I gave all of them a good wash in water to which I added a tiny amount of washing-up liquid. I'm hoping this might wash away some of the blight spores.
The recent additions have now joined the ones I picked last weekend, positioned next to the sliding glass door that opens out onto the garden. This is a place where they will get a few hours of direct sunlight each day. I have at least 10.5 kilograms of fruit here now.
Their position is just an arm's length or so from my favourite chair where I sit to write my blog, so I can watch them ripen. I'm not joking, either, it's amazing how quickly the colour changes once they come into the warmth.
There is still a significant amount of fruit on some plants outside too. I have left the "Ferline" and "Crimson Crush" ones, because these are blight-resistant varieties. The "Possena del Vesuvio" and "Cherokee Purple" ones seem unaffected too, so I will leave them a little longer, but keep a close eye on them. I reckon there will be at least another 3 kgs of fruit.
It has been a difficult year for tomatoes, but the harvest has been pretty respectable, all things considered. I lost a few of the early fruit to Blossom End Rot, and I felt that many of the plants didn't set as much fruit as the number of flowers they produced might have suggested, but overall I think I'm happy with the results. The tomato is not an easy vegetable to grow - a real challenge sometimes - but it's very rewarding when things work out well!
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P.S. I don't normally mention things like this on my blog, but today is my wedding anniversary. Jane and I have been married 38 years now, and I am absolutely sure I made the right choice of life-partner. Still love her as much as I did back in 1977!
Happy anniversary to you both.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that most of the tomatoes will ripen indoors especially if they have begun to blush. I do this often to save the fruit from insect and bird damage. Happy Anniversary to you and Jane! I
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary!
ReplyDeleteNow I don't feel so bad that my tomatoes succumbed to blight if even a master gardener like yourself has that problem. I have a bowl of green Juliettes ripening slowly - all that's left of the tomatoes this season.
You got married 7 years before I did. Happy Anniversary! I think for the UK that is a really great tomato harvest. Your weather really isn't very conducive to growing warm weather crops and yet you get quite a haul of them.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary to you both !
ReplyDeleteI have always been of the understanding that tomatoes ripen better in the dark. I'm probably wrong, but it's something I've witnessed many a time in my childhood/youth.
Happy Anniversary to you and Jane! Wow, 38 years! I've been married for 27 years...
ReplyDeleteDespite all those issues with the tomatoes, I love your harvest. Getting more than 10 kilos...that's a lot!
Happy Anniversary! I'm always amazed at the number and quality of tomatoes that you grow in containers in a challenging climate. They're lovely, even in their unripe state.
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary to you both, it always make me happy to hear of a couple who are happy with each other after many years together. Gosh what will you do with all of those tomatoes?
ReplyDeleteYes, very rewarding! my favourite to grow. Pleased to read the Cherokee purple has avoided the blight so far. I used to grow it, but haven't for a few years because of late blight. Lovely Harvest Mark! Best wishes to you and Jane.
ReplyDeleteAwww, you old softie. Many congratulations to you and Jane, 38 years is quite an achievement these days when you hear of so many divorces before the marriage has even got going. We celebrated our silver wedding anniversary this year. I think you've done the right thing with your tomatoes, better to have them ripen off the vine than lose them all to blight.
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary!!
ReplyDeleteI'm spending tonight harvesting a whole lotta tomatoes too. Blight is awful.
Happy anniversary Mark and Jane.
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary to you both. We pip you by two years.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't had any blight this year I think it maybe has been too dry or maybe too cool or maybe both. We have avoided blossom and rot too . All in all it hasn't been a bad year for us tomatowise,p.
Happy 37th anniversary to you and Jane...these days, that is indeed the achievement! I'm dreading what awaits me in the tomato beds - crossing my fingers that I still have a few tomatoes to salvage.
ReplyDeleteMargaret
Happy anniversary and hooray for tomato harvests! Sara
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