Monty Don's tomato advice

[Lotsaveg]

This year I've been taking the leaves off sooner than usual to keep botrytus at bay. Here's what my plants look like at the moment

[Potstubsdustbins]

The thing I think should be made clear is don't trim all at once, it should be a progressive job. Mine are now all off to the first truss and when that has finished fruiting (should be next week) the ones above will come off to the next truss.

Colin

[chris]

This year I've been taking the leaves off sooner than usual to keep botrytus at bay. Here's what my plants look like at the moment

<pic>

Do you have two toms in each of thsoe containers? You must really stay on top off feeding? I've 1 in morrisons buckets, and the roots are already matted!

[taff]

oh dear, i've just seen a way to grow even more tomatoes...I hate you lotsaveg.

[JamesM]

The thing I think should be made clear is don't trim all at once, it should be a progressive job. Mine are now all off to the first truss and when that has finished fruiting (should be next week) the ones above will come off to the next truss.

Colin

Following no advice only my own (hopefully accurate) logic i've alwats done this as it seems that the plant puts it's energy into growing in the right places so to speak

[BroadRipple]

Lotsaveg - so neat! so posh! so organised! mine look like a completely different possibly jungle-derived organism. DAMN I feel bad now!

[Lotsaveg]

Do you have two toms in each of thsoe containers? You must really stay on top off feeding? I've 1 in morrisons buckets, and the roots are already matted!

Ooooops.. Sorry folks ...

I've been taking lessons from a couple of commercial growers who I do a bit of pest consultancy for.

There's 2 plants per sainsburys flower bucket and they were planted as seedlings into a small amount of compost. As they grew, compost was added until they were at the top of the buckets. This ensured that strong roots were growing right through the compost.

One Miracle Grow feed per week until the flowers appeared, then 2 feeds of MG per week.

Once the trusses began to set I fed with 1 MG and 1 Tomorite per week.

Once the first truss tomatoes were fully formed, I've fed with Tomorite twice a week and a MG once a fortnight.

Now that the 6th trusses are developing, I'm feeding with Tomorite three times a week.

Plants have been stopped after the 6th truss and leaves are being removed as shown in picture.

I did use a Beepol bumblebee hive to help pollination and also shook the flower trusses.

Watered twice a day on sunny days and once a day on dull days.

That's about it!

Moneymaker in the middle, Black cherry on the left wall which are being trained up and over the MM's and Balcony red on the floor on the right.

[Alex_Parrott]

Wow!, I have three grafted toms this year and thats it!

[Lotsaveg]

Wow!, I have three grafted toms this year and thats it!

Nothing wrong with three grafted tomatoes!

The reason I grow quite a few plants is that I never seem to have enough by the time I've made batches of bolognese & spicy tomato sauces for the freezer and jars of chutney to go through the winter.

[thepopela]

Would you happen to have a recipe for the bolognese / spicy tomato sauce? sounds like something i would like to try! nom nom nom!

[chris]

How large is your greenhouse?

Hmm, never used miracle grow, or looked into it. I'm growing organically... probably why my toms are so far behind !

[Lotsaveg]

Would you happen to have a recipe for the bolognese / spicy tomato sauce? sounds like something i would like to try! nom nom nom!

During the season, I save all the over-ripe and surplus tomatoes each week by blanching them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. I then remove their skins and put them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer.

When I have a good bag full, I tip them into a big lidded saucepan and add half a dozen finely chopped onions, 2 or 3 chopped and crushed garlic bulbs, chopped fresh basil, parsley, marjoram, coriander & thyme leaves, a good slug of salt and crushed black pepper.

On a slow heat with the lid on, I cook until the tomatoes have all become liquid then mix and pulverise with a potato masher. I then remove the lid and boil off a good bit of the liquid to thicken the mix. I then add a good splash of olive oil, mix well and cook on a relatively high heat for another 15 - 20 minutes, stirring to turn it all into a nice tasty mush.

