Terrible Tomato Crop 2021

[nrmartin8798]

Hello All,

Not sure if anyone else has had an awful year for tomatoes? It seems me and all those on our allotments have done. First they started getting blight really early on, then most tomatoes got blossom end rot, leaf curl - you name it they seem to have had it, which is really annoying as I had a big crop this year - around 30 plants or three different varieties, and from that barely got double digit numbers of tomatoes from the lot.

I partly blame myself, as they are in a bed that hasn't been grown in for a while, and I didn't test the soil, and secondly the colder weather (11C in the mornings !!) that we have had doesn't seem to have helped.

Would appreciate any feedback and to know if anyone else had similar problems?

[ameno]

The new beefsteak variety I was trying to grow got struck by blight early and I only got two ripe tomatoes (lots of green ones, mind).
Mountain Magic, a blight-resistant variety, however, is still doing well, and is now starting to ripen in decent numbers.
They do seem to taste a bit bland compared to last year, though. I don't know if this is due to the weather or something else...

[Plot70]

Mine all got blight before any were fully ripe.
We did manage to get a crop of green ones and made green tomato ketchup.

[Sweet savory]

I grew 3 blight resistant vars and 2 not at home. The ones I have seen on the allotment all have blight. Fingers crossed none of mine have blight so far. However they are not ripening very fast so I have trimmed foliage and end of trusses to a minimum and am praying for the anticyclonic gloom to lift.

[Penellype]

My tomatoes have been a nightmare this year. I was lucky to have kept a sideshoot from last year's plants over winter, otherwise I would have been in even more trouble.

I have a well tried and tested routine:

Shirley
First, I sow 2 Shirley seeds in January. These are grown on the sitting room windowsill when they get too big for the lights, and I take sideshoot cuttings from them for more indoor plants and some for my friend's greenhouse.
Problem 1 - the plants I grew from seed refused point blank to grow any sideshoots. Luckily the overwintered plant did.
Problem 2 - every single fruit harvested from the plants on the windowsill so far has had greenback, some of it so bad that half the tomato is inedible. This is due to the heat. It has happened before, but never as badly as this.
Thankfully the plants in the greenhouse are growing much better (it is part shaded which helps) and there looks to be a decent crop, just starting to ripen.

Edit - I forgot, the compost I grew the tomatoes in was from an open bag from last year, and most of the pots grew large mushrooms which sometimes completely uprooted what I was trying to grow.

Balconi Red
I sow 3 Balconi red seeds in February, for plants on the spare room windowsill. The plan is to harvest the initial crop in June and then plant the plants in bigger pots outside, where they produce a 2nd crop.
Problem 1 - the seeds refused to germinate, despite being from a new packet and being started on a heat mat. I had to re-sow in March.
Problem 2 - the 2nd sowing germinated, got to the 4 leaf stage, went a sickly yellow colour and simply stopped growing. Most of the leaves fell off and I thought they were going to die. They had been transferred to a self-watering tray after germination, and were still under lights. They did eventually grow, but have only just finished fruiting, over 2 months later than usual, and although one is now outside, I am not hopeful of a 2nd crop.
Problem 3 - like the Shirley, almost all of the fruit got greenback, although the later ones are ok.

Ferline, Sungold and Oh Happy Day
These are my outdoor tomatoes, which I sow in April. I normally sow 5 Ferline, 5 Sungold and 2 Oh Happy Day, expecting all to germinate. There is time for replacements if they don't.
Problem 1 - neither of the Oh Happy Day germinated. I resowed, using up the last seed, and also sowed a Crimson Crush. Both germinated, but were a bit behind the others.
Problem 2 - like the Balconi Red, the plants went yellow and leaves started to fall off. Some were more affected than others.
Problem 3 - having got 3 Ferline and 3 Sungold plants that were (just) big enough to plant out, nearly a month later than usual, I planted them in the garden, as I normally do. Within 24 hours of planting 2 of the Ferline and 2 of the Sungold had been eaten off at ground level. I stuck the plants in glasses of water and they rooted, although one of the Sungold took several weeks to do so. In the meantime I replaced the damaged ones with the other seedlings, which were supposed to be going to the allotment.
Problem 4 - the tomato plants at the allotment were supposed to follow Maybach cauliflowers which are supposed to ripen in May, but usually do so in June. This year they weren't ready to come out until half way through July, so I had to plant the 2 salvaged Ferline plants where I grew tomatoes last year. The other plants weren't big enough to plant out anyway until nearly August.
Problem 5 - the 2 plants I planted where I had planned not to plant tomatoes this year now have blight. There are green fruit, but nothing remotely ready yet.
Problem 6 - none of the other plants at the allotment yet have any fruit bigger than a large marble. I expect them to get blight at any moment.

