Tomato Darby Striped

Medium Sized Red and Yellow striped tomato with a rich flavour. Description Grown for the first time in 2018 with seeds from a seed swap, we were interested to see how this grew. We were very pleased. A early/mid season red/yellow striped tomato with deep red flesh and a beautiful flavour which made us want to…… Continue reading Tomato Darby Striped

Tomato Taiko

Small Yellow Plum shaped tomato on an Indeterminate vine. Description Grown for the first time in 2018 with seeds from a seed swap, we were interested to see how this grew. We probably didn’t give it a very good chance as (for some unknown reason) we didn’t bother to thin out the side shoots on…… Continue reading Tomato Taiko

Tomato Halms Gelbe (Hahms Gelbe)

I’ve called this Halms Gelbe, but there is a good chance it is actually Hahms Gelbe and I’ve just mis-read the label on the packet (since discarded so I can’t check). Description One of the new 2018 cultivars and (in May) nothing to report on what the fruit look/taste like. However, the plant is stocky…… Continue reading Tomato Halms Gelbe (Hahms Gelbe)

Polytunnel Vegetables

  We’re now into late May so the polytunnel is beginning to get planted up. Up until now, its been providing us with lettuces and swiss chard but the swiss chard is coming to an end so now the summer vegetables get added. I’ve decided to follow through with similar planting to last year, Dwarf…… Continue reading Polytunnel Vegetables

The Weather is improving

The weather gods must have been listening when I last posted, the weather has improved (somewhat) and we’re now back to what I would expect to be getting in April (showers and sunshine). So spring has come with a rush and we’ve got peculiar combinations of plants in flower in the garden at the same…… Continue reading The Weather is improving

When should I sow my Tomato Seeds?

I ask myself this question every year. The seed packets say “sow in late winter” (when’s that?) or “late January to March” (more understandable) and, in different years, I’ve tried sowing from early January through until early April. I think the answer depends upon a lot of variables some of which you can control and…… Continue reading When should I sow my Tomato Seeds?

Waterbutt in the Polytunnel – A final conclusion

As I’ve said more than once (here and other places) I’ve been intrigued by the question of whether putting waterbutts filled with water into the greenhouse/polytunnel can beneficially affect/improve the temperature in the polytunnel. To try and come to a conclusion, I built a Raspberry Pi temperature sensor with four sensors (see here). I put…… Continue reading Waterbutt in the Polytunnel – A final conclusion

Starting the Year

Right, first day this year when the weather seems to have been good enough to think about being out in the garden. The ground seems to have been so soggy this year that walking around will do the grass harm and there’s no point in digging the ground as it will be in clods and…… Continue reading Starting the Year

Should you grow Multiple Stems on Indeterminate Tomatoes?

There are essentially three different types of tomatoes, Indeterminate, Semi-Determinate and Determinate. They are defined by their growth habits. In this article we are going to consider growing Indeterminate tomatoes on a non-commercial scale. Indeterminate tomatoes are usually grown in the UK as cordons.  A single stem is trained vertically upwards, either up a cane or…… Continue reading Should you grow Multiple Stems on Indeterminate Tomatoes?