You're ahead of me in the great tomato race! Please tell your Bride for me that I have been dutifully removing suckers and pruning up leaves to allow for the air flow I need and to accommodate the close planting this year. It has helped a lot! I tried to not perform this ritual when life was very busy a couple of years ago and it was a bit of a disaster in my small greenhouse. I like this approach much much better. Your tomatoes look wonderful!
Tomatoes, one of the most rewarding things one can grow. I'm now thinking of some home made ketchup, and those leftover can be sun-dried.
Mine are just flowering but they're outside, i have grown them in the conservatory but they get too leggy, even the bush ones.
Thanks Jewell. They are always a little different aren’t they, but just as long as they work. Cheers, Loggie. Mel— mate, I am chuffed that you are having some success this year. I know how it is when garden and life fills up with business. Pfffft! Anyhow, could you post some piccies of your Tom Colony? Cheers for the tom compliments. I told the Bride and he just smiled that big smile. Thanks. S-H— you are too right about that. So many things to make from the toms. I like eating them so much. KK— ahhh. Cheers. Loggie— I can understand they are leggy with all that cool, rainy weather we had a while ago. Lets hope that they settle down and grow normally fr you. These days the greenhouse is so warm that I have put a curtain in the doorway 24/7.
Here are my tom's. I had a few more than I thought. I'm looking forward to the warmer more summer like weather ( none of this hail and lows of 2 - 5 C nonsense) but I am grateful for the cool rainy spring that we desperately needed. Once the weather calms I can get the greenhouse more organized. Roma VF ( I learned of these from you and Daniel) Amish Paste ( a Netty favourite) Big League Hybrid ( new to me - a bush and large beefsteak tomato - for sandwiches ) Bush Beef Big Beef Hybrid I have a few others in flower but no fruit yet - Early Girl Bush, Mortgage Lifter and Gigantamo. A lot of the joy of tomatoes for us are being able to grow the ones that fill a sandwich! hahaha. Otherwise we never see those type of tomatoes. We enjoy trying a few plants that grow big or go home. I realize most tomato connoisseurs are about flavour - but anything not from a grocery store and hard is wonderful for us and a win. I'm very excited about the Romas this year. My daughter loves them so much she calls and asks how "her girls " are doing - she's coming to visit in September and could easily just eat tomatoes all day.
Ahhh Mel— those look Grrrrrrrrrr-reat, as Toni the Tiger would say. You have some good ones there. The plants look to be in super condition and you have some good choices. I know what you mean about the hard store-bought toms. I had some at the lottie hamburger feast. They had no taste. Your daughter sounds like my kinda tom enthousiast. Haha. I often pick them and eat them in the garden— they never make it home. Thanks so much for this picture-posting. It is great.
Marmande toms so far this year, but will they become as large as last year? Remember them? The other toms are coming along quite well. They have been pruned and suckered several times in the past weeks as well as fed with comfrey tea.
Looking good Sjoerd and Mel! Sadly, my garden is lacking Amish Paste this year. I decided to try 'Jersey Devil' this year in its place and had a crop failure and was left with only 3 Jersey Devil plants. I planted some Sicilian Saucer plants that did well and so they make up the bulk of my canning tomato row. But I have LOTS of cherry types and slicers, 25 varieties throughout the garden. I am looking forward to trying a few of the new varieties - Heinz (my late fathers name) and Berkley Tie Dye pink. My 6 year old Grandson also grew a Chocolate Cherry for me and I look forward to tryng those. I don't prune mine the way that Sjoerd and Mel do, mine are more of a 'free style' in cages. I get more tomatoes than I could ever use and love to share with friends and family.