Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: tricia on May 12, 2008, 22:11:23
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I thought it might be better to start a new thread as the original one is from quite a while ago. I sowed all the seeds Eristic sent me but germination was very poor indeed.
I now have just two very strong plants. One is in a pot in my small GH and the other is outside together with 5 other varieties planted in ring culture in a raised bed.
How has everyone else fared with germination?
Tricia
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I got 50% - ish, a couple were very small and weedy and went in the compost bin. I now have 6 at home, 3 will be outside and 3 in the greenhouse. 6 have gone to the organic farm to be tried up there.
Notes are being taken as they grow from each location for comparison. Will be reporting back later on
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oohh i forgot about those! could someone please post me the website again, thanks.
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I'll have to check with OH, she does the sowing... but she's in Leeds on a course right now. :-\
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While I would have liked a higher germination rate we have to live with what we've got. I scraped out every seed from every tomato whereas normally I would only take from the best fruits. Bear in mind that this one solitary plant was flowering and setting fruit long after all other tomatos in the district had turned to pulp, and the continual poor weather conditions may have contributed to the low viability. The fact remains that most people have some plants to test. This can only be good.
Currently I have only 3 nice plants growing on, with another pot of late sown seedlings germinating this week. I did have lots more but the continual frosts eventually took its toll.
My allotment website has now been moved to its own domain although all old links will still work. Address is http://downtheplot.com/tomato_trial.php (http://downtheplot.com/tomato_trial.php)
If everyone could update the record as and when the plants are in position I would be gratefull. If unable to log in please pm me the number of plants growing and whether outside, under cover, or grown in patio pots.
Good luck
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Hi Eristic,
My post above says I am growing some at home inside and out, which I can happily log down in your website. Do you want to give me a second entry page so I can log the differences between mine grown at home and the others grown at the farm?
Hoping to get results from 2 separate areas. What do you think?
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I had no complaints about germination, but I've only kept two plants due to lack of space.
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My germination was about 50% which I was pleased with all things considered. I have 6 very healthy plants, probably going in the ground this week, although one has moved down to Hayling Island to live on my father's plot!
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Hi all, :D
Well, I am happy to say that I had 100% germination ;D 9 seeds sown , 9 plants up & running. Seed sown 20.3.08. germinated 25.03.08, transplanted into 75mm (3 inch) pots 04.04.08. At the moment they are outside gaining the benefit of the warm weather, but I will not plant them out permanently for another 2 weeks, the weather is due to be a lot cooler this week end with temps at night dropping to 6dgs C. My only concern is that they are not growing upwards very much, they seem to be stuck at about 30 cm (1 foot) For an indeterminate type tom I thought they would by now be taller, any thoughts on this?
Adrian.
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100% - you must have extra green fingers, Adrian!
They're the same height as 4 of my others, bigger than a couple and smaller than one (Sungella, unsurprisingly!). They've put on a spurt recently having just been potted up. I reckon metcheck is always a bit pessimistic when you go beyone a few days... hadn't noticed a 6 though, thanks!
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I had great success with the germination and have them planted out already. Have given some away to see how others do with them. So far so good.
All my tomato plants seem to be taking a while to bush out.
Sinbad
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i have one or two having germinated will recheck cos they are in the little greenhouse outside and update on the website
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Pinging this up to the top.
Just a question really - the fruit that has set is a long plum shape. I'll get the camera out tomorrow to show what I mean - but for some reason I was expecting round fruits. Eristic - were the parent plants round or plum types?
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Suzanne, mine are plums too, I do believe Eristic did sat there were plums in the beginning. My Three are doing very well, fruit is growing well.
XX Jeannine
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Yes there are plums........................funny that, I thought they were tomatoes!! ;D ;D ;D 8)
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Yes I can confirm that the original was plum but while I grew the plant as a vine last year I now think that it may be a bush type.
I have 3 plants well advanced with fruits and another 5 plants setting the first truss. All we can do now is wait and see.
