Plans for planting

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Giving tomatillos a go this year instead - has anyone tried them before?

SWMBO did last year - strange things, not up to much IMHO

 

[JamezF]

How many tomato plants do you typically grow?

Around 32 plants, usually.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Didn't get a single tomato last year, my plants got blight really early. Giving tomatillos a go this year instead - has anyone tried them before?

Yes. I put two in the poly tunnel and left to their own devices the plants would have taken over the entire floor. Not much I could think of doing with them so made lots of jars of “Branston”

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes. I put two in the poly tunnel and left to their own devices the plants would have taken over the entire floor. Not much I could think of doing with them so made lots of jars of “Branston”

they took over the greenhouse, almost as bad as bindweed. The fruit however were packed full of bland.

 

[JamezF]

Yay! Plants are finally going back into the garden. Not quite the first this year, as I'd forgotten that I put some shallots out a couple of weeks back, but they're showing no significant signs of life yet. However, today I planted out my broad beans. They're looking very healthy and some are even starting to tiller out already.

Then, because broad beans are known for a savagery second only to Triffids, I caged them up.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

Yay! Plants are finally going back into the garden. Not quite the first this year, as I'd forgotten that I put some shallots out a couple of weeks back, but they're showing no significant signs of life yet. However, today I planted out my broad beans. They're looking very healthy and some are even starting to tiller out already.

Then, because broad beans are known for a savagery second only to Triffids, I caged them up.

James

Lovely strong plants will they be OK if the temperature dips?

 

[pargyle]

Lovely strong plants will they be OK if the temperature dips?

I usually grow Aquadulce Claudia ... sow them in November and cover them with fleece if there looks like a heavy frost ... very rarely lose any of these - on the odd occasion when one has got frost nipped theyt usually start again from the bottom if you nip the frosted bit off. The advantage of course is that they grow on really quickly and by the time the blackfly starts they are well established and starting to crop.

I've tried spring planting broad beans and a sharp frost at the end of March decimated about half of them and the blackfly got the rest !

 

[JamezF]

I also grow Aquadulce Claudia, but start mine off in pots in late January/early February. I think the earlier you start the less chance there is of getting blackfly because the plants aren't quite so soft and fleshy by the time the insects arrive.

They're tough plants and can stand a bit of cold (and as already noted will stand being out all winter unless the weather gets really quite brutal), but covering them with fleece seems to be sufficient if the temperature drops. I think the non-Longpod varieties might be less hardy, but I've never grown them. This is a photo that I took mid-May last year, the plants having been transplanted out on 20th March before the weather turned very sharply cold.

They had actually put on far more growth by the time they were planted out than this year's despite being sown at the same time, reaching about 6" tall.

I visited a local beekeeper in (I think) mid-April last year and the broad beans he'd sown late the previous year were absolutely smothered in flowers, clearly doing very well.

Hopefully this year we won't have a repeat of last Spring's freezing temperatures -- at one point I had most of the veggie plot covered in fleece

James

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Late blight is a major pain in the bum. I'm not aware of any organic controls and my understanding of the commercial non-organic controls are that they're complex to use, and from what I've read blight spores can travel tens of miles on the wind so they spread very easily.

Growing in a polytunnel or greenhouse are the only ways I've found to keep it at bay, neither of which are very practical when it comes to growing decent volumes of potatoes I do still find that my polytunnel tomatoes get blight, but usually so late in the year that there's not a lot left cropping anyhow.

I discovered last year that blight needs a living host and it's therefore not a big deal to compost blight-affected plant material. It does mean that volunteer potatoes are a potential source of reinfection though, so I shall be extra-vigilant about getting rid of any that pop up this year.

James

My dad was a market gardener between 1940 and 1971. Tomato's were his main greenhouse crop and I can't recall him mentioning problems with blight although sometimes grey botritis moulds would occur in isolated areas which he would cut out and remove from the greenhouse. Any fruit that dropped off plants or organic debris was cleared out to prevent it being a harbour for the mould.
In those days potato root eelworm was the bane of all the tomato growers in the locality and he used to inject a product called Shell D D into the soil after the plants were removed before winter so the soil was "clean" before spring planting. Formaldehyde solution was sprayed liberally on all interior surfaces to kill other pests and diseases. It was pretty nasty work even with gas masks.
In later years a couple of other products were developed. Dazomet and Vapam which were more effective at killing nasties. Dazomet was a powder which was tilled into the soil whereas Vapam was a liquid version which was diluted and watered on. Both broke down to release gaseous products that smelt faintly of onions but made your eyes stream after a period of exposure. I believe both products are currently available but now restricted to licenced users.
He grew a strain of tomato identified as JR6 sourced from D T Brown.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Having watched Monty Don on tele last night I bought some Black Beauty tomato seeds at gear expense from the USA which was the only place I could find them. What a sucker I am !
At least they are a heritage variety and should breed true.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Black Beauty tomato seeds at gear expense from the USA which was the only place I could find them

I did the same years ago, the thing is, I think the tomato goes by many names depending on fashion. When I looked for them they were called Cuban Blacks, again I could only find them from one source in America (I don't think they like the word Cuban out there, but get a thrill from using it) but then saw the same heritage tomato called Black Russian over here and it was the same fruit.
They'll probably have to change the name again now!

