Allotments

[Taf]

Slugs.... it's all out war around here every year.

The best I've found it Growing Success organic pellets. Unlike normal blue pellets they improve when wetted, and break down into food for plants. I put some under cover near plants to give them a longer life though... great for allotments where you don't visit every day.

Another plus is no slug bodies as they slink off to die underground with these pellets.

http://www.dobbies.com/Growing-Succe.../pid-VAR238570

[Barewolf]

I just bought those pellets, and i made a cage with netting. If all goes well I should see some nice cauliflowers and cabbages this year.

[Taf]

If you have some horti fleece, cut some squares big enough so that you can drape them over the top of your brassicas. This will not upset the plants, but will upset butterflies that want to land and lay their eggs. Plus it's a fairly good anti-frost measure! They may need some pinning if it's a windy patch, or tie weights to the corners.

There's nothing worse than hearing a frost warning late in the evening and being a long way from your allotment!

[Barewolf]

I'm not a long way from the allotment, it's in the garden 100ft away

Good idea though Taf, will try that.

[Caff]

OK - I don't have an allotment but I foraged the other side of my back garden gate - lots of nettles there and I only picked the tips.
Searched for good-but-simple recipes and followed one: nettle soup - full of good healthy stuff. The Marigolds worked

The soup was horrible!

Time to clear the ground and do something more useful with it

[tosh mate]

Hi All,

not been much of a gardener I would like to ask for tip's on growing Tomato plant's, 2 week's ago I bought and planted 3 'gardeners delight' plant's and put them in a large pot/tray, since I planted them they have grown quite well ( almost 30cm ). the advice I need is do I do remove any side shoot's and do I have to do anything else to get the fruits to grow ?

Many Thank's in advance

[Taf]

That will depend on whether they are Indeterminate or Determinate plants.

Determinate are Bush types that fruit all at once then die. Do not remove side shoots from these.

Indeterminate (like the Gardeners Delight) are Vine types and need to have side shoots removed, and the plant supported by canes, etc.

When replanting any tomato plant, plant them a couple of inches deeper than they were in the previous pot to get the feeding roots under the soil.

Use tomato food once the first fruit have started to swell.

[Kymmy]

Got about 25 garderners delight myself.. They do tend to split the fruit if not watered well.. Also last year (and this) as well as these we grew Roma which are very tasty plum style tomatoes..

With 25 Gardeners delight last year we ended up with a glut of them which I turned into a spicy tomato chutney (about a 8 jars).. YUMMY

[tosh mate]

Originally Posted by Taf

That will depend on whether they are Indeterminate or Determinate plants.

Determinate are Bush types that fruit all at once then die. Do not remove side shoots from these.

Indeterminate (like the Gardeners Delight) are Vine types and need to have side shoots removed, and the plant supported by canes, etc.

When replanting any tomato plant, plant them a couple of inches deeper than they were in the previous pot to get the feeding roots under the soil.

Use tomato food once the first fruit have started to swell.

Yes they are Indeterminate plant's and Thank You for the advice, has they are already growing vigorously I have them supported by cane's now

---------- Post added at 12:12 ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 ----------

Originally Posted by Kymmy

Got about 25 garderners delight myself.. They do tend to split the fruit if not watered well.. Also last year (and this) as well as these we grew Roma which are very tasty plum style tomatoes..

With 25 Gardeners delight last year we ended up with a glut of them which I turned into a spicy tomato chutney (about a 8 jars).. YUMMY

WOW, well I only have 3 plant's so I should not be to overwhelmed by them I hope LOL

[Taf]

The only downside is the dreaded blight. Plants are healthy one day, black and wilted the next... and it spreads like wildfire, so fingers crossed for all tomato growers this year.

I am growing an old Russian/Polish variety called Koralik which were untouched by blight last year. They even set fruit and ripened outdoors last year in atrocious weather.

http://www.packetseeds.com/acatalog/...-_Koralik.html

[tosh mate]

Originally Posted by Taf

The only downside is the dreaded blight. Plants are healthy one day, black and wilted the next... and it spreads like wildfire, so fingers crossed for all tomato growers this year.

I am growing an old Russian/Polish variety called Koralik which were untouched by blight last year. They even set fruit and ripened outdoors last year in atrocious weather.

http://www.packetseeds.com/acatalog/...-_Koralik.html

Thanks for the warning as this is the first time I have tried to grow tomato's, and so far they are staying green and healthy

[Caff]

Originally Posted by tosh mate

Thanks for the warning as this is the first time I have tried to grow tomato's, and so far they are staying green and healthy

Wait until the first truss sets until you feed - should be soon.

Been doing my least fave job - thinning out. I'd never make a good farmer

[Taf]

I figured out after many years of trial and error that keeping toms in small pots (4" typically) and waiting for the first truss to set before transplanting them at least 4" deeper than in the small pot brings on early fruit.

My Koraliks have had that treatment in the greenhouse, and now 12 plants are sat in larger pots outside with baby fruits growing well despite this awful windy weather.

[Caff]

Originally Posted by Taf

I figured out after many years of trial and error that keeping toms in small pots (4" typically) and waiting for the first truss to set before transplanting them at least 4" deeper than in the small pot brings on early fruit.

My Koraliks have had that treatment in the greenhouse, and now 12 plants are sat in larger pots outside with baby fruits growing well despite this awful windy weather.

Woah - trusses in 4" pots? What was the yield?
I tried the deep transplanting a couple of years ago. It did not work but it was before flowering.

And now I have too Google what a Koralik is

[Taf]

http://www.packetseeds.com/acatalog/...-_Koralik.html

The fruit comes as normal once the plants are transplanted and fed almost immediately (there is always some food in the new compost they have been moved into). Despite the cold last autumn/winter, we still had ripe fruits to pick at Xmas in our (unheated) polycarb greenhouse. The plants were on their last legs though. Ones planted outside produced just a few less fruit, and ALL survived the blight that drifts through here every year.