tomato experiment

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tomato experiment
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dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46192
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Aug 11, 22 10:31 am Post subject:
re pollination there are insects, i suspect moths are as important as hoverflies and bees i do the "fluffing" thing of touching as many flowers as are open with a finger tip to transfer pollen the latter is time-consuming, so insects are your chums if you have more than a few plants

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9867
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Thu Aug 11, 22 10:56 am Post subject:
I don't do anything to aid pollination, it just seems to work out.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46192
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Aug 11, 22 2:45 pm Post subject:
we just ate the first two small type toms, very nice

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Fri Aug 12, 22 2:19 am Post subject:
Tomatoes shouldn't need flower to flower transfer unless you're breeding, but they do need a good shake from insect or wind to assist in pollen dropping from the anther cone on to the stigma

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15950

Posted: Fri Aug 12, 22 6:27 am Post subject:
I have heard that too Slim. In fact it was the way the old gardeners used to get their people to do it. I daren't do it with mine though as they have already fallen over once and are not only held up by the canes. I have had two semi ripe tomatoes off ours; the first ripened in the larder and was really nice, the other is sitting there ripening.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Fri Aug 12, 22 9:55 am Post subject:
Only the flowers need a shake, not the whole plant! It's a good job for an old electric toothbrush, but that shouldn't be needed for most outdoor plants. If outdoor plants aren't setting fruit well, something else may be wrong (not enough light, water, etc)

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4627
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Fri Aug 12, 22 2:19 pm Post subject:
Mine are blocking the path now, so get a shake whenever I trundle the bins past! I have a few small trusses developing now.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46192
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Aug 12, 22 3:12 pm Post subject:
i see new red from here many are starting to change colour many are in waiting

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46192
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Oct 04, 22 8:25 pm Post subject:

the last kilo or so came in today

it went very well, the extra light from the shiny stuff was good for vegetative growth, flowering, and ripening the fruit

shade leaf pruning seems to work to open the lower structure and reduce any diseases
shoot pruning gave extra branching and directed towards fruit development rather than going full triffid
i topped out when they reached shed roof ht

planting through the styrofoam lid is good for avoiding soil contact and reducing water loss and having no weeds

from the middle of august until now(and another couple of weeks) we have had plenty for two folk off two plants in one fish box ie very efficient use of space

both types have done a spread of ripening rather than "the crop is ready" which is ideal for kitchen toms for day to day use

overall it was a good experiment to try, the results have been better than i expected

next year i will do it better using what this has shown

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15950

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 22 7:44 am Post subject:
That sounds good. I am picking green tomatoes at the moment and trying to ripen them.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 22 11:59 am Post subject:
I'm glad the experiment went better that you have expected and I guess you can ask no more from it, if the plants have supposed two people.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46192
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 22 12:15 pm Post subject:
without a control it is impossible to tell if it made a difference, the result was good i think i forgot to mention the feed regime changed according to development stage, ending with no food once the ripening started Transferable skills are fun

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 22 12:26 pm Post subject:
I've only ever been able to ripen tomatoes on the windowsill that have already begun to blush a bit. When picked truly green I've only had success after exposing them to some ethylene from apples or bananas

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9867
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 22 2:11 pm Post subject:

well done on experiment.

I still have tomatoes ripening in the greenhouse - door and window open all the time. I stop watering them at the beginning of September, and this seems to slow down blight problems and the plants put all their effort into ripening the fruit already set.

At some point I will strip the remaining plants and mean to make green tomato chutney and the tomatoes turn red whilst I am not getting around to it

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8896
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 22 6:03 pm Post subject:
The ripening has really slowed down with Roma...but the cherry tomato, probably Gardeners Delight is still going strong. Bred for different climates?

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