I knew there were two main things I still wanted to grow this year though and they are potatoes and tomatoes. The potatoes have been planted in containers and seem to be doing well so far but I just couldn't get myself motivated to sow my tomato seeds. I'd decided to cut down anyway this year, just two varieties, Maskotka and Bloody Butcher, and less plants of each, but that ten minute job of sowing the seeds was put off and put off. The seeds were eventually sown but not one of the Bloody Butcher seeds germinated. I was quite upset about that actually as I bought the seed fresh this year from Simply Seed, an online company which I haven't used before. I'd grown this tomato variety for the first time last year having seen plants for sale in a local garden centre. I hoped that the same garden centre would be selling them again this year as it was too late by now to resow the seeds, a trip out confirmed that they were so I bought two plants.
The Maskotka seed was what was left over from last year but they germinated fine, however, as they were sown so late I hoped that I'd find some plants which were more established than my own at a local plant sale where I'd bought this variety in the past. Unfortunately, they weren't selling them this year but I did pick up a Totem plant. This is another bush variety which I've grown previously and has always been reliable, though the fruit isn't quite as tasty as Maskotka. It should give me a harvest sooner than the Maskotkas I've grown from seed though.
This plant even had its first flowers.
The photos in this post were taken a week ago and as you can see, the seedlings are just that, seedlings. I wouldn't class them as plants yet. This is one of the Maskotkas.
I'm growing four Maskotkas and the other two seedlings are Mini Munch cucumbers.
I fear it will be a very late tomato season for me this year.
Oh that is a shame. I was going to sow some Bloody Butcher seeds on your recommendation but never got round to it. We bought a mixed selection of tomatoes seedlings from the garden centre instead. I shall certainly grow some next year though I liked how you described a mixture of different sized tomatoes. We were late with both tomatoes and potatoes. They seem to be doing well now though. Best of luck x
ReplyDeleteBloody Butcher are a mixture of different sized tomatoes but they've got such a lovely flavour. I'm glad I managed to find some plants to buy.
DeleteThey will soon catch up. Everything is growing like crazy now. I'm sorry you've lost your mojo though. The cold Spring has a lot to answer for. It's been hard to get going this year.
ReplyDeleteI really hope they do, they're usually much further on by now but then I usually sow them weeks earlier than I did this year.
DeleteWe just don't have luck with tomatoes. They come up, they grow, the flower, they get tomatoes and die.
ReplyDeleteThat's a shame because home grown tomatoes have such a superior taste to those you buy. I do hope mine struggle through, I'd hate to be without them.
DeleteI think that we all lose interest at times and I'm sure that you'll get yours back soon. My tomato seed germination was mixed this year, so I bought a couple of Gardener's Delight plants to make the numbers up. Just waiting for some descent weather so I can plant them all out. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right and my lack of mojo is just temporary. I used to grow Gardener's Delight every year until I discovered Maskotka.
DeleteI hope you're wrong and that your tomatoes are early and gloriously prolific! :)
ReplyDeleteThat would be lovely. I had such a good year last year, I think it was my best year ever, I just hope that this year isn't at the other end of the scale.
DeleteDon't worry, Jo, you'll be eating tomatoes when everyone else's are finished! I think a lot of people sow their toms (and other seeds) far too early anyway. What a shame about the non-germination of Bloody Butcher. Have you done a germination test on some damp paper? If they still don't germinate, I would contact the supplier and complain. They may be using old seed.
ReplyDeleteI do hope they catch up eventually. I haven't done a germination test, it took me all my time to sow them in the first place, but I think I will do one and see what happens.
DeleteI hope that your lack of mojo is temporary.
ReplyDeleteMe too. I'm sure the gardening but will hit me again soon.
DeleteI have just 3 tomato plants and one cucumber, until the green house is built I'm behind, oh well can't be great every year.
ReplyDeleteI bet it will be the last time you're behind, you'll be able to get everything going early in future years now that you have a greenhouse.
DeleteI'm sure that once they get going they will shoot up and catch up.
ReplyDeletexx
I hope so, they seem to be growing so slowly at the moment though, this cold weather isn't helping.
