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It's been a great year for tomatoes here. I decided this year that as well as growing some plants in the greenhouse, I'd also grow some outdoors and I'm so pleased that I did because it's the outdoor tomatoes which have done the best. The large tomatoes on the left hand side are Ferline. They've done quite well producing an average crop of large tomatoes. Next to the Ferline are Gardeners Delight. This is a cherry tomato with a great taste and it's so reliable that I grow it every year. The beef tomato, centre top, is Costoluto Fiorentino. I've had a great harvest from these plants and the tomatoes themselves are delicious. The orange tomato is a favourite of mine, Tangella. I only grew plants of this variety in the greenhouse and they haven't performed as well as they have in other years. The plum tomatoes, centre bottom, are San Marzano. I've only had a few of this variety ripen so far, but there's some huge ones on the plants which are now starting to ripen. The tomatoes on the right hand side are Totem, a bush variety. These have been real stars this year producing a huge crop, the plants have literally been dripping with fruit. Most of the tomatoes are a little larger than cherry sized, and they taste good. I shall definitely grow them again next year. The outdoor tomatoes were planted in grow bags which had been cut in half and turned on their ends. They worked really well and I'll use this method again next year. I don't know why, but the plants in the greenhouse have really under performed this year. They were started off exactly the same as the outdoor plants and were identical when they were put in their final positions. The outdoor plants really took off at this point, whereas the plants in the greenhouse grew rather spindly and didn't produce much fruit. I haven't had this problem in previous years so I'm wondering if it's down to the compost I used.
My runner beans are now coming to a halt. They've given an average harvest this year, but I wasn't expecting great things from them as all my beans were very slow to get going. I had problems with germination of all my beans and had to resow. The Blue Lake French beans, which are usually so reliable, are only just starting to produce beans now. I fear it will be too late to actually harvest anything from them. I put the germination problems down to the cold start to the year.
I've been holding on to summer for as long as possible, but there's no denying that autumn is definitely here now. We've had dull, blustery conditions here over the weekend, and although it's brightened up today, it's still windy. The forecast throughout the day is sunny, cloudy, light rain showers, heavy rain and back to cloud. Autumn conditions or hedging their bets?
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I guess this year being fairly blight free has helped with outdoor tomatoes hasn't it. The trouble is that next year could be quite different.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right there, though I suppose they'll be a little better protected in the garden than they would be if I planted them out at the plot. I'll give it a go again next year and see what happens.
DeleteIn the garden they definitely have a better chance of avoiding blight. We never suffered the effects of blight until our site became fully populated. When we gardened amid a sea of weeds we had no problem. I guess there was no blight corridor provided by neighbouring plots plants.
DeleteThe plot next to ours is full of potatoes every year, they don't grow anything else other than a few onions, yet I've never seen blight strike them. It must help that it's only a small site, six plots in all.
DeleteJo, Do you find the tomatoes grown outside taste so much better than the hothouse ones? I thought my Dad grew the best tomatoes in England, until I tasted my first American tomato -- always grown outside due to the more suitable climate. P. x
ReplyDeleteI've grown some of the same varieties both inside and out this year and to be honest, I can't notice any difference between them. Of course, there's lots of difference between each of the varieties.
DeleteThis is a really interesting post. It is so helpful to see all those tomatoes in one place. I will certainly give Totem a try next year. I don't grow toms under cover, so I am always delighted to hear about good outdoor varieties. Enjoy eating them!
ReplyDeleteTotem have done so well, I'd definitely recommend them. I've already got another packet of seed ready to grow myself next year. There's such a difference between all the varieties, it's fun trying new ones.
DeleteWhat a lovely display of tommies!
ReplyDeleteThis is one day's pickings, I'm getting a similar amount every couple of days with odd ones in between.
DeleteWell done, most impressive. My runner beans have just about done as well. Definitely feeling autumnal here the past couple of days. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteIt would have been a different story had I relied on the greenhouse tomatoes this year. I would have liked the beans to continue producing a little while longer, but I don't think it's to be. I'm hoping that I might get something off the French beans. The weather has definitely changed this weekend.
