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Week 19
Plants: Growth has definitely slowed. Some haven’t needed tying in and where they have, growth has not been excessive.
One exception; Sungolds which are out of control. Upwards, sideways, along the ground, Sungold has turned out to be the kind of plant that left unsupervised, would spot an open window and with no hesitation climb in, colonise the sofa and ingratiate itself with the curly telephone cord.
A variety best suited to the gimlet-eyed tomato grower from the Barbara Woodhouse school of heel.
Watering: Is there a day it hasn’t rained? Maybe one. But I’m still watering. For some of the plants on the shadier side of the garden I maybe over watering. Trying to find a balance between volume and watering consistently, I may not have got it right.
Flowers: There are still flowers and bees but not as many.
Fruit: All the plants have fruit. One Tumbler plant has turned red and ripe enough to eat. Sungold is not far behind and today there’s a light orange blush to a couple of the Garden Pearl. Darby Stripe also has two light orange fruit, really pretty.
As well as the joy of being that bit nearer to eating, when the tomatoes ripen and cease to be all purpose green, I like seeing their individual hues come through.
Crop: A new and exciting part of the weekly update. Total harvest to date : 12 Tumblers.
Feeding: Tomato feed once a week.
Pruning: I took some leaves off this time last week but I’m going to hold off now as growth has slowed.
Disease: Blossom End Rot took out about 20 Cream Sausage tomatoes. It’s also affected the Roma. I’m afflicted with ‘head in compost’ syndrome and don’t want to take too close a look .
How are other tomato growers doing ?
A nicely illustrated review of the Topsy Turvy planter from Garden Desk.
Sad, bad news from Hazel and Jane’s allotment where blight has struck.
The London Vegetable Garden is impatiently awaiting the magic moment when green turns to red.
Where as over at Tomatoes every day is packed with magic moments, on average over 200 of them. That’s the number of tomatoes, of all varieties, harvested daily from one garden in Southern California !
So that’s where my Sungolds are heading – Southern California.
