by Sally on October 18, 2011
This is the largest class in terms of number of entries for tomatoes for the RHS Autumn show. So competition is stiff. However unlike Doggie Shows where handsome hounds have to have long names denoting sireing/dameing and proclaiming their illustrious pedigree – all ‘best in breed’ tomatoes seem to have to go by the name of Cedrico!
I counted 11 entries. 9 were Cedrico and 2 Alicante. I think I have got the photos in the right order of first, second, third and I think fourth prize. But for sure they were all Cedricococo!
by Sally on October 17, 2011
Sun, warmth and more sun. The temperature has dropped today – but it wouldn’t be too far fetched to have squinted into the recent sun and seen a flicker of Halloween being celebrated with a ‘Tom-0-Lantern’.
And given that lots of people use St.Patrick’s Day as the calendar marker to sow tomato seeds by – that would make it a full seven months today since home growing got going.
I think the week ahead saw the first frost of last year – so I wonder what I’ll be writing this time next week. Still in possession of some green stems – or if the curling fingers of Jack Frost will have closed the curtains on 2011?
by Sally on October 14, 2011
This has to be a dish of 9 – and in a class of only 3 entries – it was saved by the ‘Striped Stuffer’ which is is a glorious tomato reincarnation of Toad of Toad Hall in a jolly summer blazer – stuffed with puffed-up toad pride – a few gold buttons and they would be parp, parp, parping off the plate and on to the open road.
Left behind in the cloud of dust – are ‘Sunrise’ and ‘Cream Banana’.
by Sally on October 13, 2011
There weren’t any entries in this class last year so good to see a couple this year. The Brandywine were especially attractive.
by Sally on October 12, 2011
It’s interesting given how many tomato varieties there are, that not every plate is a different. Appearing again is Harlequin, Ildi appears twice, Sweet Million and Gardener’s Delight once. So I think there were eight entries in all.
Staging cherry tomatoes is clearly an art as well. The sand makes them look a little like rouged-up ostrich eggs, the kitchen towel is a little too… ‘kitcheny?’, the tack to hold them in place – works well from a securing point of view – but not so sure I like the look, sort of fabergé egg without the fab – and then there are the plates – where it would seem an inquisitive finger has given them a curious poke – and the tomato equivalent of Come By is now needed to herd them back into formation.
by Sally on October 11, 2011
It was the London RHS Autumn show last week. Show benches full of the most beautiful examples of their kind. Potatoes glowing like lumpy, truffled pearls, leek barrels sleek with albaster shimmer, and cabbages fine enough to wear a crown.
I always like to take note of the outcome of the annual Noblesse oblige in the Melon duel. A duel because there are only ever two – one from the Duke of Devonshire, one from the Duke of Marlborough. And whilst the actual fruit, could easily be bought and perhaps bettered from any supermarket – there is something delicious about this rough-skinned slice of history being played out year after year. But this year there was – gasp – only one melon, and it was smaller than in previous years. I hope this is hiccup and not revolution.
On the tomato benches – no such unsettling sights. Although from studying the look-a-likey plates in the medium class – I am sure if the Stepford Wives had a Stepford husband he must have been called Cedrico!
But I thought we’d start with the Small Fruited Class. 1st prize: Apero. 2nd prize: Sungold. 3rd prize: Harlequin. And all lovely looking fruit and well deserving winners.
by Sally on October 10, 2011
Many apologies for being so very gone! But I am back now. As was the summer for a while. Even today it’s so warm – albeit very gusty!
For tomato growers – this summer has to be the movie equivalent of those films where only those who haven’t crushed their popcorn buckets and flipped up their seats by the time the credits finally reach the end of their roll – get to see those last few frames – snuck in right at the end. An unexpected and joyful burst of the story you thought had reached its finale.
So even though I can’t count myself as an “active” tomato grower as most came to a blighted end – if it hadn’t of been for that – I would still have plants and fruits – and so would have notched up a full fortnight of tomato growing over the half year hump! And all outdoors. I think there’s a celebration in there somewhere. But in the meantime, I will just celebrate being back – and seemingly able to remember how to publish a blog post!
by Sally on September 12, 2011
I like to be honest – and so to be writing a title such as Growing Tomatoes – I feel like I should actually be doing that. Instead it feels like it’s the end of Pier, end of Season show – and the wind took it all away before the last Curtain could come down, last bows taken, and the pub adjorned to.
Still, if some plants can hang on in there for another couple of week then it will be that 26 weeks of my year was spent “growing tomatoes”. This year – not the best! But that’s ok, as I know next year doesn’t have to be much better – to be amazingly better. And whilst I know nothing about weather forecasting – I feel in my very under-tomato-nourished bones that next summer is going to be a tomato bonanza!
by Sally on September 1, 2011
It’s an imperfect truss in that it has a touch of blight (odd how these things work, one calyx was black right down to the tomato, and the tomato infected – but the rest of this truss seemed ok).
But it’s perfect in that it’s exactly the shape and colour I had hoped for. So when this year comes around again next year ( i.e that will be tomatoes with no troubles in the future I’m writing for myself – then I will be growing this one).
by Sally on August 30, 2011
I read in the paper that this has been the coldest summer for almost 20 years. Apparently 1993 was a similar under-deliverer of warmth and sunshine.
Saturday – my phone bleeped with a blight warning text.
It’s no wonder the garden looks such a sorry sight!
