My eco solution to rat problems

[Becka]

Oh dear! This is my first attempt at growing anything edible and I'm very disheartened. I am growing two tomato plants in my porch. They are in containers that I water regularly and use tomato fertaliser in accordance with the packet instructions. So far so good! They have grown well and I have taken the growing tips out to encourage them to fruit. Each plant has one fruit on it and a number of flowers that have died back but don't seem to be producing any more tomatoes. What am I doing wrong and is there anything that I need to do to encourage the tomatoes to grow?

[snowcloud]

It's been a funny year this year, hot then cold then hot then cold again. Tomatoes need a bit of consistency that, outside of a greenhouse, they don't get. You might find, with some patience, that by September they will be fruiting well, my indoor ones are fruiting like crazy, but the outdoor ones are only flowering - keep trying!

[AnnieP]

Green tomato chutney is fab...if they don't ripen before they all give up the ghost and drop off!!

[AnnieP]

Trouble is...you've got to get the tomatoes first!!

[Murdo]

Green tomato chutney is fab...if they don't ripen before they all give up the ghost and drop off!!

 

A colleague at work ripens his by putting them in a drawer with a banana. Bananas emit something (ethylene I think) which causes other things to ripen, as you'll know if you've left anything too long in the fruit bowl with one.

 

I haven't tried it yet but will report back if my tomatoes stay green again this year.

[Mrs Frugal]

It works, Murdo. That's what I do every year because I've still got jars of green tomato chutney left over from years ago and can't bear the thought of the stuff!!

[Trish]

We put our green ones in a wool sock in a draw with a banana. Not sure which bit works but they always ripen up. The sock bit was from my grnadad and he was a bit weird, didn't pass down in the family thankfully

[Popcorn]

Well, you learn something everyday. I never knew a banana encouraged other friut to ripen. I'm also eating nearly gone off fruit from the fruitbowl, and could never understand why they had ripened so quickly.

 

All makes sense now

 

Good luck with those tommies Becka

[Trish]

you can buy ethylene absorbers to put in your fridge and make your fruit and veg last longer in there too

[AnnieP]

tell me more....never heard of them?!

[SarahJo]

Well ... hate to rub the salt in .... but I have just made a massive batch of tomato soup, with my homies. Ben even liked it ... even though he did who was going to make it, was I going to send it to the heinz factory .. like I joked. I started mine really early this year ... and there are still loads. Might have to resort to the banana trick of ripening though ... have taken off all surplus leaves now to max, the sunlight to the fruits (as suggested by Monty Don last Friday). .

[Happymama]

Ethylene gas is indeed what is given off by ripe bananas, and it's sprayed onto trays of green tomatoes on their way over from Spain in trucks. And that's why red supermarket toms are tasteless.

 

You are far better letting them ripen if possible on the plant.

 

Any hot windowsill, this year I've done chilli and pepper plants, but usually toms do very well on my south-facing kitchen window.

 

I don't care for them very well, sporadic watering, a bit of tomato feed and they always hit the ceiling. I do grow them in pots, however, you can get more water around them and it means they do fit into the house (sort of, the kitchen ceiling is a bit on the low side, but still ...).