Tomato quest 2012

I'm happy to report that my recently failing health is going from strength to strength and i'm hoping to pass some solids in the next few days. My piss is still orange however.


Medwyn won tomatoes at the National last year and when I was chatting to him after judging he was a visibly relieved man that I hadn't been able to enter the class myself. He's never beaten me you see! Well I'm sorry to have to inform him that thus far my plants (var. Cedrico) are on target for this year's National at Malvern. I know his son reads this blog so, ALWYN, .......tell him to make sure he's keeping the trophy well polished so it can be handed over to me in good order!

I've sown them later with the sole aim of Malvern in mind, as I hope my 14 plants will give me the requisite matching 12 fruits. When I won the Midlands in 2010 (beating Medwyn into 2nd....might have mentioned that!) I did seem to time them absolutely perfectly. A big factor with tomatoes is having nice green calyces and a problem with the later September shows is that the calyces can go a bit yellowy in colour. I've spoken to other growers about this and there seems to be conflicting opinions as to what causes this, ranging from a lack of nutrients to the cold nights that you will get at that end of the season. My own personal opinion is it's down to the age of the plants, and how long the fruits have been on the trusses. As a vine ripe variety Cedrico remains firm for quite a few weeks but perhaps there is eventually a payback in calyx condition? All my plants were late last year (replanted in June and therefore still quite young!) and I only managed to stage a set on to my Top Tray entry at Derby Show, where I had fresh looking calyces in late October! However, it has to be said temperatures in most of October 2011 were unseasonably balmy so the warmth factor has to be a consideration. My plants are currently 3" tall and will be potted up into 3" round pots in the next week or two.

I grew aubergines quite successfully for the first time last year and have decided to do so again this season, not so much because they are a valuable 18 pointer but because I love moussaka. I really wish I'd took a photo of 3 that I staged in the 'aov' class at Sutton Bonington Show because they were 3 huge fruits that were well matched nevertheless and won me the class. I couldn't quite manage to get another matching set for any other show, although Dave Thornton got a 2nd at Westminster with fruits from plants that I actually grew for him due to him being unable to do so himself after he had an operation last Spring. Some of these plants are also destined for Thornton and the variety is Bonica. I shall be staking them this season as the plants did tend to lean to one side under the weight of the fruits. And I shall be ruthless in aborting any small fruitlets that do not look as if they will make good shaped specimens when fully formed, as you can only expect each plant to successfully bear 4 or 5 during the season.

I also sowed my Evening Star celery later this season as when I came to stage them at Malvern and Westminster I had some blistering on the inside of the stalks, a sure sign of an older plant that is past its best i'm informed.

It seems unbelievable that these tiny seedlings, coming as they do from seed that looks like dust can grow to such huge plants in such a short space of time. Mother Nature is such a wonderful thing. However, when you see what she did to the faces of Unsworth, Bastow and Dickie 3 Inch you also realise she can also be one hell of a bitch when she wants to be.