Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: Countrydweller on July 28, 2011, 10:16
-
Hi, I wonder if anyone can tell me why our greenhouse toms are not doing a patch on the ones in the garden? The garden ones are surging forth with huge toms and the greenhouse ones are so small, the worst year we have ever had for them. The greenhouse ones are Gardener's Delight and Shirley, the outdoor ones, not a clue, they were surplus at the the animal rescue's jumble.
Thanks for any advice, much appreciated. :)
-
My indoor ones are pants too but I think they'll get there eventually :)
-
The variety can make a huge difference to ripening times, so as they're different to the ones outside it's difficult to compare them. Are the inside ones in soil or in pots/growbags, have they been fed?
Garden toms have more access to water and nutrients than ones in pots or growbags.
-
I grow at least six different varieties each year and this year my outdoor plants are outstripping the ones in the greenhouse and my plastic greenhouses. My cherry toms were the first to ripen outside and are only just catching up in the greenhouse, the only ones that have performed as usual are my Golden Sunrise which are from seeds I saved from last years crop. I am sure that the unusual cold summer weather is to blame.
-
I grow at least six different varieties each year and this year my outdoor plants are outstripping the ones in the greenhouse and my plastic greenhouses. My cherry toms were the first to ripen outside and are only just catching up in the greenhouse..........................
I am sure that the unusual cold summer weather is to blame.
You'd expect that to delay the outside ones as well, though, wouldn't you!
Tis all very strange :nowink:
-
It is all rather weird isn't it? :ohmy:
Outdoor ones seem to be doing better than thos in polytunnels for lots of us on our site this year.
Hope the big B keeps away :tongue2: :tongue2:
-
Same here.
The outside ones are taller than the greenhouse. Some of the greenhouse ones have only made it halfway to the roof.
The height could be the varieties though as those in the greenhouse are heritage ones and "normal" ones outside, but the outside ones do look far more healthy.
-
I spied a ripe tomato in my greenhouse today. At last. Falls over in dead faint :ohmy:
-
Although ripening seems slow this year my greenhouse plants are plastered with fruit.
Sungold, Bambino, Gardeners Delight and Sweet Million all performing equally well. As for height - they're growing up and out of the roof vents. ::)
I'd love to grow some outside too but b***** for the last few years made this a waste of time and effort. I'm sure outside toms taste better when you can get them. ;)
-
Yup, outside ones doing better here, but ripening slower, so there's an element of succession.
The amazing ones are down the road at Plot Growster, planted as spares just before the last frost, for a fighting chance - which they've taken with a vengeance!
Hopefully, they won't get blighted, and I can eventually count the trusses, which seem to be growing on oak tree trunks!
Damn glad I tried it out now, but let's wait until they're ripe - plenty of things can go wrong still...
-
Not the best camera angle, but it's difficult to get one in that jungle.
These are mine at home - there's more on the plot. The monster ones in the foreground are "Brandywine" and I've really got to start pinching tops out.
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c182/G4IAR/P1010134.jpg)
-
Good looking plants DD but you'll need a step ladder soon ;)
-
We must have been lucky we have had loads off our plants but there are still a lot more that aren't ripening yet
As it is our first year the hubby thought it would be a good idea to get A LOT of tomatoes going so we have gardeners delight shirley sweet millions ? black cherry sunrise amongs other unknown ones - the only one not ripening is the early ripening one we bought ha ha
All in the greenhouse - think we have started with botrytis as we didn't cut back for a couple of weeks and it got a bit junge like in there
-
We must have been lucky we have had loads off our plants but there are still a lot more that aren't ripening yet
As it is our first year the hubby thought it would be a good idea to get A LOT of tomatoes going so we have gardeners delight shirley sweet millions ? black cherry sunrise amongs other unknown ones - the only one not ripening is the early ripening one we bought ha ha
All in the greenhouse - think we have started with botrytis as we didn't cut back for a couple of weeks and it got a bit junge like in there
You could try:
Increacing ventilation - leave the windows open over-night and thin out some of the foliage to aid air circulation.
-
I had to have a thinning out session yesterday as the plants are getting very heavy and congested, plus I can't get in the greenhouse :D I found some long-forgotten aubs in there which were fruiting unbeknown to me :D Dry as a bone and still in small pots :blush:
-
my tomatoes are doing rubbish, both in the greenhouse and at the allotment, greenhouse ones have a few tomatoes on but are taking ages to go red, the ones at the lottie i'm still waiting to get fruit, lots of flowers though so guess it'll be a late crop, or i;ll be making lots of green tomato chutney :)
-
my tomatoes are doing rubbish, both in the greenhouse and at the allotment, greenhouse ones have a few tomatoes on but are taking ages to go red, the ones at the lottie i'm still waiting to get fruit, lots of flowers though so guess it'll be a late crop, or i;ll be making lots of green tomato chutney :)
Always look on the bright side - green tomato chutney can be lovely but I bet you end up eating red toms when everyone elses have given up the ghost. ;)
-
Went out this morning to find the toms in one greenhouse really yucky with Botrytis :ohmy:
despite trimming and leaving the doors ajar. It's just been so wet and humid lately.
