Tomatoes (yet again) - cropping
 

There was a program (Channel 4 I think) a few weeks back about commercial
growing in the Channel Islands, and about a couple of firms which had been
growing tomatoes for decades.
One was finally closing up shop, the other was still going strong.

The one still going strong was getting some fantastic yields - IIRC up from
4Kg per plant to 40Kg per plant.

They seemed to be growing tomatoe vines in a very tall greenhouse, and as
the trusses ripened they were stripping them off the plant along with the
leaves, coiling the stem, and then waiting for the higher fruits to ripen.
It looked almost like a continuous vertical production line - the plant
keeps growing upwards and fruiting, and is ocasionally coiled at the bottom
to prevent the plant reaching the roof.

This was nowhere near the 6-8 trusses the gardening books recommend!

Accepting that they had a long growing season because they were indoors,
this does suggest that tomato plants have the capacity to bear many more
fruit as long as they are fed adequately.

This year in early April I planted two cherry tomato plants from Homebase
outside against a south facing rear wall and promptly left them alone for a
month.
They have both grown well (although I had to plant them one in front of the
other due to space constraints).
The rear one is Gardeners Delight and I can't find the laberl for the front
one, which is a yellow/orange variety.

I have pinched them back when I have had the chance, but they are mainly
growing rampant.

I took some longer shoots off the orange one a month or so back and potted
them up in a wide planter and they are now cropping as well.

The orange tomato has 30-40 trusses on the go at the moment and they all
seem to be going well, and the plant is still flowering.
I have put in a few extra canes to support the major branches but the whole
thing is a general tangle and I have to remove a lot of leaves to be able to
see all the fruit.

If the weather gods are kind we should still be cropping in another month or
so - it depends when the first frost comes, but here in Suffolk within a
mile of the sea the frosts are usually very late - often November or
December.

So - is the traditional advice about restricting the plants to 6-8 trusses
still valid, or is it a climate thing?

When I was in Berkshire the last frosts could be around May and the first
frosts in September (I have seen warnings of possible frosts further north
on the weather in the last few days).
I can see that in this case it may be better to grow many plants with a
small yield each to obtain the maximum crop in a short growing season but in
warmer parts of the country (especially with the climate changing) with a
long frost free season is it not more sensible to crop more heavily on fewer
plants? This uses less space and gives a longer growing season.

Oh, and any suggestions as to the variety of the yellow/orange cherry
tomato?
It goes from light green to yellow to dark yellow/orange.
The flavour goes from tangy to very sweet.
It has a tendency to split if it is picked off the vine, but is O.K. if
picked with the stalk intact.

When I first started growing tomatoes I found that just as mine started to
crop, the shops were full of cheap tomatoes.
I switched to cherry tomatoes because they were always expensive in the
shops, but now they are mass produced.
I am now favouring yellow cherry varieties because I like the flavour and
they are still rare in the shops.
Now I am back in Suffolk I am growing them outdoors in the ground because
this removes the major issues of over and under watering for most of the
season, which seems to limit the viability of pot grown tomatoes.

Cheers

Dave R

Tomatoes (yet again) - cropping
 

On 2009-09-07 14:31:24 +0100, "David WE Roberts" said:

There was a program (Channel 4 I think) a few weeks back about
commercial growing in the Channel Islands, and about a couple of firms
which had been growing tomatoes for decades.
One was finally closing up shop, the other was still going strong.

The one still going strong was getting some fantastic yields - IIRC up
from 4Kg per plant to 40Kg per plant.

snip

Do you happen to know the name of the growers, because I might be able
to find out what variety they grow. Only might, mind you! Was it in
Guernsey?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Tomatoes (yet again) - cropping
 

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-09-07 14:31:24 +0100, "David WE Roberts" said:

There was a program (Channel 4 I think) a few weeks back about commercial
growing in the Channel Islands, and about a couple of firms which had
been growing tomatoes for decades.
One was finally closing up shop, the other was still going strong.

The one still going strong was getting some fantastic yields - IIRC up
from 4Kg per plant to 40Kg per plant.

snip

Do you happen to know the name of the growers, because I might be able to
find out what variety they grow. Only might, mind you! Was it in
Guernsey?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Not sure I have found the right program, but this report, especially the
bits about using waste heat from power stations, is fascinating reading!

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/farmi...ing.5361944.jp

"At the heart of his operations are two little gas-powered electricity
plants which Scottish & Southern built on his land so it could sell him the
waste heat and count that towards its green behaviour obligations. When the
generators are running, heat is piped into the glasshouses if needed and if
not, into "dump tanks" of water, which act as simple heat stores. Extra
CO2 - the oxygen of plant life - is also pumped into the growing areas, from
the generator exhausts. A computer runs all this in co-ordination with the
ventilation and, as a last resort, switches on the nursery's own boilers."

Tomatoes (yet again) - cropping
 

On 2009-09-07 18:20:39 +0100, "David WE Roberts" said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-09-07 14:31:24 +0100, "David WE Roberts" said:

There was a program (Channel 4 I think) a few weeks back about
commercial growing in the Channel Islands, and about a couple of firms
which had been growing tomatoes for decades.
One was finally closing up shop, the other was still going strong.

The one still going strong was getting some fantastic yields - IIRC up
from 4Kg per plant to 40Kg per plant.

snip

Do you happen to know the name of the growers, because I might be able
to find out what variety they grow. Only might, mind you! Was it in
Guernsey?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Not sure I have found the right program, but this report, especially
the bits about using waste heat from power stations, is fascinating
reading!

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/farmi...ing.5361944.jp

"At the heart of his operations are two little gas-powered electricity
plants which Scottish & Southern built on his land so it could sell him
the waste heat and count that towards its green behaviour obligations.
When the generators are running, heat is piped into the glasshouses if
needed and if not, into "dump tanks" of water, which act as simple heat
stores. Extra CO2 - the oxygen of plant life - is also pumped into the
growing areas, from the generator exhausts. A computer runs all this in
co-ordination with the ventilation and, as a last resort, switches on
the nursery's own boilers."

We saw a programme on Thanet Earth some time ago - fascinating, as you
say. One of the really good firms growing toms is Parkers in the Isle
of Wight - called WIght Salads now, IIRC. My husband's family grew
tomatoes commercially and Parkers were in that area, too until they
moved to the IoW.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Tomatoes (yet again) - cropping
 

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-09-07 14:31:24 +0100, "David WE Roberts" said:

There was a program (Channel 4 I think) a few weeks back about commercial
growing in the Channel Islands, and about a couple of firms which had
been growing tomatoes for decades.
One was finally closing up shop, the other was still going strong.

The one still going strong was getting some fantastic yields - IIRC up
from 4Kg per plant to 40Kg per plant.

snip

Do you happen to know the name of the growers, because I might be able to
find out what variety they grow. Only might, mind you! Was it in
Guernsey?
--

The variety I was seeking was the yellow/orange one I got from HomeBase :-)