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Heehehe, oh well never mind. They would have been HUGE as bushes ;D ;D ;D Plenty of trusses and fruit set ;)
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I have 4 plants, 1 planted early that got a bit of frost damage in the polytunnel but has since gone on to produce about 40 toms.
Unfortunately, 1 of the branches snapped off last week, probably due to the weakness of the frost damage, I have potted it up in the hope it might re-root. This branch has about 15 toms on it, so here's hoping!!
The other 3 plants were planted late and have just been moved outside so hav yet to see how they fair.
I'm not an expert but the 1st one is doing great against all the odds!!
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My two surviving plants are outdoors and have been left to bush out as they will. They are healthy but not huge, have a small amount of green fruits on, but they did go out when it was quite cool and took a while to get going.
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my one from 3 plants has fruit on it yes plum shaped they are on a patio and although they were started later then some of the others they hav romped away and caught up with and over taken others ;D
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Mine are all about 4 foot tall and about 4 foot wide with first trusses on each.
I guess I sowed 9 seeds and have 6 plants. I have had to remove 3 non eristic plants due to early blight already but so far these have been unaffected.
Just to have one ripe red tomato this year would be nice!
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I have been treating the ones in the tom house and outside on first lottie as cordons - both have trusses that have set. But they do try and be bushes almost as vigorously as the yellow pear. The ones on the second lottie have been left to do their own thing - it is very exposed out their and they went in late with frost damage - but doing really well.
I must have missed the plum bit - but as everyone was expecting this won't post a piccy. Looking at the size of the fruit though they look like they would make an excellent sauce tomato. I am looking forward to trying them when ripe.
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I have trained mine as cordons as Eristic said but I truly think they are bush now I see them growing. The plants are strong with good strong stems. Growing with nice little nipples on the end, so quite different to some of my other paste ones. I think I am going to just let them go now and watch the growing tip to see what happens.
XX Jeannine
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deffo bushes. May have to put outside as they will no doubt take over the greenhouse.
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The tomatoes are just starting to ripen, about 2 more days for the first one I think, I am doubting the bush now though as I would have expected them to come to dead end if determinate ones but they are going on rather like a indeterminate. they are very tall for bush. I am wonedering if they are a
semi determinates= variety. The fruit look very much like Riesentraube plum shaped with a nipple at the end ,but a bit bigger or again like a Valentine but a bit smaller..and the Valentine will take less than good growing conditions..ring any bells?
Anyway they are very healthy.
XX Jeannine
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Hi again, we picked and ate the first one of these today.
Plum, but quite small 1 3/4 inches long only,very thick walled, few seeds,ideal for a sauce tomato but size would be a problem for me.
Taste was sadly disappointing as an eater, quite bland, no sweetness or bite, however this is typical of most plum toms, so not unusual for a cooker. In a seasoned sauce I think it would work well, certainly very meaty and should sauce down thick.
Plant very vigorous, very robust, NO blossom end rot on any one of my plants which is unusual for most plum toms as they are more prone than most, especially as I would class it as an early. My plants were all very very late this year so it has done very well to fruit already, it rapidly caught up and passed some of the ones I planted a month earlier.
Would I grow it again,,at this point I don't know, I will watch for the season yield, disease problems as we get further on etc.
So far so good.
XX Jeannine
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Another up date... where is eveyone else...
Second flush of fruit are huge compared to the first few ripe ones we got.
Large elongated plum types, very thick walled meaty tom,defiantely one for paste/sauce.
Very prolific, the plants are very heavy with fruit.
Taste would be a problem for me if used as a salad tom but great for a cooker.
The plants are very strong and healthy.
I have 3 plants, two have been regularly fed, one I have not fertilised, there is little differnce between the three.
How is everyone else getting on.
Eristic, I don't have an address to send you seeds back, could you PM.
How many of us actually did the trail?
XX Jeannine
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I have one somewhere out there Jeannine but have been virtually confined to barracks for the last fortnight! :-[
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My two outdoor ones have lots of green fruit but none ripe yet. Foliage also has a touch of blight! I've picked off the affected leaves, hopefully will get some ripe enough to taste..... :-\
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After sowing 18 seeds and getting 4 germinate I wasn't hoping for much. Put out the 4 plants in different places with different amounts of care. One, planted in a former ditch area with no feed and no watering apart from when I put it in, has given me about 3 kg of fruit, and they are long, long plum tomatoes, not seen anything so long and very meaty. Others will be reported on as soon as I find them ;D
No blight has hit yet although am expecting it any time now.
