Another week and another attempt to kill my tomatoes…My tomatoes were dying: browning foliage and no more growth. I fed them about 10 days ago but it didn’t seem to have helped. After I spent much time researching tomato diseases on the computer to no avail I went out to the tomatoes and this time had a quick feel of the soil – soaking wet. I’ve been killing them with love it would seem… I stopped watering for 5 days and the decline has been halted (or at least I think it has…). I’m hoping they will recover and put on some more fruit…in the meantime I harvested these (and a few more that didn’t make the photo shoots):
I am harvesting the tomatoes a little early as, what I think is, mice are taking them if I leave them on the plant much longer. I was looking forward to my first Black Cherry tomatoes when they suddenly disappeared off the vine.
The mice don’t seem interested in the cucumbers though which are producing well. I am harvesting at a rate of one or two most days, occasionally more – like Wednesday when I made some more Bread & Butter Cucumbers.
This week has once again been the week of the potato. I harvested the first lot of Pink Fir Apple potatoes – these grown in a 40cm tub. I got about 1.5kg. Interestingly the potatoes don’t have the little knobbly bits I normally associate with Pink Fir Apples, this despite the seed potatoes having them. I also harvested another 650g of Pink Fir Apples from the main bed and they didn’t have the knobs either. I made a lovely potato salad with some of the first batch and they were delicious but possibly slightly more floury than I would normally expect so perhaps they crossed with another variety? I may have just overcooked them of course, or left them in the garden slightly too long….
I also harvested the tub of Dutch Cream potatoes which look superb but I’m yet to cook any of them. I got 1.5kg from a 40cm tub which seems to be the optimum harvest from this size of pot in my growing conditions.
My most exciting harvest this week – for me anyway was parsley – I know it sounds a bit boring but I love it and I have only been able to cut the occasional sprig rather than a decent amount as my plants were a bit young. They are now mature enough for a decent harvest though:
Actually all my herbs are doing well at the moment. I dried some oregano this week, harvested the first of the garlic chive flowers, which I used in rice paper rolls along with some Thai Basil, Vietnamese mint and common mint. My basil is producing pesto sized quantities, and the sage and lemon balm are both doing well.
My other harvests were primarily green – lots of salad leaves, green beans and celery which is now big enough to harvest the occasional stalk from.
When one harvest is never enough simply head over to Daphne’s Dandelions for harvests from around the world.
My friend Blogless Sandy had the same problem with her tomatoes. Interestingly, she came up with the same solution.
Sorry to hear your Black cherry tomatoes suddenly disappeared. I grew Chocolate cherry tomatoes for the first time last year. Mine would also ‘disappear’ and not make it into the house but that was due to me eating them straight off the vine with the excuse that because of their unusual colour, I couldn’t be sure when they were ripe so would just have to do a taste test there and then…
I have the same issue, not jsut with tomatoes though….
We’ve always grown flat leaved and curly parsley but as the curly one seems to last longer next year we’ll just be growing that.
It’s easy to over water when overwatered plants look just like ones that need a drink. Strange about those fir apples!
My understanding is that the curly variety is hardier but the flat leave if hardy enough to be grown year round in Melbourne plus I prefer its flavour and texture.
Lovely tomatoes, and such quantity! Wondering about your parsley too – flat leaf is so trendy, but I’m starting to think that I prefer the daggy curly stuff like Sue. What do you think about the differences between the two?
I think the flavour and texture are both different. I think the flat leaf is more strongly flavoured and its texture is better for salads like tabouleh etc.
Sorry to hear your tomatoes are feeling poorly. I hope you have nailed the problem and that they rebound. Your cucumbers, potatoes, and parsley look particularly nice – they must take pretty nice too!
What you say about the “knobless” PFA potatoes is interesting. I wonder how they could be different to the seed potatoes you started with? The ones in your photo look very like the variety “Anya” which are so popular in UK supermarkets at present. They are closely related to PFA, but Ithink they have been developed deliberately to be smooth rather than knobbly, to make it easier to prepare them.
I grew some Black Cherry tomatoes in 2010, but I found them very prone to splitting, especially after rain.
Aha perhaps they are Anya in disguise. Hmmm I’m trying to think what genetic info a seed potato would carry – would it be a direct copy of its parents or could it be something else. How do potato breeders produce new varieties – I can see some research is in order.
Those potatoes look beautiful. I’m glad you found out your tomato problem. It would be so sad to lose them all.
Your harvests this week are lovely. I hope that you have figured out what the problem has been with your tomatoes. Sometimes we give our veggies too much attention & love!
Ah so true – I think it is overwatering but may of course be something completely different – time will tell.
Maybe I should check my tomatoes. Still plenty of fruit on them, just not going red.
Have you tried one yet – I wouldn’t discount the theory that they might be green when ripe….
Glad you found the cause of your tomato decline. Mice and squirrels seem to love to sneak off with the best veggies! I continue to find piles of peanut shells around the garden where rodents dined. Enjoy your bounty… especially your parsley!
They are annoying little critters aren’t they? Its the half eaten stuff that annoys me most – if they’re going to pinch it at least they could have the decency to finish it.
Those are simply lovely harvest. You should put up some posts for us novice gardeners about your step by step of raising those plants, fertilizing and watering them so that we learn from you pro. I wish I had two houses – one in the northern and the other in the southern hemisphere – in that way, I could have grown everything year round :-).
It would be great to have houses in both hemispheres but then I do like the variation that winter gardening brings. If you have a look round my site you might find some of the guides you are looking for – but I would point out that I’m not a pro – enthusiastic amateur is probably fairly accurate.
Lovely harvest,
Its hard finding the right balance when gardening, too much water, not enough, to mulch or not too, what time to water,when to harvest and so on………… I do hope your tomatoes recover and produce plenty of fruit for you over the next few months.
Thanks, it is hard – especially when I use watering as a method of escaping my rampaging children – the temptation is to do more of it than strictly neccessary…..
Wow what a great harvest. I may have to get a winter home in Australia so that I can have tomatoes year round. Your potatoes look great as well. Our supply is down to the last few wiggly ones. I think maybe another month at the most and we will have to be on a potato fast for a while.
I keep giving mine away so I suspect mine wont last as long as I think they will either. Tomatoes all year round – now that would be lovely.
Lovely harvests! i will of course have to remind you that tomatoes and potatoes are from the Americas and not Italy 😉
A good point – its interesting how we associate foods with different countries regardless of their origin – like potatoes with the Irish & tomatoes with Italy. Interestingly cooking for the Americas and indeed the Carribean hasn’t much of a presence here. There are a few fairly new Mexican places but really thats about it. I’m sure that will change in time.
I’m almost at a loss for words! Wow…looks so yummy! You should never look at this kind of stuff when you are starving! xx