Well another 3 days at home and things are progressing a bit in the garden. Finally I have tomatoes growing. Not many, but it is a start. Been a bit of a disastrous tomato growing season but I kept my hopes up for a bit of a crop.
Based on the shape of these I think that they are the cream sausage variety, but I confess that I lost the labels during the garden work. I have another couple of small ones growing here and there but not really worth
taking a photo of yet.
While I was in France I went to a public gardens that had masses of edibles growing. I got the impression that they were free for anyone to pick but I was not sure. The tomatoes there made mine look pathetic. Plants taller than me with toms bigger than a man's fist all ripe and delicious looking. Still I don't lose heart, any home grown tomatoes are a lovely bonus.
My cabbages are coming on nicely and I am going to try and get a raised bed in this week to get the cabbages and caulis in the ground.
My potatoes are looking ready as the tops have mostly died down. Don't want to pull them all up yet as I am going away, but I am assuming they are happy to sit in the ground for a while? Anyone?
Finally I have some chilli news. They are beginning to grow at last. These must be the slowest plants in the world as they have been in since last March.
I'm doubting on seeing any interesting activity on them until next summer really, but they look healthy good plants.
The very good news is that the slugs seem to hate my deck (I think it must be uncomfortable to slime over) so all my pots are finally completely free of the little bastards.
Hope everyone is having good gardening times.
Whooo, no more slugs! :) Your tomatoes are doing better than mine, although I did spot some little green 'uns on my plants yesterday. (They're about 1 cm in diameter, haha!). I am starting to get a lot of flowers.
ReplyDeleteMy Nana usually gets a massive crop of tomatoes in her greenhouse but this year she's mainly getting cherry-sized fruit from her normal tomato plants! Still, they're doing better than mine! It's a bad year for tomatoes and chillis!
The slugs really have been a nightmare until now. Now I am waiting with baited breath for my first taste of home grown tomato salad.
DeleteMy chilli plants were like yours until a few weeks ago when I put them in the conservatory where the temperature in an afternoon can be up to 40C. Then they decided to grow. Obviously with going away that wouldn't be such a good idea for yours. I have had to put my normal peppers back outside as they wouldn't fertilize despite me shaking them each day. My toms look like yours as well. Potatoes I think might be okay to leave even though we are due heavy rain, depends how long it will be before you can dig them up.
ReplyDeleteWell I can dig them up any time, but it was more about the storage options. Do they last better out of the ground than in the ground?
DeleteHi Dan, I don't grow potatoes in the ground now but you need to get them up when a few dry days are forecast, leave them on top of the soil for their skins to harden then store in potato sacks or some kind of double skinned paper container or possibly a sack. Keep in a cool, frost free place such as a garage and away from mice. Stored correctly they will be okay for months but it pays to check them occasionally for rot. Obvious only store good ones. They would rot if you leave them in the ground over winter.
DeleteHi Dan, your potatoes should be OK as long as they can drain well. I did a potato test with the potato peelings from out of my compost bin. They grew potatoes, I pulled them but I missed a few. I found them in the soil about 3 weeks later and they were fine, so don't worry. My tomatoes have been giving me a bad time. Mine have had bottom end rot which I have solved but they are green beefy tomatoes. I have loads of flowers and a few little toms growing. I also have my very first gherkin growing. The toms problem seems to be all over the country. Take care x x
ReplyDeleteThanks for the potato advice. I will get them up soon, but won't worry too hard right now, weather is good anyway, and my soil is well drained.
DeleteBottom end rot doesn't sound so good. Loads of flowers here too.
What wonderful shaped tomtoes. I have come to the conclusion that to grow toms successfully in this country you really need a greenhouse, even a tiny lean to will do, it just gives them some protection, our weather is so unpredictable. Spuds should be fine in ground until it starts to get chilly and as long as your ground drains well. I do admire you growing so much when you are away, it proves it can be done.
ReplyDeleteWell I have kept a certain amount behind the glass of my big patio doors and they are covered in flowers but much smaller plants. Don't know which will win the tomato prize yet.
DeleteMy tomatoes are very like yours in size. They have been in the porch which gets full sun all morning but I was about a month late planting them. it might be a year of green tomato chutney! As for the slugs .... no success growing my salad leaves, everytime they put their head above the soil the slugs descend, and it's been a running battle to keep the yukky things out of the kitchen (slugs, bare feet and night time wanderings are not a good combination)
ReplyDeleteWell if it is green tomato chutney then so be it, that is delicious too!
DeleteI only have one ripe tomato and only a few others on the other plants. The season has not ended yet so we live in hope. Don't leave the potatoes in too long as the slugs my take a fancy to them.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum
xx
We keep hoping don't we. I have dug up some of the potatoes and had them for me tea!
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ReplyDeleteI share your strength of feeling towards snails. I swear I have seen them abseil down towards my plants, the little blighters.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand them. But mercifully I seem to be free - for now. They will find their way back to my pots eventually, I am sure.
DeleteI think it's awesome watching it come along. Great job so far. And your reward will be that first tomato fresh off the vine! Be sure and share! (cyberspace of course, ha).
ReplyDeleteMy outdoor tomatoes has been disastrous this year - I grew a lot more than usual thinking they would be ok sadly what with the weather etc I will be lucky to get any tomatoes ripening at all. Thank goodness for the greenhouse.
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