Failed again

[Odsox]

Failed that is in my endeavour to have fresh ripe tomatoes all year round.

I picked the last of my 2009 toms yesterday, about a pound of ripe and a few green ones, but the next lot won't be ready for at least a few weeks yet.
It's certainly do-able and I'm sure I would have succeeded this year had I sown the seed early enough. Trouble is, like the pillock that I am, I didn't take note of when I did sow this next lot, so I have no real idea of when to sow them earlier next year.
Ah well, I still have a challenge.

Below is the next lot looking quite good for mid February.

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[Marc]

Wow, well done I did have ripe ones on the plant in January one year but have never since had a suitable place to try again.
I would guess you'd've needed to have sown these in about July?
Keep trying, and good luck for next year

[sarahkeast]

What a fantastic view, I bet any tomato plant would be happy to live there !

Curious as to how you manage the year round, do you just sow seeds throughout the year ? do you have a diary/list of sowing dates ? how much heat and extra light do you give them ? or is that large window south facing and super warm. I will have a conservatory by the end of this month [hopefully] and would like to try and keep my son in tomatoes....

Thanks

Sarah

[Keaniebean]

Oh I am sooooooooo .
Well done you.

[Green Aura]

Ne'mind Tony. Next year eh?

We kept seeds from last years Microtoms - don't know if they'll come true though. Having said that I wouldn't be overly disappointed if they didn't - they were fairly tasteless.

[bonniethomas06]

Is there a difference in taste throughout the year Odsox?

[Millymollymandy]

The palm tree in the garden is a bit of a giveaway as to the climate there.

I can't even keep a geranium looking healthy indoors let alone with flowers, so I wouldn't even bother with tomatoes (lack of light here). Well done Tony.

[Odsox]

Thanks for the good wishes on my failure, I will certainly try again this/next year.
To answer your questions, as I said I don't know when these were sown but I would guess sometime in November.
I have 3 follow on ones that were sown on 18th January that are just showing an embryo first truss and the first of my maincrop were sown last weekend.
The ones in the photo were grown in a south facing window in a centrally heated room (the one I'm sitting in now typing this) and all my seeds are germinated in a heated propagator.
As to taste, the summer ones are better ... sweeter, but the winter ones are still very tomato-ey and far, far better than any in the shops.
Next winter, I think my best option is to sow one seed every month from September onward and as I have room for about seven plants in this window, hopefully I should manage to get a continuous crop all winter (maybe).
Watch this space

For those that didn't read my earlier post..... http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 12&t=17800

[Odsox]

Or maybe not .... perhaps I was a little too hasty.
I still have some of the previous toms in the fridge and now due to a week or two of welcomed sunshine I have these on my window sill.

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Although in the true spirit of my quest for fresh tomatoes I have to admit there were a couple of weeks when I didn't have FRESH tomatoes to pick, so I have still failed.
But it certainly can be done, even with the terrible winter we had (?) this year, so I have every confidence I can do it this/next year.

[Millymollymandy]

I'd be quite happy with your failure Tony!

[JulieSherris]

I made a decision yesterday... then fretted on how to approach hubby to tell him.... them I just told him anyway & tacked 'and I'm not budging on this' at the end of the sentence!!

When we have the money (meaning that when his mum has gone) I am going to contact one of these polytunnel folks & am having one of those HUGE polytunnels - large enough to totally enclose our veggie patch. (OK, it's £2500-ish, but I'm not budging on this...)
I know that with a little thought & a clever electrical engineering hubby I can make certain areas 'climate controlled' & I 'should' be able to grow what I want, when I want (within reason)

Well done Tony on those toms - I couldn't even get our summer ones good enough last year, but I shall try again this year - I just never seem to have much luck with tommies, maybe it's the feeding? I shall certainly be busting a gut & keeping notes this year anyway, fingers crossed!

[Millymollymandy]

Oooh you are rotten, bet MIL only gets a cardboard coffin.

Sounds great though I would advise some help getting the plastic cover over it!

[JulieSherris]

Oooh you are rotten, bet MIL only gets a cardboard coffin.

MMM, I was hoping to leave her in her chair... when the house clearing bods come, maybe they won't notice her!

[Millymollymandy]

I've just realised that I should clarify that my 2nd sentence is referring to the polytunnel, not the MIL!

[pumpy]

Hey Tony, why bother with seeds? Just keep nipping out the side-shoots (3"-4"), & stick 'em in a pot of compost...... you'll have a natural progression of plants, then.