Is It Time for a Radical Rethink?

Tuesday and Wednesday confirmed the fall from grace of August which started off spectacularly well but has gradually slipped into mediocrity. 

Our greenhouse tomatoes have been a disappointment this year. In fact we haven’t had a proper ripe tomato yet. In the home greenhouse we've had some red toms that have been unusable because of blossom end rot. In the plot greenhouse all the varieties are simply refusing to ripen.

The middle of August and this is our total tomato harvest or non-harvest to date. I reckon that most of our tomatoes will be ready, if they’re ever going to be ready, sometime next month. This means it’s more than likely than not that they will be used to make tomato chutney or frozen to use in dishes through winter. I don’t see that as a waste but I’m not entirely convinced that’s why I grow tomatoes. I want the fresh taste of superb home grown tomatoes for summer salads and sandwiches. Perhaps our home greenhouse could be put to far more productive use  although I’m at a bit of a loss as to what exactly at the minute. Things that need some protection such as our nectarine, peach, apricot or cherry might be far more productive given some greenhouse protection. That’s my thinking at the moment.

Just maybe we could produce more of these rather than tomatoes with blossom end rot. 

The plot greenhouse could still be used to grow tomatoes but even there I might stick with some tried and tested varieties rather than trying out more unusual varieties.

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett