Anyone growing tomatoes? (The Gardening thread)

[RoyJay]

Mine tend to follow the sun round, until they open, then they just stay in that position. Seems quite random as I have some in similar positions facing different ways. I think they end up facing where they get the last sun, though that said, maybe it’s where they get it first. I’m basically unsure.

What i am fairly sure about though, is that the biggest ‘edge’ you get in gardening, and growing stuff, is in your soil. Just as you can’t win in betting or trading without value, I don’t think you can get anywhere growing without good quality fertile soil.

Next year I am going to be concentrating more on my compost. Feed the soil, not the plant.

Though I suppose the trick is matching the right crop to the right soil. Like matching the right strategy to the right market!

[Derek27]

At long last, some proper rain hit Norfolk, at night time as well. The icing on the cake would be if it works its way down to London and pisses on Liz's parade.

[RoyJay]

Same here, my water butts were all running dry as of yesterday morning. Now they are all almost full. That’s the good thing about them, you only need one or two good downpours then you’ve got water for weeks.

[ShaunWhite]

Thought I'd memorialise this before I flatten the area, can you beat 22 flower heads on one sunflower? it's selfsown from the bird feeder so it's a field strain I guess.

20220914_163105.jpg

[Atho55]

You should save the seeds...

[Derek27]

Thought I'd memorialise this before I flatten the area, can you beat 22 flower heads on one sunflower? it's selfsown from the bird feeder so it's a field strain I guess. 20220914_163105.jpg

If you're gonna flatten the area and you're not harvesting the sunflower seeds for yourself, leave the sunflower heads out for the birds.

[RoyJay]

That’s a very impressive sunflower, shaunwhite.

My mega sunflowers, in the super fertile soil, are still yet to open. They both have multiple heads, I think I counted about 18 on the one. I hope they all open at the same time like yours.

I feel like Jack, of beanstalk fame, when I look up at them.

[Derek27]

Same here, my water butts were all running dry as of yesterday morning. Now they are all almost full. That’s the good thing about them, you only need one or two good downpours then you’ve got water for weeks.

MIne's full now. Ironically, with more rain in the forecast, I don't think I'll need any of it. It wasn't just a dry summer we had but there was virtually no precipitation in the spring.

[ShaunWhite]

Same here, my water butts were all running dry as of yesterday morning. Now they are all almost full. That’s the good thing about them, you only need one or two good downpours then you’ve got water for weeks.

MIne's full now. Ironically, with more rain in the forecast, I don't think I'll need any of it. It wasn't just a dry summer we had but there was virtually no precipitation in the spring.

Talking of not wanting it. I'm sure I've got a pond leak so I've been trying to let the level go down (measuring stick and good old excel chart of course)..... Since you mentioned rain we've had 80mm of the stuff,

[Derek27]

I was happily weeding the garden when I realised I just pulled up all my Forget-me-not seedlings.

[ShaunWhite]

Just seen a sparrowhawk take a sparrow off the feeder. Our little gang of sparrows mucking about in the dustbath are going to be a man down.

Sentiment aside it came in like a rocket and boom, pretty impressive really, but not exactly Queensbury's to do it while it was distracted.

[Derek27]

Just seen a sparrowhawk take a sparrow off the feeder. Our little gang of sparrows mucking about in the dustbath are going to be a man down.

Sentiment aside it came in like a rocket and boom, pretty impressive really, but not exactly Queensbury's to do it while it was distracted.

I had to look them up.

A sparrowhawk can last for 2 to 3 days WITH food, how long can they last without? I can last a lifetime with food!

Capture.GIF

[ShaunWhite]

Thanks for the 'plucking feathers' and 'pulling prey apart' .... I'm mourning the loss of one of my gang here. I've moved the feeders to be a bit more sheltered and not such a clear run from over the fence.

We're getting more and more crows too as the years go by....... Not so much roadkill for them, the only things I see dead on the side of the road round here are badgers and hardly any hedgehogs or rabbits like there used to be.

I should support the hawks really, the better they do the more job opportunities there'll be for sparrows to be their lunch..... Little bit of topical humour there

[Derek27]

I bought some tomatoes now that my home-grown tomatoes have run out. Just a few days later they've already started going moldy. Even Liz Truss can last longer than a tomato.

[Dublin_Flyer]

Got nothing done in the garden today, had the opportunity for overtime so took it. Went in, sat around 70% of the time making sure the new lads doing the donkey work didn't fuck up, did about 10% work and sat in the canteen drinking tea the other 20% of the time. So naturally I was knackered after such a hard day by the time I got home at 1

Sunday is a busy one though, apart from all the sport on tv, my tomatoes are defrosting for their final destination in my superhot chilli ketchup.
Tomatoes (of about 10+ varieties) + Big Black Mama + Red Bhutlah + Yellow Carolina Reaper =

Big Black Red Bhut Reaper Ketchup