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I put out four plants as well - they are all still green - but going that yellow slight orange colour. 1 plant is in the tomatoe house which is basically four tree stakes a PCV corrugated roof and some plastic sheeting. The others are outside - one next to the tom house and two up on the secod lottie.
All are heavy with large plum fruits - if all ripen I think I will have around 2 - 3 kg per plant.
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Went back today and both plants have advanced blight. I've picked all the leaves off of one plant and hung it in the shed to see if I can get it to ripen. The other one I've left out for the time being, but the remaining foliage is now badly affected. ::)
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I rooted mine out the other day, along with all my other toms, as they all had advanced blight.
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Had to root out one plant today and have probably picked about 3KG of large plum fruit from it. The other 3 are in the tomato house - basically a clear tarpaulin over a frame, open at both ends. They have no signs of blight and are heavy with fruit.
I hope they don't get blight as there is only so much green tomato chutney I can make ;D
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Same here. In fact, The seed trial plant was probably the worst affected by blight of the 8 outdoor tomato plants I had to bin yesterday. I, too, have bowls of green tomatoes, the heaviest crop of unaffected fruit came from the striped stuffer from seeds Biscombe sent me. I'm in the process of making chutney with Harzfeuer green toms, but don't really know what to do with the rest. Any ideas anyone?
Tricia
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Mine have done really well in that they have cropped heavily. I haven't found they have ripened any quicker than any of the others and have noticed the actual plant looks poorly, not blight though.
I have noticed that they have been eaten by something even though the truss/toms are quite high up the stem, which the other varieties don't seem to suffer from. I did find this a bit odd, has anyone else had this happen?
Sinbad
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The ones I put outside have done much better than the ones in the greenhouse. The outdoor ones are cropping very well and about 8 have ripened so far, The leaves are mottled but its not blight. Just hoping for a sunny few days to spur the rest into ripening.
I had 2 fruit that got eaten, they were lower down on the plant, but I would think it is slugs or snails that are the culprits >:(
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Hi all,
Here is my update on the seed trial, I have one plant in a pot on my patio up against a south facing wall, it has 17 tomatoes on it, 4 of which weigh approximately 3 oz, (75 gms) the others are smaller, but a good size for a plum tomato. They are just starting to ripen, that is a hint of red can be seen on a few of them. No sign of blight on this one while 30 foot away in my garden I have lost 4 different tomato plants to blight.
My other 4 plants are at my allotment , side by side with 4 Roma, sown at the same time. No blight as yet on the plot, the Roma have many more toms on them than the trial seed toms, at least twice as many. So on the yield front Roma win easily, They are not ripe enough to compare taste yet, but I do feel that they will be a cooking tom rather than a tasty eater.
I have 4 other trial plants being grown by other people I will get back to you when I hear how theirs have done.
Adrian.
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All killed by blight,when i get some seeds i will try him again in the greenhouse.
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Og goodie, I thought I was on my own for a mo..
Sad about the blight as I think Eristic was hoping they were blight resistant.
Mine are growing fine, no blight.
It is funny about them being eaten though as it is the same here, I have 5 types in the same area that these ones are in and only these are being snacked on. I have put this down to the fact that the other 4 varieties are all tangy toms and this one is not.. Slugs don't like acid maybe?? I have no others being eaten among the reaining 24 varieties in other areas either. Odd I agree.
XX Jeannine
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Very intersting reading about how much divergence there is here. The one I gave to my dad has completely different shaped fruit and has blight. Mine have nothing, but are covered in Copper Sulphate.
Eristic mentioned the possibility that these could in fact be some kind of an F2 separation (er, I think that's what it's called - despite coming from a family of geneticists, I aren't so clever as them) - that would certainly fit with what we're seeing... I think?