Normally the allotment supplies my freezer for soup and over winter, I expect to have ripening fresh tomatoes until late December in the house, and I supply my Mum and brother with home grown tomatoes for weeks. This year I am struggling to have more than a couple of ripe fruit to eat with a salad most days.

No, it hasn't been a good year for tomatoes!

[Shortie]

Yep, all of my tomatoes were a failure this year. I only grow beefsteak varieties nd I had about 20 fruits start late, and then blight wiped out the crop :-(

That said, my pumpkins which I was giving 'one last chance' to as they have been terrible in the last few year, have done really well

[Jungle Jane]

Awful’s about right,it’s been a horrible year for the plants,I don’t think your soil is to blame,shouldn’t need to test it,as long as you haven’t grown any potatoes & tomatoes there the previous summer,blight struck here earlier than ever because of the wet summer. Its the humidity with rain that causes the fungal issues,then the spores spread. They need space around the plant to dry quickly,so they don’t end up touching & pass disease easily.
What plants are being affected by blossom end rot? I accidentally planted a large plum variety in a pot (black icicle) labelled it as black cherry so I’ve had to water twice a day in the summer & once a day in this cooler weather if it doesn’t rain so I’ve watered every day this week,ok so far,nothing ripe yet tho but I planted one in the ground a couple of years ago when we had a drought for a month & had a bad BER year but I didn’t water enough,I do give more water now. When you cut down blighted plants wash hands & equipment before touching healthy plants,you can pass the spores on accidentally.

[RedRuth]

I only grow tomatoes in my greenhouse, it wasn't a great year but they never get blight. As far as I could see all the outdoor tomatoes at my allotment site were blighted, I honestly don't know why anyone perseveres with outdoor tomatoes on an allotment site, maybe it's different in home garden.

[MelanieSW]

I only grow tomatoes in my greenhouse, it wasn't a great year but they never get blight. As far as I could see all the outdoor tomatoes at my allotment site were blighted, I honestly don't know why anyone perseveres with outdoor tomatoes on an allotment site, maybe it's different in home garden.

Our allotment site doesn't allow greenhouses or walk in polytunnels (smaller plots in a very residential area). But blight very rarely strikes in London - hopefully this year will remain one of the exceptions, this year was devastating.

[DannyK]

But blight very rarely strikes in London - hopefully this year will remain one of the exceptions, this year was devastating.

I wish you'd told my tomato plants this! What do you mean by London? City, LCC, GLC or within M25. I know areas where loquats fruit well!
Down here in Riddlesdown, unfortunately part of S Croydon, I gave up outdoor tomatoes years ago and this year it's even got my green house ones!
I think it must have blown in through the vents.
Next year will try blight resistant varieties and will keep vents shut.

[Plot70]

My tomatoes were not spared and crumpled over my winter squashes as they died.

[ameno]

I feel kind of bad that my outdoor tomatoes are still fine...
Blight resistant varieties are the way forward. Pretty much everyone else on my site have lost there's by now, even the ones undercover.

[MelanieSW]

I wish you'd told my tomato plants this! What do you mean by London? City, LCC, GLC or within M25. I know areas where loquats fruit well!

Hm, I'm in Streatham, and this was the first time since I took my allotment on 5 years ago. According to the old timers on the site it happens every 10 years or so. Maybe a different micro climate?

[bramble]

My tomatoes did well this year although it was a nightmare keeping them watered during the hot spell.
I grow in buckets in the greenhouse.
What did really well for me, Sweet Aperitif, Sungold, Moskvich and Maskotka.
Of the larger ones Derby Stripe, Blaby, Homose, Derby Stripe and Salisaw Cafe.
I sowed them very early and they cropped early, perhaps I was just lucky.
Grandson is caring for them while I am away.

[Mr Bones]

We lost most of the outdoor toms to blight but the indoor ones are holding on as are the (outdoor) Mountain Magic. Unfortunately didn't think to take a photo until after we'd picked dozens of the ripest to give to a new tenant.