Category: Questions & Answers

Tomato Greenback

Greenback (as the name suggests) is a problem with the tomato fruit where the shoulders of the fruit fail to ripen properly leaving you with hard, tasteless parts of the fruit. Its causes are similar to whitewall, too much light and/or heat as the fruit are maturing or lack of potassium or feed whilst the…… Continue reading Tomato Greenback

Tomato Seed Collection (2023)

Every year I collect tomato seeds for a number of reasons. Its simple to do and means that you only have to buy tomato seeds if you want to (my main reason to buy seeds is to increase the number of varieties I’ve grown in my effort to find the “best” range of tomatoes. Summer…… Continue reading Tomato Seed Collection (2023)

Tomato Seedlings on the way

Tomatoes, Peppers & Physalis Despite the relatively cold weather over the last two weeks, the seedlings are beginning to push their way forward. Of the seeds I sowed, only one variety failed to germinate at all, the seeds were really quite old but I think I might have another go. The peppers and physalis are…… Continue reading Tomato Seedlings on the way

Tomatoes – How many Trusses is the right number for Indeterminate Plants?

Amateur - August 2014

A truss of tomatoes is the bunch of fruit growing off the stem. Different cultivars have different sorts of trusses, some are long with up to 40 tomatoes on a truss, others are much shorter with only a few (sometimes as few as five or six) tomatoes. We grow tomatoes to get as many ripe…… Continue reading Tomatoes – How many Trusses is the right number for Indeterminate Plants?

Harvest- End of September 2021

The season is beginning to come to an end. We’re still getting tomatoes (another 9kg since our last post) but the plants are looking decidedly sickly with botrytis/grey mould killing off the ends of the plants, the leaves and (more frequently now) the fruit. It looks like the problem has affected even the fruit that…… Continue reading Harvest- End of September 2021

Tomato Problems – Botrytis

September is with us again and the warm/damp weather we’ve been having is encouraging disease in the greenhouses. Last year it was Bacterial Canker this year I seem to be having Botrytis (also known as Grey Mould). Its something I get every year but this year it seems even worse than usual. Its caused by…… Continue reading Tomato Problems – Botrytis

At Last! – Tomatoes starting to Ripen & other things

Minibel (outside)Sandpoint (in greenhouse)Oleron YellowFirst harvest!!First Fruit showing colour About two weeks later than normal, our tomatoes are beginning to show signs of ripening. Although we normally get a few tomatoes starting around 11th July, this year they seem late. I think its a combination of not growing the cultivars that are reliably early (Bloody…… Continue reading At Last! – Tomatoes starting to Ripen & other things

Watering Tomatoes – How to get it Right

Correctly watering your tomatoes through their life can make a big difference to the overall crop. One thing to remember is the old adage “more plants are killed by overwatering than underwatering”. So, what is “overwatering” and how do you prevent yourself doing it? Watering Seeds & Seedlings If we start at the beginning, tomatoes…… Continue reading Watering Tomatoes – How to get it Right

Tomato Sowing – 2021 & Cleaning the Greenhouses

Spring has sprung, the clocks have gone forward and the weather is warming up, my tomatoes have been sown and are beginning to show themselves. As usual, I have sown a mixture of ones I like, ones I haven’t grown before, and some to refresh my seedbank. Selecting the seeds for this last group is…… Continue reading Tomato Sowing – 2021 & Cleaning the Greenhouses