Talkback: Tasty tomatoes - Talkback

Gardeners' World Web User

03/08/2007 at 22:32

I have grown tomatoes in large pots outdoors and there is plenty of fruit but when should they ripen?

Gardeners' World Web User

06/08/2007 at 11:50

I have already ripped up and binned three tomoato plants (Sungold) which had become infected with grey mould. The leaves turned crinkly and were spotted and then they go black. Then the fruit showed the same black blotches. I think the disease came from my courgettes. Now my ten Gardeners Delight tomatoes are showing early signs of the same problem. Can I treat them with anything to save them - I have invested heavily in care (water, feed and plenty of air around them) but.......??

Gardeners' World Web User

07/08/2007 at 09:00

The tomatoes in my greenhouse have all died. I think it is blight and it even spread to some outside. Has anyone else had this problem and how can I stop it happening next year?

Gardeners' World Web User

07/08/2007 at 18:46

You're lucky you even got some fruit!! Mine went without a fruit in sight. Help!!

Gardeners' World Web User

08/08/2007 at 06:11

I should have said (06/08/07 above) mine are in bottomless pots outside in 3 grow bags with 1 litre upside down, bottomless tonic bottles in the bags to get the water down to the roots. I think we are suffering from too much wet earlier in the season and too little air round the plants. Grey mould/blight/botritis? Can I spray them and what with? There is now a definite slowing in growth both of plant and fruit.

If Marybakers are outside perhaps 5 trusses would be enough and then reduce the size of each truss to 8-10 fruits to encourage ripening. Same for Terry and for Margaret J perhaps a winter wash down of the greenhouse with Jeyes fluid and then plenty of ventilation next season?

Gardeners' World Web User

12/08/2007 at 11:06

Ruffy: It sounds more like blight to me, only likely to be grey mould or botrytis if there is a distincy fuzzyness! If its blight then they need to be bagged up and binned or burned, if it is grey mould severe cutting out of dodgy bits and improved air circulation combined with never wetting the foliage/topgrowth when you water may do the trick!

Terry: Outdoor romatoes will be ripe at varying times, depending on the weather, the variety and the stage of growth they are at, if mine hadn't got blight they would have been ready to produce their first crop a few weeks ago.

Margaret and seaside Girl: You could try closing the vents on the side form which the prevailing wind comes as this will reduce the influx of blight spores.....once infected blight is nigh impossible to control, but you could spray preventatively with a copper based fungicide next time around!

Gardeners' World Web User

13/08/2007 at 17:17

Thanks for the advice Pippa - all plants now binned. Can the compost be spread on the flower beds or is it too contaminated? The next question is what to plant for a crop by Christmas? - I need something and I shall be lost without something to care for every day for an hour or two a day!!

Gardeners' World Web User

13/08/2007 at 17:47

Apologies for hogging the blog - having cleared and binned the toms I can see my runner bean plants and the lower stems look as though...... Can runners catch the dreaded blight?

Gardeners' World Web User

01/09/2007 at 14:35

I am growing moneymaker tomatoes, but I have a problem in that a lot of the fruit has developed dark spots on their base (where the flower was) and now others have developed brown blotchy patches on their skin. I have removed all the tomatoes that are like this. As a first time tomato grower, what is going on and will I get any edible fruit at the end of this? P.S. they are all still decidedly green!

Gardeners' World Web User

18/09/2007 at 10:39

i have plenty of green tomatoes this year and not one single red one. think i will give it a miss next year and just stick to growing my vegs.

Gardeners' World Web User

24/09/2007 at 13:09

My tomatoes have been ok-ish, no blight (grown in a greenhouse, can't grow outdoor one's up here)And plenty of green one's. I was thinking about stripping the toms off now and bringing them into the house to ripen, would it be too soon to do this??

Gardeners' World Web User

24/09/2007 at 14:56

it good to here that someone has got a good crop of tomatoes i lost all mine this is the first time in 25 years that i have had tomato blight.

Gardeners' World Web User

25/09/2007 at 12:15

help please, i have bucket loads of tomatoes growing, my four year old daughter and i grew them from seed, so we have some in the ground ,some in pots and some in the green house, they are green and dont seem to be ripening and now that time is ticking on and frost round the corner i dont want to waste them, especially because my wee girl is very attached to her toms. Any ideas???

Gardeners' World Web User

27/09/2007 at 13:30

We had a bad year too this year with our tommies, they were set off outside and then taken into the greenhouse in the hopes they wold ripen but to no avail! Sadly we have now binned them completeley and have fingers crossed to start afresh next year!

Gardeners' World Web User

02/10/2007 at 16:05

I had two types in my tunnel this year, Italian beef and money maker, they both got blight but I managed to salvage the moneymaker fruits, i had the same problem with them not ripening quickly enough for the plant to survive the blight! so i picked all the fruit kept in two large bowls in the conservatory and as the fruit ripened I transferred to the fridge for use. worked a treat. what did surprise me though, considering all the worry, fussing and concern I give my tomato plants I was surprised to find a plant had self seeded from the site I grew them last year and with no attention whatsoever I harvested 20 tomatoes! make me wonder?

Gardeners' World Web User

04/10/2007 at 21:24

Hello, Does anyone know how to ripen green tomatoes in the house? Mine are all still green.

Gardeners' World Web User

05/10/2007 at 11:05

Hi Mary, it was an horrendous year for many outdoor crops and so if out door toms did not get blight then they still may not have ripened. Don't give up, it is NOT always like it was this year, promise!!! Must admit though, I grow most of my toms under cover - can get some great mini greenhouses or frames or plastci pop-up type covers, and they make a huge difference!

Ruffy - no, luckily blight doesn't attack runner beans ....though this year a stem/root rot or grey mould may well have been involved!

To all those who want to know about ripening tomatoes indoors. yes, provided they are disease free (and certainly with no lurking blight infections!) tomatoes can be ripened inside - the best method is to bag them up, paper bag ideally with some over-ripe bananas - the bananas give of ethylene which acts as a ripening agent! Problem is bananas rarely get the chance to get over ripe in our house!

Gardeners' World Web User

18/10/2007 at 19:18

Hi, I'm only 12 and this has been the first time I have grown veggies and as a beginner I started small; I only grow 2 types of carrot, red lettuce, wild rocket, bell peppers and radishes. I feel for everyone who has ruined crops because I lost all my onions and was very upset! I grow everything in my greenhouse and hate to say my tomatoes are great and are still flowering! I grow Harbinger tomatoes and they are delicious! I will defiantly recommend them! Hope you have more luck next year! Grace

Gardeners' World Web User

08/11/2007 at 19:43

Hiya. I grew the free tomato seeds given away with Gardeners World at the beginning of the year and they were great! We have only just finished eating them. I would like to grow them again next year but can't remember what they were called - can anyone remind me?

Gardeners' World Web User

19/02/2008 at 14:17

I do not have a garden, and want to grow tomatoes on my dining table or rather small kitchen window. Can you suggest a variety which produces continually and will grow back next season? Thanks.