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The above photos are week 27 and the one below is today’s pickings. I think they might be the last. Despite the rain, the plants are still standing but few gems remain to be picked.
In terms of “weather continuity” I am sure I should now be picking up kindling and gathering it into the folds of my many-layered calico skirts to keep me warm through the winter – instead of dashing into the garden to fill a glass pyrex bowl with tomatoes. But still there is something very right about rustling through branches and leaves to pick your crop. To feel rough stem or velvet leaf and then to circle round a fruit and pull it off from the plant. There must be some ancient part of the brain that’s rewarded by such action – all tied to survival.
However looking at my slight bounty – it’s just as well it’s not my stomach that’s expecting reward from my modern day growing efforts.
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Yes it’s a good thing we’re not reliant upon our tomatoes for survival – we’d be in trouble for sure. Surprisingly, my tomato plants are lingering on, and I’ve picked a few handfuls of green fruit with a slight blush of orange or purple. The Sunstreams are now delivering the goods, and some LL’s have ripened indoors, but Gold Medal is in the dunce’s corner as far as ripeness goes. The blight seems to have abated for now – but I give it a few days before the rain last weekend gives it new vigour…
Meanwhile elsewhere in the garden, I have melons swelling – very surprising considering the weather. Who knew? I’ll be further amazed if they should ripen before the first frost!
I suppose if we were relying on our gardens, we’d grow those things we knew we could rely on – fewer tomatoes, and mostly the most reliable varieties. My plants are a bit ragged, but still healthy – and I’ve discovered lots of green fruit. But more rain recently has encouraged me to pull the crop, and take the fruits before they ripen outside, because most rot before that happens. I even found one being eaten by what looked like tiny millipedes! Still, I have a single plate of ripe fruit, and will take great pleasure in eating them
I recently had the pleasure of eating a few dozen tiny little tomatoes which I’m told are “pearl” tomatoes. I think some of those pictured above may be those. Can you tell me where I can get seeds and if that is their real name.
Thanks.
Hello, again! Glad to have popped by to find you still operating. I have had a funny tomato year, with such awful conditions earlier that all the tomato plants were seriously delayed and are now only just coming to fruition (more orange than red!) in the greenhouse. A few from the hanging baskets outside have ripened, but I’m not optimistic that they’ll manage to do more from now on. You might be interested to know that I took some surplus plants down to Oxford and, such is the difference between our Pennine climate and the Oxonian, they have produced a bumper crop. So if self-sufficiency in tomatoes is required, do it further south and leave us to our leeks and brussels. Sigh. Also, in a local wood, I came the other day upon gatherers of kindling, who are, I think, more concerned about keeping the cost of their woodburner down than survival. With winter coming on, perhaps our instinctive desire to gird up the calico skirts (each to her own!) is better managed by tapping the central heating control with a happy digit and nipping down to the supermarket to stock up. I am being frivolous, because I know exactly how it feels to pick your own produce or catch something for the pot; it’s a very pleasant and heartwarming thing indeed. Lovely to be here again.
Migrating tomato plants! I am glad someone had a bumper crop. Most people I ask about their tomato fortune this year – wince!
However I have taken your advice on hardship to heart – the central heating went on this weekend. Making the most of toasty!
We have escaped the worst of the rain down here but you did well to decide to pull them when you did looking at the news pictures of the amount of rain that has fallen elsewhere. I hope that ripe plate delivered enough taste of summer to make it worthwhile!
Well consider self yourself knighted for services to Melon growing.
At the RHS Autumn show there are always two very fine melons in the show -only the two – both from Dukes – Malborough and Devonshire.This year – only one – and undersized at that. The Duke of Devonshire decided to change the game by the submission of the largest lemons. The sort of size that you’d need a swimming pool gin and tonic to accompany a slice of. The only problem being is that noone would believe they were lemons – even though it was on the label. Yellow painted rubgy balls seemed more likely.
The tomato classes also showed that it was not a good year for the season growers either. Many less entries than normal.I took some pics – so will post later in the week ( and sneak in some lemons for the wow factor!)