Yesterday, May 31st, saw the traditional halving of the first tomato. It's a de-hybridised Sungold selection and is beautifully sweet and slightly tangy. It is so early because this is from a cutting of last year's plant which I overwintered, took another cutting, then potted on and treated it like the rest. The plant is no taller than the others grown from seed but is definitely further on.
This is the other plant which also came from a cutting. These are F4s. The other plants from that selection are F5s sown from seed from this plant. I'm looking forward to seeing how or even if, they differ much. I am hoping they will be very similar so I can reproduce them from seed each year now. This seems to be the way to get yourself a few early tomatoes. I might try it again this autumn.
The purple mangetouts are looking good. So far I have only 1 plant which is producing green pods. I did take the precaution of rogueing out any which didn't have purple in the leaf nodes while they were still seedlings. It will be interesting to see what proportion really turn out to be mangetout rather than purple podded which are eaten small, which is what seems to pass as mangetout at the moment.
The purple mangetouts are looking good. So far I have only 1 plant which is producing green pods. I did take the precaution of rogueing out any which didn't have purple in the leaf nodes while they were still seedlings. It will be interesting to see what proportion really turn out to be mangetout rather than purple podded which are eaten small, which is what seems to pass as mangetout at the moment.
They are all, as you can see, producing a single pod per node. This means the yield is lower than it could be. I am wondering if, when I have a true-breeding line of purple mangetout, I might cross them with Kent Blue ( a green podded mangetout which produces loads of double noded peas) to try to introduce that gene. You never know. Otherwise I'd only be out on the streets causing bother!
My first chilli plant to produce fruits is growing apace. I know you can eat them green but I don't find you get the heat unless they are ripe.
My first chilli plant to produce fruits is growing apace. I know you can eat them green but I don't find you get the heat unless they are ripe.PS - the spell check suggested rogering instead of rogueing - !
15 comments:
Wow! Everything looks tremendous!
Now that's EARLY!
You are definitely seeing the benefit of all your hard work earlier in the year taking things in and out every day.
I can't believe you're eating home grown tomatoes already, my plants aren't even in their final positions yet. I think taking cuttings is the way to go.
very exciting, summer is here!
Congratulations on your first tomato, it is amazing that you overwintered it and got the tomatoes to set.
Spell checkers are notorious - when I was a primary teacher some of the suggestions had to be quickly censored! One child complained that the computer had called him a baboon - his name was Haroon!
No tomatoes yet for us but we do have flowers.
I tell you, this gardening lark is all about sex!
Flowers only on my outdoor toms here too, but I have eaten my first broadies, and the peas are at about the same stage as your purple jobbies.
Wow! first tomato is way ahead of mine! What a wonderful milestone!
Wow! How thrilling!
Loved your PS.... rogering....hahahaha!
Wow I am very jealous, no sign of any on my plants yet :o(
Planted my toms to their final positions tonight. My 2nd generation Sungold were so much smaller than the parents and the Harbinger grown from seed that they hardly seem worth it. Should I persist?
Congrats on the first tomato!
Persist Mal. I take seeds from the best of each generation to grow on. I'm now growing the 5th generation and they keep getting bigger!
Great to find your blog. I too am a keen, maybe even mad, gardener. It's fantastic to get out there and harvest the first tomatoes, or dig up the biggestvo potatoes. Look forward to more reading.
Good luck with the tomato breeding. I'm looking forward to a frost tolerant, blight resistant tomato that tastes delicious and can be sown outside. Might be a bit of a wait.
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