Kitchen Garden Forum

Catherine wrote:Wow CJS they look fab, I think I might try them this year if I can get hold of some. Thanks.

Really good flavour, 'high acid/sugar content' . . . imagine the flavour 'zing'!!!! I've only seen 'Sungold' as a plant once, (the time I thought, OK give it a go, the rest is history ) so its a quick look in the seed catalogues, I put my seeds in two weeks ago, just showing two leaves. Expensive F1 seeds, but once tried, they will always be part of your tom crop, IMHO?

Its a brut of a plant, not delicate! so the extra support is required, 2009 had the wind flatten my heavily laden, single cane supported Sungolds, live and learn

Enjoy . . . CJS

Catherine - if you want to grow tomatoes on your patio, you could probably do a lot worse than growing Red Tumbler or Yellow Tumbler, both of which are very prolific, and grow well in containers & growbags, so you don't have the hassle of having to stake them or sideshoot them. It's not too late to sow them for outdoor growing. In addition to the tall varieties, I've grown these for a couple of years now and also find that they seem to be more resilient to blight. One benefit for me is that because they're a cherry variety, I also can freeze them whole in bags in the freezer if I get a surplus.

Ah, Sungold in containers??? perhaps not . . . although I grow mine in grow-bags, its so that I get fresh growing soil each year, the bags are on a raised bed into which I have the depth to stake properly . . . sorry Catherine, I think I may have misled you

However, if you can find a solid position, they are G-r-r-r-ate . . . ??? may be cut down on trusses to 3? I often go to 5 or 6! I know, not the way to do it but it works for me, lots of liquid feed . . .

Sorry people . . . I can be a renegade . . . CJS

Catherine wrote:Are your beds warm enough for the peas to go in yet? We are on holiday two weeks on Friday and did not plan to put our peas in till we came home. If you are okay planting then maybe we should get ours in before we go away. Do you cover with fleece or just leave them to get on with it.

I'm concerned about your plants getting watered while you're away. Have you detailed a neighbour to do this? To save them some effort, and because by the time you get back they may be rather past their best, I would plant your peas out now. You need to cover them to keep the birds from wrecking their leaves, and to keep the mice off, in which case wire netting is most effective. I direct sowed my peas a month ago here in East Yorkshire and they're coming up lovely (can't remember which variety, but it is an early one, round seeded). I'll sow the maincrop varieties this weekend.