Tomatoes...

[woodbloke]

The toms are now up to 6' high in the gh (as are the cucumbers)...how do I stop the damn things from getting any bigger?- Rob

 

[CHJ]

Pinch the growing shoots out.

 

[Grahamshed]

Pinch the tops out, could have done it a while ago

 

[woodbloke]

Thanks chaps, will do - Rob

 

[thomvic]

Good advice from Chas and Graham. Be aware though that pinching the growing point out encourages growth of sideshoots and you don't want those!
For an un-heated greenhouse in your part of the country I suggest that in future you stop the growth at 6 trusses and/or 5ft tall max - any more and your first tomatos will ripen later and the last ones have little chance of ripening at all before the winter. Up here in the midlands I find 4 trusses and 4ft tall max works well. I have occasionally got decent fruit on a fifth truss but usually they are only good enough for chutney.

Richard

 

[dickm]

Blimey. Mine have barely reached 4 feet tall, and are looking distinctly pale and wan. Mind you, they haven't seen the sun for more than a couple of days all their lives

 

[devonwoody]

Its been a funny year in the garden this year, frost, drought, then rain, then 30c the other week.

Masses of blooms on shrubs, runner beans, and tomatoes, never seen anything like it.

runners have been picked for around 14 days now and crop though is about the same as previous years so far but waiting to see if it continues which I have doubts.

No tomatoes fruited yet but masses of blooms and heights.

 

[woodbloke]

Good advice from Chas and Graham. Be aware though that pinching the growing point out encourages growth of sideshoots and you don't want those!
For an un-heated greenhouse in your part of the country I suggest that in future you stop the growth at 6 trusses and/or 5ft tall max - any more and your first tomatos will ripen later and the last ones have little chance of ripening at all before the winter. Up here in the midlands I find 4 trusses and 4ft tall max works well. I have occasionally got decent fruit on a fifth truss but usually they are only good enough for chutney.

Richard

I'll do that as well next year. I've got the cues and toms in growpots which may explain why they've done so well. Plenty of fruit on the trusses as well, but none ripe yet...any green ones I'll turn into chutney later on - Rob

 

[dedee]

If your sideshoots are still small (2-3 inches) you can try potting them. If you get a warm dry autumn you may well get toms through to December.
Caveat - works well with cherry toms, may be harder with the larger variety but there is always green tomato chutney.

I'll show you ours in September

cheers


Andy

 

[woodbloke]

I'll show you ours in September
cheers
Andy

Looking forward to the trip Andy, I'll email in Aug when it's closer to our holiday date - Rob

 

[treeturner123]

My veg is clearly well behind, 1 tom with 1 truss and a few flowers on the beans but no sign of anything worth eating yet!!

At this rate, I might have some by Xmas unless we have some more snow this year!

Phil

 

[Mark Hancock]

My veg is clearly well behind, 1 tom with 1 truss and a few flowers on the beans but no sign of anything worth eating yet!!

At this rate, I might have some by Xmas unless we have some more snow this year!

Phil

You surprise me Phil. I'm in the same area and have been picking beans and freezing them for the last ten days - I get at least a couple of meals worth each morning. Also had to pickle and make chutney of the beetroot because of the amount. Must admit the tomatoes aren't as good this year but I put that down to being gifted the plants and not knowing what variity they are or waht to expect.

Mark

 

[devonwoody]

Our harvest of runner beans so far this season. (we pick at around 6" lengths, dont like long tough ones)

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Here in the west of the west, mine are only now ripening, although I was a little late planting. On a good year they would be nearly finished by now.
A few weeks difference in planting times only seems to make a few days difference in ripening.

 

[devonwoody]

The lady as just picked 3lbs. 3ozs. of runners this morning between the showers.

 

[Grahamshed]

The lady as just picked 3lbs. 3ozs. of runners this morning between the showers.

Ready for the Rio olympics ?

 

[devonwoody]

The lady as just picked 3lbs. 3ozs. of runners this morning between the showers.

Ready for the Rio olympics ?

Well they will need a lot of intensive care. :wink:

 

[Wildman]

At 600ft ASL on the North Devon Coast we get the extreems of weather and this year the garden is really producing nothing of note, it has all either rotted in the ground, froze or suffered wind chill. Those that survived that have been decimated by mice, birds, squirrels, slugs and snails Apple, cherry, plum and pear trees lost their fruit, I now notice some apples are coming into blossom again they are so confused this year. No runner beans and tomatos in the greenhouse are well behind previous years and will not cover their cost this year. Only thing making progress (until the catapillers arrive are the greens) Rhubarb did ok, onions are half grown and ripe or going to seed, beetroot and parsnip seed rotted and failed to germinate (1 parsnip made it as did 4 miniscule beetroot.) So given up on this year only Raspberries and Rhubarb plus a few early gooseberries for jam, enough to get us through.

 

[devonwoody]

Come south young man, we are around 300ft ASL in Paignton. We have slugs as large as pythons.