My toms - finally edible

[Little tom]

At last after months of loving care my tomatoes are finally ready to eat!! Here's a piccie.
I know they're a bit 'leggy' but I don't mind - I had a bad start so I'm pleased I've got anything at all really

[fromthecrowsnest]

Are they Gardeners Delight ? Your toms look fine to me.

Mine are the same and really healthy; plenty of fruit ripening up now, but despite a constant watering and feed some are splitting their skins. Above all no sign of the deadly blight.

This weekend should be good for the toms, peppers and figs.

It has been a good Summer down here in Hampshire.

[Little tom]

Hi there,

Correct they're Gardener' Delights and their name isn't a lie!

The skins of my toms tend to split too, yes. Like you I watered them regularly though. But the container is a bit shallow (just 15 cms of compost) and that's probably not helping!
Summer here in Cambs has been 'OK' but the sun was shy in August, and the rain quite present. I hope the green toms will have time to ripen!

Enjoy your toms and fingers crossed no blight will have them as you say (can it strike at any time in the season, do you know?).

Cheers,

Sophie (aka Little Tom)

[Husker]

Great job Little Tom! You're plants look fantastic. Now go enjoy the fruits of your labor.

[fromthecrowsnest]

Hi Sophie

15cm soil depth is really not enough. Mine are in 40cm square pots and 40cm depth of soil and one plant per pot. Tried two plants in a pot once...big mistake. They grow like mad and I don't take out the side shoots, only make sure the centre of the plant is not overgrown. Also support with bamboo canes tied together with twine.

Blight can strike during damp weather; August here has been wet and drizzly, but this weekend is great and a sunny forecast for next week. Once blight strikes, it just gets worse and you are fighting a losing battle.

GL
Terry

[judimac]

They look really good. You can get cheap pots from Morrisons where they sell the flowers, or I have heard Asda give them away. All my toms and chillies are in them.

[Little tom]

Cheers everyone :-)

Yes I know I've really pushed it too far regarding soil depth. Glad my toms didn't punish me for my lack of care...they're a treat, they taste so lovely, I can't wait to try better next year in deeper pots!
Thanks for your comments and advice

Tom

[Maralyn45]

They will look good....you can water them regularly....

[Mikey & Annie]

Sweetest tomatoes we ever tasted - gardeners delight. Been harvesting em now for about two months which is better than the other varieties. Will be putting lots of green toms in paper bags with bananas!

[fromthecrowsnest]

Went down to the compost area yesterday where I had thrown out some hopeless Tumbler mini toms. The stems were all withered and brown but the toms were ripe and ready to eat.

I stopped feeding and watering the rest of my tomatoes a week ago, Gardeners' Delight and Supersweet (both mini toms); the foliage is slowly drying out and despite one or two fruit discarded through blight signs the rest are turning red. They are sheltered out of the rain too, but in full sun as and when it decides to appear.

I don't know if I would use this method with medium and large varieties like Shirley or Marmande. The banana in the draw would probably be best.

[Little tom]

Sorry I've been silent all this time.
Now it's really the race against time for the last toms to ripen.
I haven't had the heart to terminate them yet...
I didn't know the paper bag + banana trick, I'll give it a go, I was panicking about the last toms not being able to ripen in time.

I agree with Mikey & Annie, the Gardener's Delight lived up to their name...

I'm also trying 'Hundreds and Thousands' (mini tumbling toms) next year. Does anyone know how they usually do?

[fergi]

just made it to 2lbs

[Little tom]

Wow! Now that's a BIG one well done! (I mistook it for a pumpkin ;-))

[fergi]

sorry little tom this is a pumpkin[IMG][/IMG]