 

[Nannysbees]

My dad was a market gardener between 1940 and 1971. Tomato's were his main greenhouse crop and I can't recall him mentioning problems with blight although sometimes grey botritis moulds would occur in isolated areas which he would cut out and remove from the greenhouse. Any fruit that dropped off plants or organic debris was cleared out to prevent it being a harbour for the mould.
In those days potato root eelworm was the bane of all the tomato growers in the locality and he used to inject a product called Shell D D into the soil after the plants were removed before winter so the soil was "clean" before spring planting. Formaldehyde solution was sprayed liberally on all interior surfaces to kill other pests and diseases. It was pretty nasty work even with gas masks.
In later years a couple of other products were developed. Dazomet and Vapam which were more effective at killing nasties. Dazomet was a powder which was tilled into the soil whereas Vapam was a liquid version which was diluted and watered on. Both broke down to release gaseous products that smelt faintly of onions but made your eyes stream after a period of exposure. I believe both products are currently available but now restricted to licenced users.
He grew a strain of tomato identified as JR6 sourced from D T Brown.

That's really interesting incredible the products they used years ago. My grandfather grew huge amounts of lettuce, tomatoes and flowers which he sold to florists for bouquets. He would sit outside the house selling his tomatoes and lettuce for cash and I always remember he had a wallet with a cross over elastic band to keep the notes in place, he could hardly close it as it was so full. Happy memories

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Formaldehyde solution was sprayed liberally on all interior surfaces to kill other pests

Ah, those were the days eh? when we could gaily spray carcinogens over food without interference from these 'elf an safety' doo gooders

 

[Erichalfbee]

the same heritage tomato called Black Russian over here and it was the same fruit.
They'll probably have to change the name again now!

That thought did cross my mind.

 

[E&MBees]

Finally got in my own garden today and started on the seeds. Sweet peas, Corncockle, Clary sown, onions and shallots started off in modules. Dahlia tubers potted ready for cuttings. Plenty still to go .

 

[JamezF]

Oddly enough I also sowed Clary today. I didn't order any seeds, but they were delivered free by one of the companies I'd ordered from. Also sowed some sunflowers, romanesco cauliflower, celery and coriander. None of my broccoli has come up, so I sowed another batch of those. Not entirely impressed with that as it's an F1 variety and therefore silly money for not very many seeds.

My daughter and father-in-law have done a fair bit of mowing between them over the last two days, so the current compost bin is suddenly looking rather more full after adding two trailer loads of grass clippings, some leaves that I collected last autumn and a bit of woodchip. It will all shrink down pretty quickly I'm sure, but I'll be needing to empty the next one in the not-too-distant future.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

Finally got in my own garden today and started on the seeds. Sweet peas, Corncockle, Clary sown, onions and shallots started off in modules. Dahlia tubers potted ready for cuttings. Plenty still to go .

I've soaked my dahlia tubers from last year, haven't done it before so not sure how successful it'll be. Do you plant them wait for them to shoot them take cuttings?

 

[E&MBees]

I've soaked my dahlia tubers from last year, haven't done it before so not sure how successful it'll be. Do you plant them wait for them to shoot them take cuttings?

Yes. I’ve put them in pots in the greenhouse. I’m hoping to get a few sturdy shoots that my students can use. I want to teach them about taking cuttings. If the plants survive, I’ll then stick them in the garden.

 

[Nannysbees]

Yes. I’ve put them in pots in the greenhouse. I’m hoping to get a few sturdy shoots that my students can use. I want to teach them about taking cuttings. If the plants survive, I’ll then stick them in the garden.

is it easy to take cuttings?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Ah, those were the days eh? when we could gaily spray carcinogens over food without interference from these 'elf an safety' doo gooders

No plants present at the time of year when the greenhouses were undergoing the sterilisation, just us folks in occupation.
I do recall an inspector from the min of ag turning up and wanting to see what precautions/ppe my dad was using to handle organophosphate chemicals. He was staggered to be told none at all and stated "you can't handle these as they are lethal" yes said dad I know they are so I don't use them at all! Exit one inspector.