The blight I mentioned that affected my outdoor toms has unfortunately now spread "indoors" and I have lost three plants in the greenhouse. I have also noticed some blackening of leaves on three of the remaining five. It looks as though I shall be eating Sainsbury's toms this Autumn and no...

Johnboy You're right of course about the variety Shirley being an indoor one and I have just realised, having read your note and revisited the explantory leaflet that accompanied the seeds, of the somewhat stupid error I have made. This year I bought my seeds by post from the "Victoriana Nurser...

Sue, Sorry to hear about your toms and potatoes. One variety I was growing outdoors was Shirley which, I have read somewhere,is resistant to blight! It aint! Tigger I hang my head in shame and have to admit that apart from a few that I have kept to try and ripen(in a bowl with a couple of bananas) a...

Just spent the morning pulling up all 18 of my outdoor tomatoes that have been hit by blight over the last three days. Heartbreaking really as they were all up to their 5th truss and heavily laden. All of the above plants were growing adjacent to the door into my greenhouse where I am growing a furt...

By 'eck Compo, are you a Civil Engineer by any chance? If you are not careful you will find yourself seconded on to the team building the Olympic Stadium! Hopefully, the repairs to my Dad's greenhouse will not need that much work. It is situated on the side of a slight hill where ground movement has...

Hi Compo

Many thanks for your suggestion. Work pressures had brought my efforts at finding a solution to a grinding halt, so this will kick start me again!

Thanks again.

Mike

Peter

Many thanks for your reply(at this late hour!)

Good suggestions and thanks for the offer re photos etc

I will start working my way through your suggestions

Thanks again.

After standing in the same place for some 35/38 years, the ground under one side of my father's 12' by 8' alluminium greenhouse decided to start moving(presumably a victim of the hot weather last summer) The result is that apart from a partially collapsed roof, one right angled, corner upright piece...

As an initial comment, I would have said that the softness would seem to indicate them being over ripe.

Thanks for that,I will try roasting/baking some as suggested.

Tigger I am still finding packs of last years "cooked down" tomatoes in the freezer! Now that I am "chief cook and bottlewasher" following my divorce, I have discovered that I have spawned two "tomato hating children" although they do like sauce. I wonder what yellow to...

Red plastic eh! Now that is a first. Following on from Allan's first reply and his suggestion that I may be overwatering, I have now got myself a moisture meter. The initial readings , some 12 hours after the last watering, seem to indicate that too much water could be a definite reason for the prob...

Allan,

Take your point about the nitrate level but I am assured that the manure is at least 10 years old! although I am not able to check that out. I have reduced the watering time to 10 minutes and will buy a moisture meter. Thanks for your reply.

Last night I picked my first greenhouse tomatoes, the yellow cherry variety, Sun Baby, a variety that can usually be guaranteed to be full of flavour. Somewhat disappointingly however the taste was really bland. The plants are being grown in a greenhouse border (ring culture)with a fresh mixture of ...

Thanks Piglet and Jane

Mike