Only the one flower truss still. And at this stage, so pale and tightly curled must be the flower – that I got ahead of myself, forgot where I was in the growing process and starting admiring it as a baby tomato. Oh dear, there’ s a long way between now and that moment.

I checked in at a garden centre again this weekend to make sure there are still plenty of tomato plants wanting good homes. And there were – but all grafted varieties from Suttons. I don’t know what’s happened to all other kinds. Is there is a red squirrel/grey squirrel kind of thing going on this year but played out with normal v grafted tomatoes instead?

Whereas contrast and compare to this year, when growers are worried that their plants are not going to be ready in time, that growth has been stunted and slow. Given that these plants must be some of the most closely watched and cossetted plants around – it gives pause to ponder who is in charge. Clearly not us as much as we would like to think we are.

So in that context I am so pleased with the Loseley Gardeners Delight trio. I don’t think they will taking up a trip up to town or bringing home Gold Medals anytime soon – but in terms of Best in Show when it comes to my patch – they are doing very nicely!

Life got in my way which resulted in a dearth of blogging and a demise of those early seedlings. Neglect the only cause. Although I also had bad germination rates for some varieties. In fact null points for Black Prince and Britain’s Breakfast!

So I have had a change of plan. I have restyled myself as a “plant hunter/collecter”! With a bit of scrounging on the side (the less arduous of version of foraging). Pictured are my buy of the week. ( Snapped before snaffled.) Three Gardeners Delight for £3.00. And with impeccable  pedigree! Loseley House near Guildford in Surrey.

Their plant fair lasted three days with invited nurseries as well as home-grown plants for sale. The tomato plants were sown and raised on site. Big Red sold out on the first day. I bought the very last three Gardeners Delight on the morning of the third day. So for the Tommies come lately it was Moneymaker only. As tomato plants they looked gorgeous – everything a prosperous young tomato plant should be. But sadly they grow up to be Moneymakers so that ruled them out!

I am going to sow some more seeds this week end. Late – but for the fun of seeing my own plants grow – but my early plants are now going to be just that – plants.

A little confusing – there being only 7 seedlings in the photo. I popped one of the germinated Lizzanos on the windowsill behind the blind in the kitchen and forgot I’d done that. Odd thing to be playing – hunt the tomato seedling! Found it but too late to be in shot.

I am not taken with the coir as a safe and snug seedling home. It’s keeping the water level right which is tricky. So I am going to allow myself to have a little coir-carp about it – and then be less lazy and sown the next batch in compost.

I am starting gently. With two varieties – both Bush tomatoes.

Red Alert, as it says on the packet “it’s so early, it will ripen before any chance of blight” and F1 Lizzano “The Tomato Bush”, as it says on the packet “Tomato Success Guaranteed!” ( the ! is Sutton’s not mine). It’s described as Easy to Grow and resistant to tomato ‘blight’.(Sutton’s quote marks, not mine, if I were to misuse punctuation in relation to blight , I’d hold down the asterisk key.)

If anyone might be wondering about the difference buying F1 seed makes to sowing costings – look no futher. Lizzano: £2.99 for 7 seeds ( £3.69 for 6 from T&M), Red Alert: £2.89 for 30 seeds.

In past years I’ve often used Peat Pellets as a quick and mess-free way to sow seeds. This year the inevitable has occured. They have been replaced by a peat free product called a Growing Pocket, a “compressed planting pockets in biodegradable mesh”.

I am pretty sure they are made from compressed coir and my concern was that once “uncompressed” they would become a instantly disintegrating mess. As is coconut’s want – it did shed a lot on hitting the water. But my goodness – superfast expansion. A high rise mattress for a seed in seconds.

I’ve sown 4 Lizzanos and 6 Red Alerts. There will be more varieties but it feels good to have got started.

The temperature has really dropped today so I am guessing that week 37 will be the week that never was. But still … what an innings!

There was a “firmish” frost this morning – but this photo was taken yesterday and the flowers and green fruit were most definitely there – not the healthiest of plants – but hanging on regardless. The photo to show the gorgeous blue sky above is a wonderful calendar contrast to last year when  it was all snow clouds overhead and drifts and ice underfoot! Will the real November please stand up?