Without the blight blip – could this have turned out to be the longest outdoor tomato growing season ever?
Outdoors, I still have a few plants with foliage – those mid October frosts were hard but not enough to get plants in sheltered positions. Indoors, I still haven’t put my heating on. I’ve given it a quick blast to make sure it still works – which it does – but it’s still all very mild.
There’s probably some big freezer cabinet door that’s being slowly cranked opened that will release all the wrong kind of weather in our direction – and I’ll soon be eating my words ( and the scattered frozen peas that fall out at the same time if it’s anything like my freezer) but for the time being, this year has been very odd for having all the right weather at the wrong times!
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Yes it has been mild here – until today – and still frost-free. I’m glad you’ve still got plants ‘on the go’, you’ve out-tomatoed me! May your extended season continue and your tomatoes ripen nicely.
I took my plants down last week as I couldn’t see any benefit from leaving them there. They could have survived longer but I took advantage of the calm, mild weather to dismantle the tents and clear the plots. All good things etc…
Still, my windowsill is full of green and ripening tomatoes that will surely supply me until Yuletide. And I bet you’ll *never* guess what I’ll be making with the too-young-to-ripen tomatoes and those cheap Bramleys!
I’ve not finished clearing mine yet! We had frost last night, but just a touch – inside the greenhouse wreck there’s a couple of blight-resistant plants that have turned into monsters! And lots of red fruit still on the bough – but it can’t last! In brighter news: just fifteen weeks till the next sowing!
If anything it seems to be getting even warmer here!
Now let me see! Christmas Chutney??
I love your looking forward approach.
15 weeks – that’s really no time at all. Strange to think we have a winter to go through first! ( or maybe this year we won’t! – although I’d like a cold snap to come and kill off whatever random “spores” might be lurking in the garden!)
I have to look forward, or the winter would depress me too much! I must say, surveying the shredded leaves of my swedes and the hundreds of caterpillars responsible, I did rather wish for a hard frost the other day… I’ve had aphid infestations in January in the past, so this coastal living has its downsides…
Yup, green tomato and apple chutney; as if i haven’t made enough chutney this year already – well the giant Gold Medals had to go somewhere!
I wish you, Sally, and everyone else who reads and comments on your blog, a happy, restful, tomato-ful and peaceful winter. See you next year.
Thank you so much for your company this year – all your comments, support and tomato tales have been much appreciated.
Have a restful, chutney-fuelled winter and see you next year!