Tomato obession.

[bramble]

I have been reading back on some of the older threads and I can't help wondering, are we obessed with the humble tomato ?
From the time Christmas is over until almost years end we talk about tomatoes.
Seed sowing, growing indoors or outdoors. Heat, grow lights, propogator type, last frost dates, when to put them into the cold greenhouse, pot size, pots versus growbags, soil type, feeding, how ofter and what type of feed. Home made feed as against commercial feeding.h
Then theres the question of bush versus cordon. Dwarf and plants for hanging baskets.
Colour, shape, flavour, early, late, and of course desease and to cap it all, the dreaded blight.
The subject seems to hold our interesd year after year.

[PyreneesPlot]

I'm obsessed and was thinking the very same thing the other day.
We eat them fresh from early July until anytime now (the plants have gone but there is still a box load ripening/rotting on the side) and bottle like mad to try and have enough to get though the other nine months of the year! Already I'm walking around the plot working out the logistics for next year and have a list of new ones to try.
Stress of deciding which ones to grow.
Stress of sowing on time and not getting damping off and getting them planted outside as soon as poss but not before it snows again in May. Or will we have a heatwave from March?
Stress of blight/blossom end rot/mole tunnels/tomato hornworm.
And then the stress of buckets of the stuff all needing sorting out on the very same day.

What did we talk about before tomatoes were brought back from the Americas? Parsnips?

[Guest]

Tomatoes can be as easy or as difficult as you want to make them. Until I joined the vine I didn't realise quite how many there are. Then there is rooting armpits and overwintering. Varieties for fresh, cooking and storing. Once you start looking, you realise it is an amazingly diverse veg. Although you may struggle with some varieties most people can at least grow one or two with good results. I think it is only right to get a bit obsessive. I think most people will have memories of the smell of the plants as well

[Jungle Jane]

I'd say I have a special interest & it's good to explore your interests,other people just haven't discovered tomatoes yet,like we have. Some people are very uninterested in growing food when they can buy it. I don't understand that philosophy at all. If I'm the opposite of that,then I'm really happy.

[sparrow100]

I eat/buy so many that a healthy interest is a natural progression - same with squashes, beans and chillies. And I do like growing things you can't buy.

I have to admit, I get obsessed by when I can start growing most things when it's dark and cold.

[craftymarie]

Yes, there is quite an obsession with tomatoes. Most of our meals feature tomatoes - lasagna, spaghetti bolognese, curry, shepherd's pie, pasta bakes, pasta sauces, pizzas, salads, chili con carne ... we just love to eat them.

I can't think of anything else we could grow that would be as useful as the tomato is - not even potato.

Next year I'm planning to grow more varieties so the obsession will be bigger

[Lisasbolt]

I am totally obsessed with growing tomatoes, it was the first thing i ever started growing and it takes pride of place in my plot every year. Big ones, medium ones, small ones and currant ones i love them all. The only ones i do not like are the green ones, although i have never tried to grow them they just remind me of unripe tomatoes.
I think i use tomatoes pretty much every day, the only other veg that comes close to be used as much is maybe a onion.
I get sad at this time of year with knowing i do not have much more time for fresh tomatoes, but my freezer is packed full of whole frozen cherry tomatoes, slow roasted, sauces, tomato puree, you name it I've got it. Last year i only bought 6 tomatoes, the rest were homegrown (12 months) i have not done as well this year, got hit hard with blossom end rot. But i have an experiment going i have 3 tomato plants growing away in pots that i will bring in and out everyday through the winter as my polytunnel will still be at the 30´s all through winter, they are only a foot tall at the moment so we will see.
I love tomatoes

[Elfeda]

I have grown many tomato plants but lost so much with blight as I have spaced them closely. luckily the ones at home fared better.

planted crimson crush in a bit of shade thinking its temp spot, but got carried away and has not moved it. now I see it very healthy and few bunches of lovely tomatos. not sure they will ripen or not. but plant is very very healthy. seems It is to be grown as bush type.

want to pick one cordon type, and 3 bush type along with GD etc for next year.I understand that am growing for enjoying the fruits than it as a hobby. so can't/don't wonder around varieties

all cordon plants will go in pots and bush ones into ground. so only outdoor tomatos are planned. will start latah early and rest from early april to spread the seedlings burden.

[Bigmallly]

I'm not obessed with 'em Bramble, I don't think theirs an ounce of fat on 'em............

[WendyC]

For me it's one vegetable that tastes so much better than any supermarket ones you can buy.

[Alison]

I don't think I'm obsessed but they are so useful. I grow many different varieties and eat them fresh from June through to storage ones in March and then in chutneys and bottled all winter. Can never grow enough to be self sufficient but tend to only buy tinned ones as bought fresh are generally a bit rubbish.

[SusieG]

Agree, bought ones, even (expensive!) on the vine are flavourless !!!
Think they are the most useful personally, along with onion and garlic for most of my cooking needs.
I've already bought a plethora of varieties to try next year and am counting down the days until I can start my little darlings off!

[clod]

it's good to know lots of other people love growing toms too - if I could only grow one thing (appalling idea!) it'd be a tomato for sure. I've been thinking about next year's as well.

I grow cordons outside but double cordons in the greenhouse - works fine and twice the trusses!

[Small pumpkin]

There is nothing wrong with being obsessed about tomatoes

[Chris11]

The obsession creeps up over the years. You start one year with a couple of plants bought on the spur of the moment, then it's growing your own from seed, then it's ever more different and exotic varieties, then it's saving seeds and growing from them, and swapping and sharing seeds and plants.

Tomatoes are wonderful plants and I agree they are so much better than anything you could buy in a supermarket.