Grow Your Own Magazine

Come on then... roll up! roll up!

Who's got tomatoes?

I had my first last Thursday - Tumblers - and my first Sungold's today. Just a few, but it's always a great moment.

For info, these were sown end of March and planted outside in large containers during May. Grown organically in a mixture of garden compost, bought-in compost and some turf loam. Fallen over a couple of times (the Sungold) but survived!

So, anyone else?

How are they this year? Mine seem better flavoured than sometimes.

Yup we've been enjoying our tomatoes. I am trying out all sorts of varieties his year but as usual it is gardeners delight and sungold that are ahead and performing best. I have a strange purple stripey one that I can't bring myself to try!!

Nothing like a warm tomato straight from the plant!

I have heaps...heaps of green tomatoes that is - sigh, am going to have such a glut when they do ripen though!

Nothing for me yet, I have some cherries which still have a way to go before they'll be ready.

Lucky you getting toms already

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An onion can make people cry but there's never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.
Will Rogers

I can't recall being ever successful with tomatoes in the past. Whether I grew from seeds (always late) or shop bought as bigger plant to give me a headstart or been given by friends, they all destined as green tomatoes that simply wouldn't ripen.

My 3 different and shop bought tomato plants (sungold, shirley and beef) have fruited but I'm still waiting...skeptically for red edible tomatoes. I think I ought to get some red tomatoes seeing as it's only July, some way to go before end of harvest period.

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Food for Free

There's plenty of time, guys, don't you worry.

I think Sungold will do you proud, veg4681 - mine has been in a small pot far too long, split its stem twice, been taped up, fallen over in gale-force winds and lost a truss, fallen again and... well, it's producing despite it all. I took two sideshoots early on and they have four trusses each, too. I'm glad I did that.

My fingers' are crossed for all of you

mine are only just getting the first tomatoes on the first truss! I don't know what I did wrong this year. The only thing I can think of is that I left them in their small pots too long before planting them out as I was waiting to finish the bed to put them in. Jealous of you having lots!

I got really excited yesterday cos I found my first tomato (gardeners delight) and its my first year growing them myself. I sowed them from seed and now they are about 4ft tall. To be fair the tomato is very green and about the size of a pea, but that didn't stop me dragging my OH out on the balcony at midnight with a torch when he got back from work. Can't wait till its big enough to eat! I think I'll put it on a plate all of its own.

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Leah & Andy

What is this life if, full of care
We have no time to stand and stare

My indoor and outdoor tomatoes look like little peas, doesn't stop me from counting them every day tho.

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Bren

Had our first sungold (ceremonially halved and eaten in a solemn and appreciative silence!) a few days ago. We also had one each of the first Berry toms to ripen. I wasn't too chuffed with these new F1 hybrids at germination because a big proportion had the seed casing stuck when they popped up and they never grew well. The ones that did, however, have done relly well, lots of toms and early ripening - there will be more in a couple of days. And the flavour was outstanding. Old-fashioned tom flavour.The only ones not ripening yet are green zebra which are always well into August.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

I've got green toms on my outdoor Gartenpearle and all other varieties , indoor and out , are still at the flower stage. But it is only July, so I'm not worried, they will come. I think they are doing well for the west of Scotland. It's all swings and roundabouts. But I am looking forward to ripe tomatoes - everything in its time. Patience Alice !

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Green toms but this far north it's been pretty naff for toms so far this year, even under glass. Fingers crossed the weather pics up

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http://gardenfan.blogspot.com

I am just starting to get a few ripe sungold, little charm and tumbler. It is my first year with a polytunnel so I am growing 15 different varieties to see which ones I prefer.
Everyone says gardeners delight and sungold are the best tasting. I am sure we would all have riper toms if we manage to get some sun!!

Lots and lots of leaf on mine, and a couple of green toms, but nothing anywhere near ripe yet -- patience susan!!

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

i picked my first 2 cherry toms yesterday - i'll be doing the ceremonial eating thing too - just gotta be done
lots more green cherry toms to come
full size toms nowhere near ready yet - first sowings failed dismally - second sowing fine but no flowers yet

I have sweet olives just ripening in the greenhouse (can't wait) and in there as well I have some moneymaker which are about the size of golf balls, so they should not be long. Outside I have gardeners delight which are only small ( pea sized ) but this should help spread the harvest, and my gartenpearl in tubs are covered in 1 inch green toms.
First bit of sun should see everything come on great
Darren

Lots of green toms on Sungold, Gardeners Delight, Incas F1 and Tumblers

But... ha, ha! Some of my Sungold are changing colour, so I ate one

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne

I must confess that we have been picking toms since the first week of June. However that is due to sowing the seeds in late jan in a heated greenhouse, planting them out in a tunnel in early April and using an early variety (bloody butcher).

The sungold sown in March and in my greenhouse at home are only just ripening and most welcome they are too.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

We've been picking bloody butcher for about three weeks. Like yours Piglet, they were sown early in a heated greenhouse, together with the beefsteak and plum varieties. The cherry varieties we sow later.

One plum variety, olivade, is doing absolutely fantastically this year. We have had a few ripe tomatoes, but two plants have their sixth trusses setting.

I noticed yesterday that we have a large mortgage lifter ripening - bring on the mozzarella.

A cherry variety we are growing for the first time this year, idyll, is setting really well. Flavour will be the main criterion whether we grow it again, but its looking really good.

valmarg

Hiya
Picked my two first Gardeners delight yesterday. Mother outlaw and sister outlaw reckon I should pick all the green ones and put them on a windowsill. I'm not going to as these are the same two who told me I am supposed to take all the flowers off those cucumbers whilst pointing to the tomato plants . Yeah nobody believes me when I tell them that

I have heard though that you can ripen toms by putting them with another ripe tom or a banana something to do with ethane gas (I think it was ethane , some sort of gas any way).

Ohh and first post and first year growing. HIya

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Sheila

it's ethylene, the gas.

On our 5th beefsteak tomato - about 8oz.. Lots of Sungold and GD.. al under glass. Started beefsteak in late Jan under grow lamps.... Greenhouse heated only on frosty nights.
Moved quickly to keep potting on so all grew very quickly in warm April/May sunshine.. then slowed down..

(I Have 18 plants plus 6 peppers in a 8x6 greenhouse - about 6 too many:-)

First off, just want to say Hi.

I'm new to the site and live in Stirling, Scotland.

This is my second year of growing veg and so far loving every minute of it.

Saw this post and just had to reply!

These are Sungold


and these are Garden Pearl


Just wish the other toms would get a bit bigger.

Alicante


Marmande (outside)


If you want too see more pics I have a website at

www.backyard.8m.net

Mine aren't ripe yet but have some pretty big fruits on my outside Red Alert and loads on both my yellow and red tumbling toms (inside and out) as well as various small (but swelling) fruits on the Ferline, Gardener's Delight, Idll and San Marzano - at least I think they all but I'm not going outside to check now!

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?