DeleteI'm interested to hear that you have tried Ferline. I have grown them for several years now, and have found them to be pretty reliable. The individual fruits are very big this year, and there are plenty of them, although I find them slow to develop. Their blight resistance has not been put the test this year though, thankfully. San Marzano hasn't done so well for me, and probably won't be on my list for next year. Based on what you have said here, I might try Totem though.
ReplyDeleteI've grown Ferline before but I don't remember the tomatoes being quite so large as they are this year. I've got plenty of San Marzanos on the plants, but they're slow to ripen, the slowest of them all actually. Totem have been great this year, I wouldn't say they're the best tasting, but they're pretty good and I've had a huge harvest.
DeleteYour tomatoes look beautiful. How I wish I'd grown some this year.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine a growing season without tomatoes, they're my most favourite thing to grow.
DeleteAs you might guess, my husband grows a lot of San Marzano for bottling and for tomato sauce for pasta dishes.They are planted in individual pots in the covered yard and we've bottled quite a few now and more to come. I'm looking forward to the ripe first-time-grown Tigerella variety as they have produced the most fruit on one plant. Again they are in a pot, but this time against a brick wall in the garden. We also have cherry tomatoes that have done well and we grow these for eating fresh in a salad. Then we have Moneymaker growing in the ground in the greenhouse. They haven't ripened yet. You have a lovely box of different varieties there.
ReplyDeleteI usually use my San Marzanos for cooking, they're delicious on a cooked breakfast. I've grown Tigerella in the past, they're a reliable tomato and have a great taste, they're one of my favourites. I enjoy growing a few different varieties, if one doesn't do so well, there's always a back up.
DeleteYou do have some rather splendid looking tomatoes there.
ReplyDeleteMy runners are still growing but like yours were very slow starters. We have wet and wild conditions here, but it's lovely if you're wrapped up warm and don't have to go anywhere.xxxx
I'm pleased with the tomato varieties I've grown this year, they've all done well. I've had an ok harvest from my runners this year but a few more wouldn't go amiss. I love hunkering down in bad weather, though there's usually somewhere I have to go, it's like being a taxi service with two teenagers in the house.
DeleteGreat harvest Jo and I'm encouraged to grow more outdoors next year and more varieties as I only grew Sungold this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm really pleased with my experiments in outdoor growing and I'll definitely grow more outdoors next year. I like to have a few different varieties on the go, there's just so many to choose from.
DeleteMy outdoor tomatoes (Suncherry) have grown a lot of leaves, but less in the way of fruit. In the greenhouse they've been spindly but a much better crop. The outdoor ones though, they have gone on longer. The greenhouse is now almost spent.
ReplyDeleteNext year I will do both again, I think. Swings and roundabouts.
I've had masses of fruit on the outdoor plants, my greenhouse ones have grown spindly and produced less fruit but I'll grow both ways again next year, you just never know from one year to the next how they'll perform.
Deletegreat tomatoes!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm enjoying them while they last.
DeleteInteresting to read about the differences between your greenhouse and outdoor toms Jo. Is your greenhouse in a shady space? You have certainly got a wonderful harvest. How are you using then all up?
ReplyDeleteThe greenhouse could be in a sunnier position but it's never held back my plants before. I'm sharing my tomato harvest with my mum and dad. My dad used to grow his own but they don't have a garden anymore and they'd miss the home grown taste if I didn't supply them. I'm also freezing some for winter use.
DeleteHi Jo! It's really interesting to read about your tomatoes. I only grow indoors but the plot next to me had tons outside and they've not really done very well. You obviously have the magic touch with your outdoor crops! I really enjoy growing tomatoes but stick to just the one variety usually as I save the seeds. I tried some others this year and was really disappointed and will also have to get my seeds from my mum again this year in case mine got cross pollinated! I'm glad you've had such a good harvest :)
ReplyDeleteIt's the first year that I've gone all out to grow tomatoes outdoors and I'm really pleased with how they've done. There's so many diffferent tomato varieties that I enjoy trying something different each year, though I think I've already settled on what I'm growing next year.
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