Why oh why are tomatoes so hard to grow? This is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot.
I thought I got my tomatoes in early enough, around September. We did have some cool mornings after I planted them, but I don’t think we had any frosts. I thought great, here we go the tomatoes will start early and we will get heaps.
How wrong I was?
I have only been getting them in the last couple of weeks. The ones that were growing were getting end rot, or the rats were feasting on them. It seems I couldn’t get any.
Now of course I’m realising that I did not do enough research about the varieties I planted and what I would get. Too many cherry tomatoes are what I’m getting. Unbelievable.
How many cherry tomatoes do you have to grow to make tomato relish?
You know what, I don’t want to know the answer because I won’t be making any. Next summer I will make sure I plant the right ones.
I have put lime, pot ash, blood and bone and some fertiliser and I’m finally starting to get some results. I need to take all this on board for the next season and hope I get a lot more tomatoes.
Why is gardening so frustrating? Who would have thought that growing food would be so hard. I mean how did people 30 or 40 years ago do it without the internet, or more importantly without YouTube?
YouTube has been so good and I’ve learned so much. Though sometimes I just wish there were people close by that I could try getting some answers to my questions.
Oh well, our season is coming to an end, though I did just plant some in the greenhouse, will have to see how they go. I am not too concerned as we could get fairly warm weather up until April May. So still plenty of time for growing. We will see.
Do you grow your own tomatoes? Did you have lots of luck? Do you know what you are doing and can help me? LOL
But they are SO worth the trouble.
Yeah they are.
My tomatoes were lousy last year, but have been great this season! I always plant my toms end of October .. You’ll get there! 🙂
Thank you Julie, I hope I get there, thanks for the advice I will try and remember that. I also know that I need to really know what sort of tomatoes I’m planting. That has been a big lesson this year.
I’ve never had any luck with them LOL!
Who would have thought they were so hard to grow? Thanks Nora.
I’ve always had trouble with tomatoes, too. They are very frustrating. Okra is always easy at least. Well, it’s easy to grow but a pain to pick every day. I wish I had more advice for you but as far as how people were more successful at it years ago, I think it comes down to the that they needed a garden. Most folks now WANT to grow one but NEEDING one raises the stakes and makes it a much higher priority. My guess is that they watched over them like hawks and Netflix wasn’t there to get in the way.
Good to hear I’m not the only one. I have been picking raspberries every day. I wonder too if it is experience, the more years we do it the better we get at doing it? I know what you mean about needing to grow. I want to grow so I have more control over what I’m eating. Thank you.
Ah, you still are in summer. Your fresh tomato photos have made me hungry and longing for summer. We have tomato issues too. They seem to be just tricky. Sheri, my wife, had so many that would just split open as they grew last summer. Sorry for the frustration, but your photos are fantastic.
Yeah, still summer, though technically it is Autumn, but we never really know when the leaves will change, some years it hasn’t happened until June. I was reading the splitting is because of inconsistent watering. I have been having the same problem, but only with the Russian black tomatoes. Thank you Tim.
I hope you have a great harvest. Take care in this insane world.
Thank you Tim, I guess time will tell. You take care too.
Good luck w that !! : ))
Haha, sounds like there is a story there.
One trick I’ve learned over the years is to not put the plants out until the soil is really warm! When I worked at a garden center, one year our grower gave us all two plants of 20 different varieties to see what would do best in our climate. We were to put one of each out early, under a water tower and then row cover, and the other one well into June, almost the summer solstice. The plant with few exceptions, that did the best were the ones we put out later. They quickly caught up with the earlier plantings, were sturdier and more resistant to bugs because they were healthier all around.
A good organic soil is really important, plenty of light and water, and mulch to keep the leaves off the ground.
I always get way more cherry tomatoes than I can use, so I just put them in containers and freeze them, no processing. Through the winter, they end up in soups and stews.
Good luck!
I hadn’t really considered the temperature of the soil. I mean, it doesn’t really get that cold here, but you could be right. I might have to look at that more next season. I also need to change the type of tomatoes I grow. I need to be more practical about it.
The organic soil I have, and I have been mulching. I have staked them, but still, they are so temperamental, if that is the right word. Thank you Dorothy for that.
You’ll find the variety that is best for you!
I really hope so, there will be more experimenting. Thanks Dorothy.