Thursday 16 August 2012

Tomato time

Today is my Blog Anniversary! It's 2 years since I started blogging and photography. In 2010 I bought Jane a camera for her birthday (13th Aug) and I inherited a cast-off one from her, which I used for a few months before I acquired the Olympus E450 which I currently use. It served me well, because I am now well and truly hooked. To celebrate my Blog Birthday I am going to write about one of my favourite vegetables (fruits?) - the tomato - which I have been growing with much enthusiasm and mixed results for the last 20 years or so.

This year my tomatoes seem to be pulling through quite well, despite the blight. Some of my plants are looking a bit sparse because I have picked off so many blighted leaves, but I am still confident of a decent harvest.

One of the star performers is "Sungold", a very well-known variety, popularly reckoned to be amongst the best tomatoes of all time for flavour. Funnily enough this is the first time I have ever grown it, but I don't think it will be the last.

"Sungold"

Sungold is a very prolific fruiter too. Look at the number of fruits on this one truss:


The few fruits of "Speckled Roman" are turning colour now. They look very attractive.

"Speckled Roman"

I have just one plant of "Roma", which I planted very late, as one of my Reserves. It has got some good-looking fruit on it despite having blight in some of the stems.

"Roma"

I have just harvested the first few of my large tomatoes - "Orkado". This foursome weighed-in at 341 grams.

"Orkado"

I have already harvested loads of the little "Cherry" tomatoes though. This is "Losetto". Very similar to "Lizzano" which I also have. They both produce very small fruits. Come to think of it, they're about the size of a cherry!

"Losetto"

"Losetto" and "Lizzano" are all very well, but it would take a lot to wean me away from "Maskotka".

"Maskotka"

Now for the bad news. This, I'm afraid, is one of the fruits on my "Incas" plant. You can see that it is clearly doomed!

"Incas"

But this is more like it (elsewhere on the same plant):

"Incas"

I have been pleasantly surprised to see that the blight-affected plants have managed to produce new foliage. This is most unusual. I normally reckon that once a plant is affected by blight it is almost certain to die very soon. Not this year, evidently. Maybe the weather conditions have not been conducive the the blight's spread?

"Lizzano", with new leaf growth appearing.

New growth appearing on a blighted stem

So, as you can see, a mixed result again. Next year I will probably revert to growing mainly the blight-resitant varieties, of which there are currently only a few available to purchase. [I have Ferline and Orkado, but I have also had Legend.]  I usually do this the year after a major blight attack - and then of course we have a year without blight and I think I'm safe to go back to growing all sorts of different toms...!

17 comments:

  1. Happy two years blogging! Despite the blight your tomatoes look really good and interesting varieties too.

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  2. A great, big, fantastic CONGRATULATIONS on your anniversary. You only stated a few months before me but you have done so well. Well Done! Hope to see you here for many years to come.

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  3. what lovely tomatoes and happy anniversary!

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  4. Happy blogiversary! I enjoy following what you grow there in England. Keep it up.

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  5. Happy birthday to your blog! Your photos are lovely, and I always enjoy reading your posts. Cheers to many more years of blogging to come! :)

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  6. Congratulations Mark! Happy tomato eating

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  7. Great job on your maters and your blog happy anniversary....

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  8. Happy anniversary! Congratulations on making it two years. Your sungold and cherry tomatoes are sure making you proud.

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  9. Happy anniversary! Sungold looks great a real winner.

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  10. A birthday wish - that your blight won't spread. That picture is a heart lurcher.

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  11. Happy Anniversary. Your tomatoes are coming in as mine are finishing up! Yours look great!

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  12. Lovely range of tomatoes. We're enjoying bucketloads too, old favourites and a new variety. I love tomato-season...

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  13. Congrats on your two years Mark,
    I've always loved growing toms and it's getting nearer my time for getting started! Whooho ;D
    Great photos yet again...I am soooooooooooo getting that camera. In fact I think it might be the updated version of my poor battered one :D
    Have a wonderful weekend ~ whatever you have planned...enjoy!

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  14. Hi Mark,

    Many congratulations on your Two Year Anniversary!
    I have to say you have been such an inspiration to a new blogger such as myself and probably loads of others too. I can’t thank you enough for all the kind comments and encouragement you have given!!

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  15. Happy anniversary Mark! And congrats on an excellent selection of tomatoes.

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  16. Two years and a blog post everyday - I can hardly keep up. Sungold are my absolute favourites

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  17. Beautiful tomatoes! LOVE the sungold.

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