I’m sure my tomatoes would normally be ripening by now. I planted them in mid-May, some in the greenhouse and some outdoors, and all the plants are bearing lovely green tomatoes in heavy trusses. It has been this way for several weeks now, and only one little tomato seems to be showing signs of ripening.
My thinking is that it simply hasn’t been warm enough – I believe Monty Don has said before that tomatoes ripen best in temperatures between 26-30c, which we just haven’t had here in Cornwall these past few weeks. Most of the time, the temperature has been more in the 18-20c region, if that.
They have had plenty of good compost and liquid feed, and I’ve pinched them out as normal, but not one single picking so far and I’m thinking the outdoor tomatoes may have a touch of blight already.
I suspect I am not alone. I’ve had a little look at my neighbours’ plants and no red tomatoes there either, and even friends who are growing in a polytunnel have not had much of a harvest yet.
As the daylight hours drop, and temperatures continue to cool, there is usually little hope of tomatoes ripening well in September/October, so I am really hoping that we’ll get a burst of warm weather soon to give them a ripening kick! In the meantime, some heavy pruning back of leaves, another boost from a liquid feed, and fingers crossed.