I’ve said it before, but I love love love tomatoes. Last year I was slow off the mark and planted only three hybrids. They thrived in only partial sun, and I was inundated with lovely little baby romas.
This year I planned big. I had a decent early crop of Stupice, and I grew approximately 50 other plants from seed. I gave some away and kept about 40. I planned to grow most of them in pots. I think that in any other year my plan would have been solid. Not this year.
We have had cold wet weather punctuated by stinking hot weather, followed by more (and more) cold wet weather.
My tomatoes (all of them) have succumbed to fungal disease and grubs. The Stupices were decimated. The other plants that set fruit early have holes munched in the tomatoes and most of the leaves are yellow and stunted.
All my organic ambitions flew out the window and a few days ago I pulled out the tomato dust.
I sheepishly moved some of the tomatoes to the back deck (out of public view) and dusted them ferociously. They have actually recovered somewhat since then and put on healthy growing tips. I think if I keep it up I might have healthy (if not extremely tall) plants.
Earlier today I swung by the nursery on our way home from playgroup to buy some replacement seedlings. I probably shouldn’t have bothered. The (outdoor) nursery has clearly had the same weather as we have had, and all their tomato plants were as bad as mine. I bought a punnet of the Burke’s Backyard Italian tomatoes ‘Costoluto di Marmande’. They are small, but I think healthy enough to recover.
There wasn’t enough room out back for all of the pots, so this afternoon I pulled out the globe artichokes from Bed A, added compost and planted out some of the healthier looking tomato specimens, along with the ‘Costoluto di Marmande’. I finished planting and mulching just in time for (you guessed it) the rain to start.
How are your tomatoes going? Go on, tell me the truth – I can handle it (I think!)
500m2 in Sydney 