Tomatoes

After all the fuss and failures of previous years I've just bunged them into large pots(deep to the first leaves) and they've grown beautifully.

Basically do nothing special but find the biggest pot possible and provide lots of light. I fertilise with Charlie Carp and worm wee each week. They seem a bit slow in ripening, that still bugs me. I'll put some extra potash on next weekend. They've been a bit crowded in by other tomatoes so will spread them out so light can get to the fruit.

My first tomato vine had tomato spot which is a virus, the plant should have been destroyed. I'll get rid of it next weekend. I have three seedlings and another in a small pot, flowers are dropping so stressed. These will be all potted on next weekend. We've been so poor lately due to vet bills.

We are having an excellant season, not so many bugs around, every thing looks healthier.

Tomatoes

I think that I’ve learnt a bit more about growing tomatoes over the last year which was one of my toughest.

• Water to field capacity, fill all pore spaces, water should run out the bottom of the pot and be consistent.

• Limit pruning, I over pruned and they developed a bit of sun scald, also as they need to produce a lot of energy, there was simply not enough leaves to photosynthesis properly. I also got a fungal/bacterial spot which destroyed a large number of leaves.

• Good soil preparation, add some blood and bone, worm castings, well rooted compost to fresh potting mix/soil, don't fertilise too much, this can cause fruit drop and not necessary if soil preparation was good. Although regular weak applications of a liquid manure is needed for potted tomatoes.
  
  Follow Peter Cundell's advice, see Garden Australia's website. Keep nitrogen levels low compared to phosphorous and potassium.

• Add extra calcium either Dolomite/gypsum, so sprinkle a handful around seedlings.

Common problems:

• Tomato seedlings when first planted can develop Early blight, a fungal disease. I use a baking soda spray every two weeks and continue until they stop being productive.

• Whitefly, I have no control for these, sticky traps don't reduce numbers, it is more of a monitoring tool.

• Loopers/caterpillars, I use Dipel as these guys can cause a lot of damage in a single day and they are good at hiding. Spray alternate weeks to baking soda spray, otherwise each week.

• Potted tomatoes need regular weak applications of an organic fertiliser, I use Charlie Carp/worm wee as nutrients are lost when plants are watered.

• Fruit slow to ripen. I've added some extra potash to help (weak 10g to 9 litre can). I was a bit sceptical but it seemed to work but be careful too much can cause blossom end rot (disgusting black bottoms) and Potash (Potassium) competes with calcium uptake.
• Don't let smokers touch your plants, I've read that the tobacco virus may spread this way. Although no real evidence but I do live with a smoker and my plants did have spots. Thrips also carry a lot of different types of virus which affect tomotoes, consider using Natrasoap.

My red Russian and beef steak where not productive last year, a soil fungus may have been the culprit.

Tomato yeild 2008/2009

This is the first year that I've had tomatoes before Christmas, around 600g. Pruning was a bit severe but may have helped bring on some earlier fruit. In future only remove those leaves near the ground, about 20-30cm to improve air circulation. Will leave them alone for now to leaf up. My beefsteak tomato is producing good fruit but still green and small.
We tasted our first tomato last night (19 Dec) (variety unknown, roma style) and found them quite nice, low acid. I made my favourite bean and tomato salad and squeezed some extra tomato juice over the top. Its a traditional Italian recipe which I discovered when I was also growing my own beans, (Purple King, great taste, no storage capacity but highly productive) a few years ago.

Tomatoes - Potash

I added some Potash (Potassium) to my tomatoes (10g to a watering can) as it assists fruit development and ripening. I have lots of large unripe tomatoes which are taking their time to ripen. Hopefully this will help. Noticed that this year they have been attacked by caterpillars, whiteflys, mildew (now under control). I will water in some Charlie Carp next weekend. Everything else appears normal, uneven watering was a problem a few weeks ago.

2008/2009 Tomatoes Leaf Spot

I have Early blight which is a fungus disease on my Red Russian and Beefsteak tomatoes. It's left pin holes in the leaves and caused flowers to drop

I hope that a remedy from Gardening Australia will work, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1484689.htm.

In 2 litres of water add a drop of vegetable oil, a drop of detergent, 4 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda. It's perfect for tomatoes.

There is another recipe among Gardening Australia's factsheets which is a bit different, it includes Pestoil, however this recipe should work well. Sydney Botanic Gardens use a similar solution.

2008/2009 Tomatoes

For the last two years we have grown our own tomatoes in pots and I couldn't wait to get them started this year. Last year's crop was a bit disappointing, the cherry tomatoes were good but the Beefsteak and Green Zebra just didn't produce anything. The fruit was very slow to mature and was attacked by pests before they had time to mature. Fruit set was small, they dropped lots of flowers. I think the main problem was lack of potassium, phosphorous and water which led to a fungus or nematode attack.

This year I am growing cherry tomatoes again, two plants appeared in near my roses bushes and when we got home from Japan I put them in separate pots. I am also growing Red Russians and Beefsteak, seedlings from a local nursery. The cherries should almost look after themselves but my basic plan this year is to water in some seaweed extract to provide potassium and worm wee alternatively each weekend. Water everyday in hot weather, my Yates gardening book suggested watering to field capacity which seems a bit too much.

Pruning is important for all tomatoes especially as bushes can get very leafy at the expense of fruit. I'm going to prune the Red Russian to two dominant leaders and Beefsteak back to one. Last weekend I added dolomite for calcium to the pots however it will raise pH (Gypsum is a good source also without changing pH).

There is fruit forming on the cherry tomato, so looks like for the first time I'll have tomatoes for Christmas.