Cut off all the unnecessary leaves, and anything that looked yucky..including 2 whole plants where the stem had gone soggy :(
I now have quite a few green toms, so I think a shopping trip for vinegar, sugar and spices is called for, don't you?
;)
-
Sorry to hear that Mum :( (can't you ripen some, if not all, of the toms?) :unsure:
-
I now have 3 piles (of toms :tongue2:) ripe enough, changing colour and outright green.
Today I've been making pasta sauce with the ripe ones and some courgettes,and the inbetweenies will be left to ripen...........
but I think the green ones are just toooooooo green to change, so chutney it is, for them!
I just hope that the plants that I've left in there can carry on for a bit longer, cos there are still loads out there (http://bestsmileys.com/fingers/1.gif)
-
Went out this morning to find the toms in one greenhouse really yucky with Botrytis :ohmy:
I've been wrestling with it for weeks, don't go down without a fight MOS. Off with anything green and leafy ;) and keep an eye on the truss stems.
-
Surely you can put any green ones in a dark box or empty drawer?
We always ripen the last few pounds that way, and apart from the blight year, they've always ripened.
It doesn't matter if they really are a dark green, they'll still go red - and delicious too somehow - perhaps it's the idea of getting a few more than you thought...;0)
-
I gave up trying outdoor tomatoes after we had blight 3years in succession. I've even had to grow blight resistant main crop potatoes which don't taste as good.
-
My outdoor tomatoes are higher than the greenhouse and are absolutely laden. They're much better than the ones inside.
-
Likewise -- outdoors are great, whilst those in the minipolytunnel were cleared away this morning to make space for winter salads etc.
The plants in the greenhouse at home are better, but not that good really
-
try putting green tomatoes in a drawer with a ripe banana, the ethanol produced by the banana should ripen the toms. It does work.
-
This is true and will work even better if you leave them with the stalks attatched (on the vine" as te supermarkets call them now).
-
try putting green tomatoes in a drawer with a ripe banana, the ethanol produced by the banana should ripen the toms. It does work.
Personally I'd sooner eat them red when they are fresh. I still have a few sat sitting in the greenhouse on the plants but the flavour is "old" :tongue2:. The green ones usually end up in pickle.
(Note to me: Make time to clear the greenhouse - should have been done weeks ago!!!)
-
try putting green tomatoes in a drawer with a ripe banana, the ethanol produced by the banana should ripen the toms. It does work.
Ethylene actually, ethanol is pure alcohol!
-
yes please if you're offering? :lol:
-
You'll go blind!
-
I thought it was something else that caused that ? ::)
:mellow:
-
:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:
-
I thought it was something else that caused that ? ::)
:mellow:
What is it with these boys today? :ohmy: :unsure: :lol:
Too much Christmas cheer already d'you think?
-
:D
-
Hmmm, you are making me envious of the outdoor toms after losing mine to B***** for the last three years. I have just placed my order with Moles and have included some F1 Aegis rootstock seeds so I'll be giving the grafting a go this year.
I have also inherited a quantity of blue water pipe so I'm going to be making some mini tunnels for the outdoor toms and sweet peppers. :blink:
-
Hmmm, you are making me envious of the outdoor toms after losing mine to B***** for the last three years. I have just placed my order with Moles and have included some F1 Aegis rootstock seeds so I'll be giving the grafting a go this year.
I have also inherited a quantity of blue water pipe so I'm going to be making some mini tunnels for the outdoor toms and sweet peppers. :blink:
If you are covering the tomatoes next year try not to let it become too humid inside - this could encourage blight to develop if the spores waft in while you are picking or watering.
Sounds a good idea though. I've given up with outside tomatoes after just one really good bumper crop about 5 years ago and 4 years of b***y b****t when nothing much was saved from the nasty black-death wilting disease. I grow all of mine in greenhouses now. The flavour might not be quite so special but the crop is safe/r.
-
I'm restricted to an 8' x 6' greenhouse which doesn't give a lot of elbow room for the toms together with Q's and sweet peppers. That's why I thought of the poly tunnels, about 3' wide. I'm thinking of building them on a timber framework so that I can lift one side during the day and prop it up to give some ventilation.
-
I'm restricted to an 8' x 6' greenhouse which doesn't give a lot of elbow room for the toms together with Q's and sweet peppers. That's why I thought of the poly tunnels, about 3' wide. I'm thinking of building them on a timber framework so that I can lift one side during the day and prop it up to give some ventilation.
Good luck - sounds worth trying....you may get the best of both worlds = protection from b****t as well as the better taste of outdoor growing. Let us know how you get on next summer.