DeleteThey'll catch up. Better temperatures over the weekend thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping they'll shoot up once the weather warms up a bit.
DeleteThis awful weather has lot to answer for, gardening just doesn't have the same appeal when it is cold and raining.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. It's much nicer to be gardening when the sun's shining.
DeleteLook on the bright side though Jo...whilst other tomato plants are tiring themselves out you will still be harvesting lovely fruit!!
ReplyDeleteI hope so, unless we get a bad autumn and then I could end up losing out at the beginning and the end of the season.
DeleteThat is a let down, after putting in the money and work and then nothing happening.
ReplyDeleteI bet those late summer salads will still be tastier with homegrown produce.
Lisa x
I would have resown them if it was earlier in the season but not much point as it was so late. There's nothing quite like the taste of home grown tomatoes.
DeleteSo it's Fried Green Tomatoes in September again?
ReplyDeleteLooks like it may be, though I must admit that fried green tomatoes are something I've never tried.
DeleteMust be catching with losing our gardening mojo, as I've left mine somewhere at the moment too, but I'm sure there are years when things don't come together and we just forge ahead to do whatever is important at the time. Don't worry too much as our needs from the garden also change as our families grow up. We certainly don't need to grow lots, as there are only two of us these days. In fact June is a month here in Oz that not much planting/sowing of veg takes place. Hope the seedlings take off soon. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI think my mojo was left at the allotment when we gave it up, I'm sure it will follow me home sometime soon, though I've got lots of other things on the go at the moment, gardening would probably have taken a bit of a back seat anyway now that I no longer have the plot.
DeleteSorry to hear you've lost your gardening mojo!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it will be back soon ... this weather doesn't help mojo's, gardening or anything else does it. It's been like winter in my part of the UK - but apparently the West are experiencing better weather.
Anyway back to your tomatoes, I will send positive thoughts that they will grow and grow and you will be enjoying your home grown tomatoes later this year. I certainly hope so!
All the best Jan
The weather is really getting me down but it looks as though there may be a couple of sunny days on the way so we've got something to look forward to. I do hope my tomatoes start to thrive, a bit of sunshine would do them the world of good.
DeleteI am often late with my seed sowing, Jo, but they always seem to catch up. This year I had poor germination with several annual flowers. Very disappointing. I think you just need a rest and maybe you'll return to gardening with more enthusiasm next year. I hope so. P. x
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping my tomatoes do catch up eventually, though they're still really very small at the moment and the weather we're having isn't doing anything to bring them along. I'm sure my gardening mojo will return and in the meantime, it's nice to see what everyone else is up to.
DeleteI hope you get your mojo back, I'm sure you will. I expect your tomatoes will catch up, everything is growing so fast now.
ReplyDeleteThe rain seems to be bringing everything in the garden on in leaps and bounds but the plants in the greenhouse aren't doing a lot of growing, probably because there isn't much sunshine around. I hope it changes soon.
DeleteOur tomatoes were quite poor last year, but we had a lot of wet weather and not a lot of sunshine! We've had a lot of sunshine this week- so much that the strawberries are ripening, and I think we'll be tasting our first strawberry for 12 months this weekend!
ReplyDeleteI had my best tomato year yet last year, quite surprising because as you say, there wasn't much sunshine and it was very wet. I'm still at a loss as to why they did so well, I wish I knew. Ooooh, enjoy those strawberries, something I'll definitely miss now that we don't have the plot. I shall have to find somewhere to fit some plants in or else grow them in containers. Strawberries are another thing like tomatoes which taste so much better when home grown.
DeleteThat's a shame about the seeds not germinating when you put in effort and money. Glad you were able to buy some other plants instead. Hope the gardening enthusiasm returns as I know everyone in your family enjoys your homegrown produce.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's this year that my gardening enthusiasm has waned as I wasn't planning on growing much anyway what with giving up the allotment and life in general being rather busy at the moment but I do hope it returns soon.
