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Post by grindle on Aug 29, 2022 3:44:25 GMT
Mine have been slow too, and not overbig even Monty Don said some of his usual ones are smaller this year, but they still taste good
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Post by balc2 on Aug 31, 2022 20:18:21 GMT
Yesterday I fed the tomatoes & checked for any that are ripening. I found one that is beginning to change from green to yellow but it will still need a little more time before it can be picked. I mentioned in an earlier post that I had found some fungi in one of the growbags - well yesterday I found one in a 2nd growbag! Probably from the remains of the tomato plants that didn't survive the "Wilt" or of the extremely high temps we had in July.
Some of the new sideshoots when they reach a certain height are starting to wilt as well. But as long as they continue to grow I will continue to water & feed them.
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Post by balc2 on Sept 1, 2022 20:46:50 GMT
Though I haven't actually been able to get out onto the balcony today, due to the gkids having a sleepover, they looked much the same as any other day when I looked out on the balcony before closing the living room curtains, Tomorrow I hope to give them a better look & just maybe wrap the strings around some of the sideshoots if they have grown enough. Since the "wilt" took hold they have only grown very slowly & have had frequent setbacks. I might be able to pick one or two toms while I'm at it.
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Post by seaburn on Sept 2, 2022 13:59:16 GMT
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Post by balc2 on Sept 3, 2022 20:33:45 GMT
Thank you so much for that link seaburn! I had a look at the site & it's very interesting! I've seen the site on other occasions as well. I'm not sure if it may be Fusarium wilt as it describes the symptoms as a yellowing of the leaves from the bottom - that is not the case with my plants. It's the top third that starts to wilt & the great majority of the lower leaves are still a dark green.
Today I've picked what may well be the last tomatoes for this year. 
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Post by balc2 on Sept 7, 2022 19:53:58 GMT
You'll have plenty of tomatoes this year balc2 !
I also have Gardener's delight, I grow it every year.
The other ones I have are Alicante, Roma, Minibell (a basket variety) and one called
'Y Ddraig Goch' which means 'The Red Dragon' and it was bread by a well known (in Wales) gardener from Anglesea. It's the first time for me to grow this and I'm waiting to see what they taste like. If they are nice I'll grow them next year again, but if not, I won't ... So Eli, how have your tomatoes performed? Better than mine I hope!  How did your 'Red Dragon' taste? Will you consider growing it again next year?
I have removed all the leaves from two plants that had died. It was no use keeping them any longer. But the "wilt" is still affecting my poor plants. The cooler weather has made no difference & the most sheltered growbag, which had 3 relatively strong plants, is now no better than the others. It makes me want to cry to see how the plants fight against the "wilt" but eventually succumb! 
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Post by Eli on Sept 8, 2022 2:17:50 GMT
Hopeless tomatoes this year balc2 , Ddraig Goch was the only one I had a few decent fruits on. The cherry Tomatoes, Minibeel I think they were called, have been quite good though but not as good as usual.
Very disappointed about 'Roma' It's one I particularly like but had nothing at all on them.
I may save some seeds of Ddraig Goch for next year, they were very expensive. I only tried them because of the name lol
I also grow a cucumber every year but this year it only produced one, and that was an insipid yellow so I threw it away.
Let's hope for better results next year for us both !.
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Post by balc2 on Sept 8, 2022 20:31:43 GMT
Shame about your disappointing season, Eli, but as you say "Let's hope for better results next year for us both !." |
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Post by SueA on Sept 9, 2022 7:32:36 GMT
Was it Medwyn Williams who bred the Y Ddraig Goch tomatoes Eli? He's well known everywhere not only in Wales, lovely man, I've met him a couple of times years ago, once at one of the big shows, I think it must have been RHS at Tatton where I was admiring his wonderful veg. display & chatted to him & another time he was doing a talk & question & answer session at a garden centre near here about growing veg. in your garden, I think he was promoting potato growing kits at the time. He used to win gold medals every year at Chelsea as well until he retired from competing there. I might try some of those tomatoes next year, the only ones I've had decent tomatoes from this year are 'Shirley' but I've still got plants of various cherry varieties with fruits & flowers on in the greenhouse so I'm keeping them going for now. |
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Post by Eli on Sept 9, 2022 8:43:02 GMT
Yes it was Medwyn WIlliams SueA . He lives in Anglesey. He's very well known as you say
I've never tried Shirley tomatoes, maybe I'll give them a go next year and get better results..
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Post by balc2 on Sept 21, 2022 16:51:28 GMT
I may pull up the tomato plants this week as I'm now tired of seeing them wilting. Even some stronger side shoots & a couple of nice strong shoots from the base of one or two of them are wilting. It's no good "banging my head against a brick wall" any longer they are not going to produce any more fruit & I could make an earlier start on turning around the balcony this year.
I'm "chaffing at the bit" now wanting to get the summer bedding out & the winter/spring plants in. Just planting up the 3 troughs with Pansies the other day makes me want to "get on with it!"
I have eaten the few tomatoes I managed to pick a week or two ago & there are only a few left so there's no point in continuing any longer.
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Post by seaburn on Sept 21, 2022 21:26:57 GMT
I am still getting a decent crop on the Ailsa Craigs and the cherry toms.
it is a shame you have had a bad do Balc. When you take out the ones that are wilting cut a length of stem length ways and see if there is brown staining in it. if there is they have had a bacterial infection such as Fusarium wilt.
I think I would also remove the plants now and do you new bedding.
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Post by balc2 on Sept 22, 2022 20:27:42 GMT
Thanks, seaburn! I've removed all but one plant from 2 of the growbags. I found two tomatoes one red & the other orangey. I've left one of the growbags for the moment but I will probably get rid of it as well in a few days time. I've left it because there are still some green tomatoes which I hope may ripen especially as the days at present are still warm. I will have a look at the stems as you suggest but when I was cutting them up I didn't notice any brown inside the stems. Do you know if it is soil based & if the compost can be used again, (not for tomatoes, obviously!)? |
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Post by daitheplant on Sept 22, 2022 20:37:17 GMT
I still have toms` ripening, they should be alright for the next few weeks. Balc2, you could use the compost again, though not for any of the potato family, which includes tomatoes.
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Post by balc2 on Sept 22, 2022 20:53:07 GMT
I still have toms` ripening, they should be alright for the next few weeks. Balc2, you could use the compost again, though not for any of the potato family, which includes tomatoes. Thanks for that advice! But I shan't be growing any potatoes on the balcony! I did once, as an experiment, but never again. They take up far too much space for very little return. I never use the growbags for growing tomatoes a 2nd year I always start with fresh bags of compost.
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How did your 'Red Dragon' taste? Will you consider growing it again next year? 
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Aug 10, 2019 9:01:47 GMT
Aug 10, 2019 9:01:47 GMT