Maybe it is down to each store to decide if they want to do it?

 

[Steve Maskery]

I didn't actually. I know that Waitrose offers free coffee to its customers, and I could smell coffee when I walked in, but I didn't see the coffee station. TBH I just went in to see what was different from when it used to be the Co-op. I bought a bottle of wine and a bottle of coconut essence, which I've had on my shopping list for months and can no longer remember which recipe it was that called for it.

There were fancy mushrooms and a fine selection of European meats. Wollaton and Kirkby-in-Ashfield are not the same.

But I am trying to raise the tone of the neighbourhood. I have my own tomato installation, you know.

The worst bit was when I got back in the car and couldn't move the steering wheel. There was a red warning light on, which was obviously the power steering. Fortunately, re-starting the engine fixed it. I'll have to keep my eye on that.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

ROB, I've trimmed my plants as you described. I should say, though, that only two of them are SunGold. The others are Roma and Ailsa Craig. Does that make a difference? The SunGolds are noticeably taller than the others.

Not in the grand scheme of things Steve. My personal preference is Sungold just because they're small and incredibly sweet and as such go ridiculously well with a bacon and egg fry up, quite literally off the chart delicious in fact. But all varieties grown at home in the traditional way will wipe the floor with anything you can buy in the supermarkets and that even includes the posh expensive ones like piccolo et al. I guess it's either the intensive farming methods or the travel time from being picked to the supermarket that does for them and they all just taste like water to me. Home grown taste like tomato's should.

The size of the Sungolds make them ideal to simply throw in the frying pan once the bacon's done, all that residual fat coats them and in literally a minute they're ready to follow the bacon to the plate (closely followed by the eggs of course). Come September I literally walk outside with a dish, pick enough for one meal, walk inside and chuck them in the hot frying pan.....that's how fresh they are.

But this year I'm also growing money maker for other culinary purposes and in previous years I've tried many varieties. Sungold are just my personal favourite. I don't have a greenhouse otherwise I'd try the big beefsteak types too because I love them in a salad with mozzarella, basil and slices of chorizo and a splash of balsamic and shallots.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Incidentally Steve, when I was taking those snaps this morning, my plants had some leaf spots on too just like yours, just pinch them off as they appear.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If you get hold of some nice big beefsteaks when you have a roast leg of lamb cut them in half horizontally, grind some black pepper and salt over them, put a sprig of basil on the bottom part and put the top part back on. Drop them in the bottom of the oven for an hour, and if the skin scorches just peel it off. Wonderfully Mediterranean, goes with lamb beautifully.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Come on then Steve....time for an update...here's progress at mid August. I've slowly been removing the lower leaves as they either get diseased or obscure the trusses from much needed sunlight. As you can see both the Sungolds and the Moneymakers have cropped well. The Sungolds (my favourites) gave their first ripe fruit at the end of July which is an absolute first for me and is a testament to that hot spell we had in June. But there's plenty more to come and I hope the sun hangs on enough to get my Moneymakers colouring up.

Flavour....off the chart. I had the first fry up with the Sungold's yesterday morning and I'm still dribbling at the thought of it!

How's yours getting on in their maiden voyage?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hi Bob,
Well they have grown and a few tomatoes have appeared, but there are still more flowers than fruit. I've removed quite a lot of the foliage to let the light in. I've been very diligent about watering and feeding.

One of the Ailsa Craigs has grown completely horizontally, but the others have grown upright. Here are some pics.

I have also grown some salad stuff around them, but TBH I'm such an ignoramus on this stuff I don't know if I've grown rocket or dandelion.

I still haven't worked out what I'm going to do about watering whilst I'm on holiday. The neighbour who would do it is away at the same time.

 

[Bm101]

You can eat both rocket and dandelion leaves Steve. One is commonly used in salads and very occasionally pronounced ro-key by effete pretentious wan****s.
The other will grow anywhere even if you try to kill it. There's a lot in a word especially if the word is weed and you're used to buying your food from sainsburys.
http://www.ediblewildfood.com/dandelion.aspx
No traditional tree hugger here but I read Richard Mabeys Wild Food book as a teenager and it changed my perception of how we view food, in particular plants of course. Not much use for chocolate cake.
We eat a fair bit of wild food from nettles (bit like spinach) to all the usual suspects like blackberries and sloes (with a bit of sugar and a lot of gin). Not at all trying to convert anyone but it's amazing what you can eat if you take one step outside the circle you're used to. Sometimes take the kids and show them a plant like pig nuts. They are invisible till you know what they are then you see them everywhere. Told my old man about pig nuts years ago when I was all enthusiastic about wild food and he went, Yeh we used to eat them all the time as kids. In a generation the general knowledge dropped off societies radar. It's a bit mad when you think about it. Anyway I'm off on one again. Nice Toms Steve.
Cheers
Chris

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Well that's not too shabby at all Steve. Bear in mind, last year, with the Indian summer we had, I was still picking ripe ones in early November so there's hopefully plenty more time for them to colour up. Are you giving them a tomorite feed once a week? Also did you pinch out the side shoots?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Thanks, chaps.

BM, I'm working my way through my last bottle of rhubarb gin (done rhubarb vodka this year as well) and I have a jar of blackberry whisky on the go.

Well that's not too shabby at all Steve. Bear in mind, last year, with the Indian summer we had, I was still picking ripe ones in early November so there's hopefully plenty more time for them to colour up.

I hope so, I fear they will all be in their prime whilst I am soaking up some sun.

Are you giving them a tomorite feed once a week? Also did you pinch out the side shoots?

Yes and yes, sort of. Tomorite at least once a week, actually. I did pinch out the side shoots, but things got a bit out of hand and I have one plant that has two mains stems. I don't think that is quite right, but by the time I had spotted it, it already had flowers on it.

I have learned a lot from this, apart from the ridiculous economics. I put three plants per bag. I think 2 would have been better. Also, the trellis/cane structure thingy is completely inadequate. And I started far too late.

These tomatoes had better be flippin' fantastic.

 

[AES]

Well Steve, you wrote, QUOTE: apart from the ridiculous economics. END. THEN you wrote, QUOTE: These tomatoes had better be flippin' fantastic. UNQUOTE:

Well Steve, I DID warn you right at the start, didn't I? The ones I buy in the supermarket here (Yup, supermarket, no shame here!) do taste "flippin fantastic" actually. Shall I send you a little box? Even allowing for the ridiculous postal, etc, charges here, they're pretty economic too, compared to grow yer own!

OK, OK, only joshing Steve - really

Well done for persevering, your crop's looking MUCH better than we ever produced here.

AES

P.S. If you pay my air fare I'll come over and water them for you (and drool around in your shop between times)!

 

[Steve Maskery]

Dream on, Andy, dream on.

 

[AES]

I'll even bring some NICE supermarket tommies with me! FOC

No?

OK, I can dream, can't I?

AES

 

[Steve Maskery]

Quick update.
I have two tomatoes that are no longer green.

And an automatic watering system:

Fingers crossed.