Rather than ask someone to go out of their way to keep watering my plants when we go on our holiday I've been tinkering....

Bought a timed water switch - timer switch

using some plastic water pipe and some tubes, contructed a water feed system -

watering pipe

Then directed the smaller tubes to the base of the plants...watering and again water to plants

Hopefully its all going to work and keep them going !...

Steve

Ingenious Steve! I'm sure it will work (it's the same principle of the irrigation kits you can buy at ?85+ each!) so after your holiday you can extend it and you'll soon be running your own nursery, watering itself.

I've been slighly creative recycling Cobra beer bottle tops by banging them close together into a piece of wood (jagged side up) and hey presto you have an excellent fish descaling gadget!

good idea.....but they look to be planted in a very poluted swampy pond? Whats with all the green algae?

dunno... its what appears on it... its a bit wet with the testing of the system...

Steve

Hi Steve,

Must remove that algae on your pots before it suffocates your tomatoes, it occurs mostly on water stagnant places. If I were you I would remove it urgently and pierce more holes at the base of the pots to prevent water stagnating and loosen the top soil in the pot for better aeration for roots(also add more soil). I hope you have put in a layer of gravel (or small stones) in the base of the pots, before filling the soil in, for better water percolation.....have you Steve?

Cheers.

Erm... no... just tipped the contents of a grow bag into a large tub.... !!

oops....

Steve

(I'm hoping its survived while I'm away but not sure it will have... if nothing else the the snails and slugs will have had a field day !)

Well I'm back and checked the growing...

The watering system has worked to a point... its over watered them quite a bit but there wasn't a lesser setting and I'd turned the water down to a dribble. I think it might be because it was a hot sunny day when I was setting it all and thought the weather would be getting hotter still so in hindsight could have set the water even less....

Well some fruit has appeared and guess what... fattest snails I've ever seen... they've had a field day in there...!!!!... there are still some left and I'm hoping they might ripen if the sun ever does come out....

On a brighter note a couple of the cucumbers seem to be coming along well.. only I'm not sure how big they should be? (can't remember the type.. but they are very spikey... now about 4 inch long... which could be fully grown after seeing some in Cyprus sold at that size... or could be only just beginning..)

Steve

Nice to have you back!

Tomatoes should be okay outside for the moment, mine are.

Cucumber; home grown ones often are. I should let them grow a bit more, unless it suddenly turns cold. Depending on how many you have, you can try one now!

Mamta

Its nice to be back

(well if you call being in dull wet weather rather than sunshine and sea ... being nice... LOL)

Steve

We have several tom plants outside, directly in the beds and several in pots and growbags in the greenhouse.

Yield is much lower over the whole season than I expected, having grown (different) varieties many times before but there are a reasonable number of green toms on them right now which I'm also leaving there in hope they ripen.

We have a few days of sun due now.

WHEN should I think about taking them off the plants outside and either ripening them indoors or using them green?

And then same question for (unheated) greenhouse?

I was hoping they would ripen on the plant and tell me they were ready for picking ! ?

Steve

My tomatoes in greenhouse started to ripen 2 weeks ago, i have already plucked the first flush of deep red ones. For outdoor ones just look out for frost warning (end Sept,early Oct?)and before the frost uproot the whole plant, shake the extra soil off and hang the whole plant upside down indoors in a dry place(if you have space)- the tomatoes will ripen still attached to the plants and presumably tastes better.

Made some sweet chutney from green tomatoes today, it was yummylicious......thanks Mamta.

OK, so as long as I stay ahead of first frosts (always a guessing game) I'm OK?

We have had some toms ripen/ redden on the plant but so many green ones left.

Never heard about that uprooting of whole plant and hanging upside down but will consider that!

THANKS

Kavey

Suppose I don't have room to bring the plants indoor and the frosts are expected what can I do?

I'm thinking could I take the tomatoes on a small piece of the plant and leave them to ripen ? (would I need to water the end???)

could I pick them at whatever stage they were (ie small and green) and still use them for something?

would I be better just leaving green ones out and risking it?... what exactly does the frost do to them?.. does it just split them open ? if thats the case could I leave them and if there is a frost over night then pick them and use them even if split to make a sauce or something?

thanks

Steve

Steve

There are recipes for green toms, yes!

Green Tomato Chutney is always a good use for them.

Green Tomatoes also feature much more in American recipes such as "Fried Green Tomatoes" as of "at the Whistle Stop Cafe" of novel/film fame!

There is a recipe here somewhere for fish with green tomato, called Tenga. Someone sent it to me and I made it once, quite nice.

Mamta

Hi All,

As we are approaching the last phase of summer the watering of the tomato plants should be minimal, as this will hasten the ripening process. Frost is enemy no 1 for tomatoes and it can happen overnight, it leave unsightly brownish marks on the tomatoes and tree and ultimately the whole plant turns blackish and dies off.

If your tomatoes are very raw and deep green ...then I would suggest use it now. But if it is in the initial phase of ripening and has a slight light yellowish tinge then I would suggest .....ripen it artificially the usual way i.e. =

wrap the tomatoes in paper and keep in a carboard /plastic etc.box in a dark place, put in a partially ripened banana in the box to hasten ripening. Please do not use cut /damaged /blemished tomatoes for ripening.

Cheers.

Hi again,

After saying that I would estimate the frost is still at least 2 weeks away!!!!! But anything can happen in the land of blighty. :))

While we are in garden mode...

this is the only cucumber thats growing at any great speed, its now about 5 inch in length and about 1 1/4 inch in diameter with quite sharp spikes on it (is that normal for all cucumbers or just this variety?) - can anyone tell me what type it is and if that still needs to grow more or is it ready now ?... ps do cucumbers "ripen" ?

cucumber

thanks

Steve

Never grown cucumbers, but ripened cucumber would turn light yellowish, seeds are hardened as well and tastes not so good, so eat it green.

so if you should eat them while unripened does that mean I could more or less eat them at any stage prior then ?

(I'm wondering as there are a good few that are only just an inch or so and quite small that won't have grown by the time the weather kicks in, so wondering if I could pickle them or something)

Steve

It really depends on the type (species) of cucumber you are growing, mostly the optimum size to harvest is mentioned in seed packets. I would have plucked away the late flowers (say late july)so that i could get a few good big ones rather than several small cucumbers.

thanks for the tips... if I try again next year I might remember some of it.. but as its all quite new, any sign of growth or something happening was too good to pick off or cut back etc... lol

oooh hang on... the seed packet might still be in the drawer !!... I can go and look ... I think...

Steve

The cucumbers are called "marketmore" ! doesn't mention harvesting sizes or anything useful though !

Steve

Hi Steve,

Google "marketmore cucumbers" you will get your answer. One of them mentioned that their's marketmore grew about 8 in long.