General Chat

with all this sunshine we are getting all my greenhouse tomatoes are ripening at once. Gardeners Delight they are - nice small sweet ones with lots of toms per plant. I have 4 plants and there are only two of us to eat the toms! C

Hi Clive, I have got gardener's delight on my allotment - they are doing fab - loads of flowers :-) just hope there can be some sun now to help the fruit ripen when it comes. Maz. XX

We've got lots too, all in the greenhouse.............and a million slugs and snails trying to get them first.

You could send me some by parcel post (if the strikes over that is) Nothing like home grown tomatoes! Linda x

Clive, there is nothing better than home grown tomatoes, they taste so much better than the forced supermarket ones. I especially love the small sweet ones. When I was little, a family friend of ours, who originated from Guernsey, used to grow tomatoes, and always gave us loads of the small ones, Tom Thumb was the variety then. They were really the best ever.

Perhaps the sun is being magnified by the light bouncing off so many raindrops? Mum used to grow Gardeners Delight very successfully. Dad used to favour Alicante variety. Both good tasting and a plentiful crop. Our children used to love to help pick some Gran grew for them.... Mr Stripey I think they may have been called. Gwyn

Ours are very slow despite the greenhouse being nice and warm we only have little marbles at the mo. Have some of the small yellow toms and some others but all cherry type I think.

Theresa No I am not teasing. It's a bit windy but I have just come in from watering the tomatoes. The greenhouse has automatic vents and they are wide open. Bother have forgotten the name. We have hostas at the greenhouse door. This ideal food for slugs and snails prevents the beasties entering the greenhouse. The hostas are protected by slug pellets. We sweep up the bodies daily! Clive

Clive, make a pasta sauce with any left overs and freeze them!!

We have had a few tomatoes, not sure of the variety as OH grows several. I do know that the tumblers tat he grows in baskets and which are usually the first to ripen are way behind this year. oh yes, you wont be surprised to hear that w e are having a problem with watering the greenhouse. Ann glos

Clive Thanks, will make a note to get some hostas for next year.

Shirley If we have a surplus then it goes into tomato chutney. Wins most years in our local horticulture summer show. Clive

ooh yes some nice chutney that's a good idea. I'd ask for your winning recipe, but I bet you'd prefer to keep it to yourself ....and I wouldn't blame ya !! LOL

Home made tomato soup all round then followed by tomatoes on toast :)) Marion

Clive I wish I had some of your tomatoes.....my Dad lived in Cornwall and was known locally as the tomato man because he grew lovely tasty tomatoes, from the sort that he grew in hanging baskets, to the big beef tomatoes......he used to hand them out to friends and neighbours.... I was cutting up an on-th-vine tomato from a supermarket yesterday, and saying out loud, in case Dad was hovering around, that the tomatoes we pay a lot for, are not a patch on those he used to grow....

Clive, if your chutney recipe is not a secret, then please could I have it too :-)) Maz. XX

Well we have some massive beef tomatoes growing ner, ner lol

I've got some of those too Julie :-) * sticks tongue out at Julie * Maz. XX

Looking for the chutney recipe. May be an hour or so before it is here. Just off to cook our food. Clive

Clive mine are just starting to turn red now i have 52 plants didnt intend all of them to grow!. we had to extend the green house down my flotment to house them all Weve grown marmande type as well as gardeners delight and alicante all seem fine but the slugs like them too with all this damp weather I eat tomatos everyday think im addicted! just love them so they wont go to waste and have friends and family who i can give some away to, made green tomato chutney last year and will prob do again this year.