BBC Gardeners' World

Comments

• marybakers

  02 August 2007, 10.44PM

  I am growing tomatoes too for second year and they are coming on with plenty of flowers on them. I hope I get tomatoes this year. Last year they were green. When is it you nip the top of them?

• Terry Hoye

  03 August 2007, 10.32PM

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

• Ruffy

  06 August 2007, 11.50AM

  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.......??

• Margaret J

  07 August 2007, 09.00AM

  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?

• Seaside Girl

  07 August 2007, 06.46PM

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

• Ruffy

  08 August 2007, 06.11AM

  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?

• Pippa

  12 August 2007, 11.06AM

  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!

• Ruffy

  13 August 2007, 05.17PM

  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!!

• Ruffy

  13 August 2007, 05.47PM

  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?

• Graham

  01 September 2007, 02.35PM

  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!

• marybakers

  18 September 2007, 10.39AM

  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.

• Rosie

  24 September 2007, 01.09PM

  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??

• gloria

  24 September 2007, 02.56PM

  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.

• debs

  25 September 2007, 12.15PM

  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???

• Nellie

  27 September 2007, 01.30PM

  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!

• polly tunnel

  02 October 2007, 04.05PM

  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?

• Josstick

  04 October 2007, 09.24PM

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

• Pippa Greenwood

  05 October 2007, 11.05AM

  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!

• Grace Lloyd

  18 October 2007, 07.18PM

  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

• Bizzie Lizzie

  08 November 2007, 07.43PM

  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?

• bigbagmomma1

  19 February 2008, 02.17PM

  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.

• wjb

  19 May 2008, 06.09PM

  Please can you help. My tomatoes looked lovely and healthy a few days ago but now are curling up with mottled black and white leaves. They have been well cared for, so where am I going wrong? What is blight?

• martin dench

  10 June 2008, 04.40PM

  having just transplanted some of my tomato plants from my greenhouse to my allotment,[outside],the leaves have gone very anemic and yellow in colour,is there anything i can do to help them?

• glenn s

  28 June 2008, 10.35AM

  having grown some very sturdy tom plants in a greenhouse, but still with no fruit. i now seem to have little roots growing from the stems and branches... can anyone tell me if this is a good sign or bad?

• Lorraine

  03 July 2008, 05.00PM

  Help new to growing tomatoes,leaves all curling rounds and dark areas on them ,have got one plat with flower but not on other tomatoes plants ,What am I doing wrong,please please help.

• Lorraine

  10 July 2008, 07.07PM

  Hi me again ,have stripped all tomato plants of curled up yellow and brown leaves and can not believe they seem to be coming back to life.But still no sign of tomatoes yet fingers crossed.On a good note first time for growing cauli broccali and peppers and lettuce green beans all seem to be thriving. Any tips on the pesky tomato plants should they be indoors,mine are all out. Happy gardening.

• Diane

  15 July 2008, 12.01AM

  Can you give any advice about the scare of contaminated compost. I have an allotment in Manchester and purchased manure in February. How can I find out if it is safe?

• Netty

  29 July 2008, 08.16PM

  My tomatoes are growing nicely with lots of fruit but I think I need to spray with a fungicide to be sure of healthy fruit. Is it OK to spray fruit and leaves now?

• Barry

  30 July 2008, 03.33PM

  My neighbours tomaotoes were ripe weeks ago (he wasn't sure what type they are other than it was a girls name) but my tomatoes in a greenhouse about 10 feet from his are big and fat but are still all green, they're moneymakers. Surely they should be getting ripe by now or this normal for moneymakers?

• Rob Jamison

  10 August 2008, 01.03AM

  I am also growing Gardener's Delight for the first time this year. I plan to bring the toms inside to ripen but I've read that ripening them with ripe bananas can diminish the taste. I have three plants each with three to four trusses. I could remove three trusses (one from each plant) now and hope the other trusses will develop more. I am considering defoliating more of the plants to aid ripening in my glasshouse.

  To Grace - I was so impressed to read that you have your own greenhouse. I've only been taking an interest in plants for a year and part of me wishes I had started sooner in life... I'm in my 40's now. Keep at it, it sounds as though you are doing great!

• demi wit

  18 August 2008, 10.58PM

  I don't have any toms but wondered if any of your readers could advise whether it is possible to get bonsai tomato plants (i live in a small flat)

• Tim (yorkshire)

  18 August 2008, 07.08PM

  End of Aug and no ripe fruit (sigh)but plants very healthy both greenhouse & outdoor. I tried new trick to encourage great root system: when transferring from small pots to open soil; plant out VERY deep so only 12cm pokes out (strip off all leafs which would be below ground). Infill planting hole really lightly - dont heel in or anything. Doesnt help fruit to set, but you get amazingly strong healthy plants !

• Lorraine

  30 August 2008, 06.20PM

  Hi Lorraine again...What a disaster There I was saying cauli and broccoli doing well then a attack of green furry caterpillars, they ate the lot so sad and disappointed where did I go wrong. Toms are now growing on plants after the leaves all went yellow and curled up so I stripped leaves and got toms how strange.all still green though!!!What next will they ever ripen? Next job when should i cut lavender back that is taking over the garden? Happy gardening.

• Luke

  02 September 2008, 11.32AM

  I've just lost 5 bush Marmande and potentially about to lose the other 8 to blight (decimated in 24 hours). No loss really as only the lowest trusses were fruiting and had no chance to ripen. However, 9 Shirleys are doing well, 6 outside bearing large (green) fruit and 3 in the greenhouse just beginning to redden. Notes to self for next year: sow indoors earlier, pot up earlier in greenhouse, space them out to prevent spore travel, spray with copper fungicide, move abroad; awful year again wasn't it!?

• ferretlover

  04 September 2008, 12.30PM

  I have grown my first ever crop of tomatoes very successfully, but need to ripen them. They are in a draw with a ripe banana, and I know this sounds stupid, but no-one says whether to peel it or not. Help please.