Monday, March 11, 2013

Balcony Garden: Harvest Monday #17

I don't have children but I don't really need to as I've been attempting to grow tomatoes this summer.  In my humble opinion I think tomatoes are much more demanding and needy than any fussy toddler could be - my nerves are frayed after just one tomato growing season.



At least with a toddler they chuck a tantrum, they cry, they whinge - you know SOMETHING is wrong.  Tomatoes just pout...silently! One minute they seem to be going great guns - super lush + healthy looking - and  the next minute they've got caterpillars crawling out of their insides whilst the fruit rots from the bottom up!!!  What's wrong little tomato?  Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, too sunny, not sunny enough, you need a drink/food, you've got worms, what's that white stuff on your leaves, oooh lordy - what are those flying white things all over your leaves?  WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!


Yep, so growing tomatoes is NOT easy...not easy at all. I was feeling quite smug about my gardening prowess til now as most of my plants had done "OK". Growing tomatoes sure brought me back to earth and burst that big smug gardening-goddess view I was starting to have of myself.


Things were going quite "OK" with my tomatoes - they'd developed loads of beautiful yellow blossoms which turned into promising looking fruit. I'd be out there everyday watering, looking...watering some more.



One day I noticed that one of my tomatoes had a squishy bottom. And then I gradually noticed ALL of my tomatoes had squishy bottoms.  EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. It was horrifying and heartbreaking!


As if this wasn't bad enough I then saw masses of budworms (a fancy name for tomato loving caterpillars) in my tomatoes.


I'd been told by a tomato growing Facebook friend that I needed to remove all the blossoms, all the fruit and prune back my plants.  I'd let things get too "bushy" which was part of my problem. My friend didn't really give any advice on "how" to prune so I really went to town on those poor plants...as you can see!  That'll teach them for betraying me and getting worms AND blossom end rot. Hurmph.



Miraculously the plants actually grew back - a big "f-you" to me for my bad hair cutting skills! I was super vigilant this time making sure I watered consistently, not too much mind you - but enough to make sure the soil didn't dry out. Daily I peered at each and every tomato checking for budworms + caterpillars and blossom end rot. I've found a lot of caterpillar droppings, but no creepy crawlies anywhere on the plants - odd, but I'm willing to go with it.


It wasn't long before one (just ONE at this stage mind you) of my Tiny Tim tomatoes start to turn red, a slight blush at first and then a full-on bright red.  There was  plenty of fruit on the plant but at this stage they all stayed stubbornly green.


You cannot really do too much with just one little tomato, but it's enough to use in one of my favourite breakfasts - tomato on buttered toast with a pinch of rock salt + cracked pepper. Perfect. And that little tomato, that I ate within minutes of plucking off the vine, tasted like a "real" tomato - so much more flavour than the supermarket variety.


You can view more Harvest Monday posts on Daphne's Dandelions blog.

24 comments:

  1. I agree Miss Piggy, tomatoes can be challenging and just when you are starting to feel like a confident, slightly smug gardener tomatoes have a way of bringing you right back to earth :)

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    1. I crashed back to earth Jane...with a thud!

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  2. Bloody caterpillars! At least you got to enjoy the fruit of your labour in one of your fave breakfasts.

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    1. It was a perfect use for that little tomato.

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  3. Poor little toms. I bet when you DO grow them, the flavour is amazing. Be proud friend, you are a clever balcony garden queenie.

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    1. I've had a few more since that first little tomato and they've been pretty tasty.

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  4. I hear you! I too had my first real attempt at growing tomatoes season and like you, I also had the fruit rotting from the bottom up - but only on one plant. My Dad told me it was due to uneven watering... so I cut back on the water and to my horror the other two plants turned yellow and died! I managed to get quite a lot of fruit in the end, and it was delicious, but it sure does test your nerves.

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    1. So stressful! I would literally spend hours at there on my hands + knees looking for the slightness "off" thing...I think I scared the caterpillars away with my big beady eyes.

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  5. Well done on the tomatoes! We've been picking them green, because we always lose them to bugs/worms as they ripen on the vine. They ripen fine enough picked, but would love to know how to keep the pests at bay...

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  6. Is there anything better than picking your own home grown tomato and making a sandwich with it? I think not.

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    1. I'm in totally agreement with you Maureen.

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  7. Great little piece. I don't grow tomatoes as I'm not a fan but I am growing some capsicums. Every time my mum visits she says 'good luck with the fruit fly' as it's a big problem in her suburb. After the 3rd time she said it, I said 'Yes, thanks for your helpful advice. It's almost like you're wishing I had fruit fly'. I just picked the first one from the tree (albeit green - I had fruit fly nervousness) and it was fine.

    Here's a fun link that you can relate to: http://www.tomatoesareevil.com/

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    1. I also love capsicums so I'm going to give them a whirl when it's the right time to plant them. Let's both cross our fingers that the fruit flies don't come your way (shoo them over to your mums - ha).

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  8. But look how far you've come. And you've grown far more than I ever have. Now I hope the rest of your crop behaves as it should!

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  9. I never want to attempt to grow another tomato again! I will leave it to the experts, my mum, and my FIL.
    Well done on yours! There is nothing like the taste of a home grown tomato :D

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    1. I'm going to try again next year...I could do a few things better, and the tomatoes could also pull their socks up I think.

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  10. Gorgeous post Miss Piggy!
    Some mice have discovered the tomatoes in one of my poly tunnels so I've been picking three or four times a day to try and beat them. They are totally demanding toddlers.
    I wish you the perfect juicy unblemished tomato soon.

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  11. aww I'm so glad that your tomato babies turned out alright! they look delish :) LOVE tomatoes!!

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  12. my favourite breakfast/sandwich as well.........

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  13. i have a few friends growing tomatoes too i ont know if they had so much commotion, i must find out before i start attempting them next season~ did u grow from seed or seedlings?

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  14. I love your harvest Monday posts. I got my first tomato this week after waiting for months! So excited. There is such joy in growing your own.

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  15. WoW! That is great. I didn't know that it was bud worm doing this to my tomatoes, i thought it was the bush turkeys... I didn't get one good tomato of my bush, never mind, they self seeded so I will follow your advice :)

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