I'm not doing tomatoes this year. With work and not being too well, my gardening is just what I feel I can manage this year. I am hoping to grow peas and mangetout peas in the greenhouse with a couple of courgettes.
You should have more than enough for food supply next year then. I don't really have time or energy to look after them properly, and the greenhouse needs a rest from them this year, so have mangetout peas, a few peas (the others didn't come up), a squash and a couple of courgettes in there this year.
elsie, craig and shirley have had a difficult year
lots of travel, getting stuck in unsuitable places, less than ideal weather etc
they have quite a few tomatoes, one red, one orange, lots/most yellowing
i might even get some to eat
just for fun as well as flushing and reducing water i have added an over ripe banana to each pot, although enough acetylene to make a difference to ripening out of doors might take several cylinders an hour
gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009 Posts: 8829 Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 24 5:20 pm Post subject:
I just grew Roma (not F1)
Took a long time to get flowering and was a bit leggy...not enough light...not enough insects either so I helped the pollenation.
A decent tasty crop. I trimmed the tops today, don't think they are going to set any more despite still flowering, so I'm concentrating on getting what there us on the plants, to ripen
there are a tiny fraction of the pollinators there were a couple of years ago
at the mo the odd lone working wasp is looking for insects to take home
across many species flying insects are almost missing from the ecosystem
there are a few spp that seem ok, perhaps because the predation rate has reduced
the large insectivores, bat and bird etc, are almost missing, as are the insect on insect ones
hand pollination or grow things that are not insect dependant
Slim
Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 6597 Location: New England (In the US of A)
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 24 8:16 pm Post subject:
It's not global. My property is awash in a huge diversity of insect life. So it's clearly a privilege that can't be enjoyed by all, but if you're surrounded with native woodlands and plant a bunch of things that flower, you can maintain an abundance of healthy critters
Some things seem to be down this year, like butterflies, but think that is very much because of the weather. We seem to have the usual cohort of bitey things in the woods, wasps, bees and others of easily visual size here, but we are semi rural.
Nicky cigreen
Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 9811 Location: Devon, uk
Posted: Sat Sep 14, 24 8:25 am Post subject:
definitely fewer insects around this year - but still my tomatoes had no pollination issues - and they are all gh grown. I understand tomatoes pollinate via vibration - either being buzzed by insects or breeze. I have the doors and windows open in my greenhouse.
overwhelmed with tomato harvest - freezer space is scarce. All the self saved seeds worked well, although the yellow plum tomatoes are more orangey this year. still delicious.
a few have gone red, most are just getting a little yellower
the red ones are nice, considering i am dressed in feathers and goretex they are probably not ripening much today
next year they will have a sunny spot, to get it while they can, if there is any
this year cloud forest plants might have been a good choice, a few years back desert things would have thrived(note, must get desert things inside for the winter)
i grow a few things for fun, trying to decide which crops to feed folk etc must be very difficult as each year is very different to recent ones