Let it stand for 10 minutes, then dispense into sterilised button lid jars.


For the spicy tomato sauce, I do the same, but add finely sliced chilli peppers, a good shake of tabasco sauce, a healthy dollup of HP and Worcester sauce, but don't use parsley, marjoram & thyme.

Mushrooms, sweet peppers and sliced onions can then be mixed with the meat before adding a pot of the sauce after the meat has browned.

Definitely yummy!

[Lotsaveg]

How large is your greenhouse?

Hmm, never used miracle grow, or looked into it. I'm growing organically... probably why my toms are so far behind !

Hi Chrismarks, My greenhouse is 14ft x 8ft and it isn't miracle grow I use, but Phostrogen... For some stupid reason I'm always calling Phostrogen Miracle Grow!!

I used to grow organically, but the more I saw of the regulations behind commercial organic the more disillusioned I became. Nowadays, I grow safely and sensibly. So far this year I've only had to use two sprays of SB plant Invigorator in my greenhouse to get rid of aphids on my aubergines and a spot of botrytus on one of the tomato plants. This product is a soap-based, plant-friendly spray that washes spores off leaves and makes the wax on small plant pests sticky so they get trapped and die.

I haven't used anything on the veg growing outside, but have squashed plenty of cabbage butterfly eggs recently!

Regarding the feeds, I use commercially available stuff because I found the home brews are too variable. Growing 2 big tomato plants in a relatively small pot does mean that the feeding has to be fairly accurate to optimise yields.

[thepopela]

During the season, I save all the over-ripe and surplus tomatoes each week by blanching them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. I then remove their skins and put them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer.

When I have a good bag full, I tip them into a big lidded saucepan and add half a dozen finely chopped onions, 2 or 3 chopped and crushed garlic bulbs, chopped fresh basil, parsley, marjoram, coriander & thyme leaves, a good slug of salt and crushed black pepper.

On a slow heat with the lid on, I cook until the tomatoes have all become liquid then mix and pulverise with a potato masher. I then remove the lid and boil off a good bit of the liquid to thicken the mix. I then add a good splash of olive oil, mix well and cook on a relatively high heat for another 15 - 20 minutes, stirring to turn it all into a nice tasty mush.

Let it stand for 10 minutes, then dispense into sterilised button lid jars.


For the spicy tomato sauce, I do the same, but add finely sliced chilli peppers, a good shake of tabasco sauce, a healthy dollup of HP and Worcester sauce, but don't use parsley, marjoram & thyme.

Mushrooms, sweet peppers and sliced onions can then be mixed with the meat before adding a pot of the sauce after the meat has browned.

Definitely yummy!

Damn, im bloody starving now!

[chris]

Hi Chrismarks, My greenhouse is 14ft x 8ft and it isn't miracle grow I use, but Phostrogen... For some stupid reason I'm always calling Phostrogen Miracle Grow!!

I used to grow organically, but the more I saw of the regulations behind commercial organic the more disillusioned I became. Nowadays, I grow safely and sensibly. So far this year I've only had to use two sprays of SB plant Invigorator in my greenhouse to get rid of aphids on my aubergines and a spot of botrytus on one of the tomato plants. This product is a soap-based, plant-friendly spray that washes spores off leaves and makes the wax on small plant pests sticky so they get trapped and die.

I haven't used anything on the veg growing outside, but have squashed plenty of cabbage butterfly eggs recently!

Regarding the feeds, I use commercially available stuff because I found the home brews are too variable. Growing 2 big tomato plants in a relatively small pot does mean that the feeding has to be fairly accurate to optimise yields.

Thanks for taking the time to reply

Yes, the regulations are a bit daft - as with everything else (as in, did you know the designated area for 'free range' chickens is 1sq metre per bird? Just over 3' by 3'... crazy... when the bird is probably a foot long from head to tail. How's that free range? ).

I don't follow any regulations, but I try to be as organic as possible (though that said, I did use up some old tomato feed ).

Have you tried using comfrey out of interest?