251: Tomato based woe

As requested, here's a story of tomato based woe. Although I must confess it did not tak a great deal of prompting and I've been meaning to do this for a bit. I started 6 tomato plants off inside on the kitchen window sill. Once they got too big for that it was time for then to go outside. However it was fairly cold and they didn't look very happy.

A trip to the garden centre and I thought all my tomato problems were over. £20 got me a plastic greenhouse. Happy days. Easy to assemble and small enough to fit up the side of the house. I thought this was ideal: some shelter from the wind, plenty of sun, not in the way. And possibly most importantly it wasn't going to get me moaned at by Mrs VegBox - there's only the bins there and it's well hidden from view.

Initially all 6 plants went in, and they shot up, forming flowers several months ago. They got so big so quickly that quickly I had to throw three of them out and let them fend for themselves outside. Not to worry, I thought. One plant in particular was forging strongly ahead.

This all went on for some time; plants looking good, growing well. And then, it fell over. Three nights running. Each time it fell over and I put it back together again some more of the plant fell off.

I still can't work out how it can ever have fallen over in the first place, never mind three nights running. After three falls, I submitted and gave up; dismantling the greenhouse and leaving the plants to fend for themselves. They don't look at all like they did. Although I'm still getting some tomatoes off - I'm not sure there will be enough for ketchup making.

In other garden news, first the good:



• The need to find courgette recipes continues with productionn at 2 or 3 weekly
• I'll be eating home grown onions and garlic for quite some time yet
• I've had three pan fulls of lovely fresh peas

And the not so good:

• Both my chilli peppers and normal peppers seem to have given up
• My squash plant grows one new leaf for every one that dies; but shows no hint of producing a squash
• The local birds all have strawberry moustaches
• Or are they raspberry moustaches?
• Then again, blueberry?

Hey-ho. Next year I'll invest in better netting and a better greenhouse.