Kitchen Garden Forum

Every year we get this. Have tried everything to keep watering regular. I think we need to try a different variety, but I love this one for making passata. Any recommendations?

Hi Retropants,
I make a point of watering Tomatoes at night when they need it. My point is that during the hours of darkness there is very little evaporation by comparison to day watering. This gives the Tomato plant a luxurious bath and this means that watering is not affected by the fluctuations of day time temperatures. It also means that over night the plants have drawn up sufficient moisture to endure the ravages of the day to come.
Hope this helps.
JB.

I had similar problems with San Marzano. I now grow Rio Grande (Seeds of Italy) instead.

Thanks JB & Tony.

I work full time so I only get to water them Sunday pm (allotment). My mum pops down a few times in the week, but this is afternoons too. We couldn't go at dusk. For a start it would be too scary!

(We certainly don't let them dry out in between waterings)

I will look at the Rio gRande variety! Hopefully they make a good a passata as the SM.

Hi Retropants, I suggest this autumn make a slightly raised bed for them and mulch well with straw / grass clippings / dry non seeding weeds. next spring plant your san mazarno through the mulch using some Root Grow. Or use a green cover crop and mow down into a mulch in spring and plant toms through it the mulch slows evaporation A good watering once a week should keep them very happy., and the results will amaze you. I live in the dry south east and my toms in the ground have done very well with this method despite the long drought. The rootgrow is natural mycelium that work in symbiosis with your tomatoes giving them a far greater root system to see them through the drought

Hi Retropants,

We get BER on our Gardeners Delight most years. This year is our first time growing San Marzano, and that has it too. So we have drenched our toms every evening and it seems to have worked, the later fruits seem OK. This is in the greenhouse; the outdoor toms have been fine, though they have had much less water, and the allotment toms have barely been watered at all.

That wasn't much help really, was it?