DeleteI don't think the dreary weather helps, we haven't spent much time in the garden at all this year so far. Love the name of the cucumbers, mini munch xx
ReplyDeleteYou're right, we haven't had much weather for getting outdoors yet this year. Mini Munch, as the name suggests, are small cucumbers, just the right size for munching on.
DeleteHope you find your gardening mojo soon. I have never had any luck with tomatoes, probably because i don't look after them too much. I thought i'd have a go again this year and just have one, more for Oliver, my grandson really, i thought it would be good for him to see them growing and being able to pick them later. It is really quite tall now, i must remember to show a pic on my blog next time. I really don't know what i should be doing with it though, it has some flowers just coming on now so hopefully we will get some tomatoes!
ReplyDeleteI like to grow my own tomatoes are they're much tastier than anything you can buy in the supermarket. Cordons, or the tall ones which need staking, need the side shoots pinching out as they grow to encourage more fruit production. I've become a fan of bush types since I discovered Maskotka, they don't take as much looking after and this variety is the tastiest I've come across. If your plant is starting to flower, you can begin to give it a weekly feed. Good luck with it, I'm sure Oliver will have plenty of lovely rosy red tomatoes to pick.
DeleteWe have decided not to plant anything this year except keeping the chillies going. Everything has to be in pots and we just can´t keep up with the watering. Too much going on in other areas and you end up spreading yourself too thin. Hope the toms catch up soon and you find your mojo xcx
ReplyDeleteIt's good to have a year off if you've got other things going on, it can get really busy at the height of summer when you're growing lots of things.
DeleteWell, a late tomato season is better than NO tomato season! I was almost out of luck with the Bloody Butcher tomatoes too as they took a VERY long time to germinate for some reason and I was actually going to give up on them. Thankfully they did come around, but they were about 2 weeks behind all of the others, so I have a feeling that I won't be taking advantage of their earliness this year as they will likely not be the first ones to bear fruit.
ReplyDeleteI wondered if mine would germinate eventually so I left them for a long time but they never did. I'm looking forward to trying them again this year, I was very impressed last year so I hope I feel the same way about them again.
DeleteI don't sow much until Mid/Late May most years anyway so we can both be 'late' together. It is all relative!
ReplyDeleteI'm just hoping that autumn doesn't come early as it does some years or else the tomatoes won't get chance to ripen.
DeleteWhat a shame about those seeds. I hope your mojo comes back soon. Tomatoes don't do too well here but I do have some strawberries in a planter on the wall that have lots of flowers on, fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteI'm envious of your strawberries, they're something I'll miss greatly from the allotment. I really must get a bed here sorted out for them so that I can grow some at home.
DeleteTwo varieties I have never heard of, will have to investigate them .... Dh is the gardener at our home. he's also co-ordinator for the local community allotment project.
ReplyDeleteThat should keep him busy. I've grown many tomato varieties over the years but these two have a lovely flavour so I've chosen them as the two to grow this year as I'm cutting down.
DeleteI'm sure that your gardening mojo is only taking a back seat for while Jo and that it will return at some point probably when you least expect it. Are you going to contact Simply Seeds to let them know about the no show? I cheated this year and ordered four tomato plants from Simpsons Seeds and am delighted with them.
ReplyDeleteI haven't contacted Simply Seeds as yet, I probably won't bother as it's only this one packet I bought from them. I'm glad you're pleased with your plants, I'm quite inclined to buy all my plants in future if I'm not intending growing many, though I do usually enjoy raising seedlings.
DeleteThis year has been one of the most awful year for seedlings, I've never known a year like it, my seedlings are way behind, the tomatoes are tiny and many seeds didn't germinate at all, it was too cold for too long! Every know and then I go off gardening, sometimes a break is a good thing, you come back fresher and more enthusiastic! Hope those tomatoes thrive and you get a great harvest, if we get the good weather that is predicted, they should soon romp away.xxx
ReplyDeleteWe may have had a mild winter but spring and summer have taken a long time coming and seedlings seem to have suffered for it. Add my lack of gardening mojo to that and it spells disaster. I too think that a break can be a good thing and I'm sure I'll get back in to gardening again soon.
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