Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes

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AlaninCarlisle

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Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« on: September 01, 2016, 14:29 »
In the 49 years that I've owned a greenhouse, 2016 must go down as the best year ever, and across all varieties that include Brandy Boy, Roma, Alicante, Moneymaker and Ailsa Craig. My gamble of early germination in the heated propagator paid off and the June heatwave followed by fairly sunny and warm July and August have given us such an abundance that we are running out of friends and family to feast off them.

For the first time in my memory, unless the weather suddenly goes frosty this month, I doubt we'll have the usual autumn ritual of tomatoes ripening in drawers etc

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Growster...

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2016, 15:23 »
Alan, it's a mixed bag around the country so it seems!

We mustn't crow, but they've been fabulous down here as well, and that's despite some serious blight problems, which locally devastated many plots within days.

As you may know, I'm retired and can get down/out there and deal with it all with Bordeaux or aspirin, within the hour, but so many other chums here have lost the lot because they just can't be there at the right time, which saddens me.

The greenhouse toms here are nearly finished now, and the Marmande on The Patch are forging ahead, but so is a special Crimson Crush revert, which I'll cover on the other 'Beat the Blight' post, as I'll need a record of what I did, and why not save it all here! It may give another gardener some hope for next year!

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AlaninCarlisle

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2016, 16:03 »
I think what really amazes me is that, barring an early frost, the whole harvest will ripen on the vine, not in a drawer.
Outdoor ones are a total waste of space up here. We rarely get warm enough weather for long enough to ripen them and the crops I've had in the polytunnel have usually disappointed. Too many extremes of heat I think in the polytunnel

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ptarmigan

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2016, 16:22 »
My first year of a greenhouse - so first year of toms as outdoor ones haven't been successful. 

It's been great - even as a total beginner it's been a great harvest.  And they are so tasty sun warmed straight off the vine.

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solway cropper

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #4 on: September 01, 2016, 23:31 »
I grew this monster in the greenhouse. It weighs in at 884g (nearly 2lb in old money). The variety is 'Pineapple' and the taste and texture are very good. Overall I would say this is going to be shorter season for toms than usual. They were later ripening and all seem to be coming along at the same time. Some years I've still had toms in November.
big tom.JPG

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AnneB

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2016, 00:09 »
Overall, I would say an average year for tomatoes round here.  My outdoor ones have been a bit feeble to be honest, with 4 notable exceptions.  These are Clibran's Victory, absolutely loaded with fruit, Sandpoint, Aurora and Gartenperle.  Gardener's Delight, Blush, Roma, Orange Banana, Sungold all a bit feeble. Cyril's Choice has fruit but none ripe yet.  In the polytunnel, Aranyalma, Greek and Black, White and Red Cherry have been very good.  All the others, Blush, Essex Wonder, Burpee's Jubilee, Sungold, Green Zebra, Summer Cider,  Tigerella have been average or poor.  I have had some massive fruits from Cuban Flower but the first three all got grey mould.  Hoping later fruits are OK, the plant itself looks A1 healthy.

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mumofstig

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2016, 05:55 »
Mine were quite late to start to ripen, apart from Gardenpearl (not the tastiest but always the first to ripen) but they are coming thick and fast now. I'll have to preserve another batch soon, because there are too many to eat fresh.

I've noticed that the Black Cherry, that usually carries on fruiting 'til end Oct/beg Nov has stopped setting fruit already this year :( probably too hot for that one which seems to prefer a cooler summer. So yes, I think a late to start and early to finish year, but can't complain about the quantity :D

At least the heat has kept Botrytis/grey mould levels well down on the last few years.

Unfortunately, what has been a good for the toms, hasn't suited the cucumbers - I've had only a few compared to previous years. Haven't been able to keep up with the watering  :blush:

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JayG

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #7 on: September 02, 2016, 17:09 »
Mine are doing OK, but apart from the fact that most of the Gardener's Delight plants developed two growing points, I may also have missed removing a few side shoots!  ::)

De-leafing regularly now - some signs of botrytis trying to get established here and there, and some very dodgy looking leaves, hopefully not blight. Am increasing the vigilance I clearly lacked a few months ago.  :wacko:


« Last Edit: October 12, 2016, 16:36 by JayG »
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

One of the best things about being an orang-utan is the fact that you don't lose your good looks as you get older

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Goneterseed

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #8 on: September 02, 2016, 19:21 »
I take it that you don't restrict them to four trusses then?   :lol:

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JayG

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #9 on: September 02, 2016, 21:14 »
Think I've reached the time of life where I don't want to even think about trusses of any type, never mind count them!  :lol:

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Goneterseed

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #10 on: September 02, 2016, 21:38 »
The longer life goes on the better, tomatoes or otherwise.  ;)

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juvenal

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #11 on: September 03, 2016, 00:23 »
Blight decimated my allotment outdoor Gardener's Delight and Tigerella. Only Shirley produced ripe fruits that survived the blight plague.

A sad tomato year.

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LILLILEAF

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #12 on: September 03, 2016, 08:51 »
We are putting up our greenhouse as i am off work next week,the base is done,i did some out door tomato plants no good at all,so i look forward to lots of green house toms next year :)

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GrannieAnnie

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #13 on: September 03, 2016, 12:47 »
With the amount of blight I've had before with outdoor toms, I only grow in the greenhouses now that my polytunnel got wrecked.  I've had a pretty good year, with Gardener's delight, gartenpearle and floridity doing best. 

My marmande decided to grow 2 main stems, so I left them as I wasn't sure which one to keep.  Quite a few toms on them, but not huge.

Another one that has done well is a salad sized tomato, probably something like Shirley or moneymaker.  Don't know what variety it is, because our friend Harry gave me one of his tomatoes 3 years ago and he grew it from a supermarket tomato.  I saved the seeds and keep growing from them each year.

I've still got tomatoes in the freezer from lat year, so I am not freezing anymore.  We are eating as many as we can, and Harry and Hazel, and the girls at the gym and our fresh fishman are getting the rest!    :)

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Debz

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Re: Best ever year for greenhouse tomatoes
« Reply #14 on: September 05, 2016, 09:35 »
And I've had my worst year ever for tomatoes in the greenhouse.  I finally got to eat my first one last week.  I've got three more this week and I have no idea if or when any of the others will ripen.  One of my plants didn't even have any fruit on it yet so it's been dispatched.



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