Tomato problem - ideas please?

[T-lady]

Hey folks

Internet has been down with yesterday's winds but I've just read your comments and thanks for the ideas. Taking on board your ideas I've put shading up on the greenhouse and have watered the floor (in case it'll grow). I've snipped off the bad bits and decided to chill out about the curly leaves. Tomatoes are there to fruit, not win beauty contests so if they display a little disability who am I to grumble?

I'm just hoping that Flummery isn't right about weedkiller drift. I am going to empty my water butts, clean them and hope they get refilled quickly. what if a local farmer hadsprayed, then it drifted onto my roofs, then it rained and got washed into the butts?

[Flummery]

Look on the bright side. I'm the eternal optimist. It doesn't always work but I spend more time happy than many folks!

[Woofster]

A thought. Do you smoke ? I have heard that tomato plants hate smokers. Can't remember how it affects them but could be another factor to add to the equation.

[Flummery]

This would be tobacco mosaic virus Woofster. I think it mattered when people were stuffing their pipes with Old Shag and then nipping out their side shoots - but not so much with commercial ready-made cigarettes. Still don't advocate it, mind you!

[T-lady]

Hey Woofster and Flummery ... I don't smoke anymore. I gave up 18 months ago and put on 18 lbs. Sometimes I think I'd rather be a thin smoker than a slightly tubby non-smoker but ho hum, weight'll come off again at some stage (I hope).

I went to Garden Organic and Barnsdale last week with a bit of foliage and the only thought they had was a non-specific virus, root out whole crop and destroy it. I've decided to totally ignore them (I CAN'T kill the babies!) and hope that they'll recover.

So I'm left hoping that Flum's idea of weedkiller drift might have been the right answer. As most of the plants are still going strong maybe they'll just soldier through it!

[Flummery]

As long as you get some toms, it's a winner.

[gojiberry]

Can't understand the curling factor, I have two different varities growing side by side in a tomato house. One has the leaves curled so much they are like tubes, the other just looks like a normal leaf. They are both producing tomatoes so I'm not to bothered. The curly one definitely wouldn't win any beauty contests.

Ian

[T-lady]

I read somewhere about leaf curl being bred out of some varieties so I guess that it's simply in the genes.

Let's not worry about looks, just savour that sweet acid flavour.

This week I've been harvesting from my Latah plants - fabulous flavour!

[awb714]

TOMS Like to be comfortable

T Lady.

Wish I had read your thread last year, but there is a very simple answer to your problem.

Toms do not like variances in temperature and love to be pampered. Ignore the following and be assured of withering leaves.....

Make sure you shut the greenhouse windows at night, do not plant them by the door as when it is a cold windy day and the door is open, they catch cold. Try to keep the temperature between 18 and 30 C.

Mist up the Toms each day prior to the fruit ripening as they love humidity and the moisture helps the pollen hang around long enough to pollenate.

Once the flowers have set, shake the plants very lightly each day until the fruit developes.

Last, make sure you cut out the offshoots as they grow.

I had this problem with our Big Boys and thought it was virused seed but the following year I used the left over seed in a grow bag at the end of the greenhouse, spoilt the rotten things and had great success.

Happy tomming.