2021 tomato report- Bristol, UK
Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 6:05 am
Hi everyone, here are the results of my 2021 growing season:
By way of background I grow in a sunny courtyard in containers and what folks in the UK know as growbags (flat, cuboid watertight plastic bags pre-filled with compost, ~4 feet long, 1ft wide, 6 inches deep.) I planted three plants to a growbag, mostly pruned to a single stem, although a few varieties (e.g. cherries) were allowed 2-3.
I grew 36 varieties (28 new-to-me), 51 plants in total. Total harvest: 42008g. (92.42lbs). Seeds were sown on 26th Feb – 2nd March, planted out 9 May- 3rd June.
Observations: The weather was unseasonably cold in May & several plants suffered as a result. Days to maturity and total harvest weight very variable across plants of the same variety, under similar conditions.
Changes from 2020: Plants did not perform as well (in terms of weight harvested) as in 2020. To fit in more plants/varieties I grew three plants to a bag, increased from two. The weather was also colder / wetter / a more difficult growing year. 4 varieties experienced blossom end rot- more so than in 2020.
Overall, I really enjoyed the season, I grew loads of new-to-me varieties and enjoyed some serious tomato beauty in the kitchen and to share with friends.
Results of the top 20 varieties:
By way of background I grow in a sunny courtyard in containers and what folks in the UK know as growbags (flat, cuboid watertight plastic bags pre-filled with compost, ~4 feet long, 1ft wide, 6 inches deep.) I planted three plants to a growbag, mostly pruned to a single stem, although a few varieties (e.g. cherries) were allowed 2-3.
I grew 36 varieties (28 new-to-me), 51 plants in total. Total harvest: 42008g. (92.42lbs). Seeds were sown on 26th Feb – 2nd March, planted out 9 May- 3rd June.
Observations: The weather was unseasonably cold in May & several plants suffered as a result. Days to maturity and total harvest weight very variable across plants of the same variety, under similar conditions.
Changes from 2020: Plants did not perform as well (in terms of weight harvested) as in 2020. To fit in more plants/varieties I grew three plants to a bag, increased from two. The weather was also colder / wetter / a more difficult growing year. 4 varieties experienced blossom end rot- more so than in 2020.
Overall, I really enjoyed the season, I grew loads of new-to-me varieties and enjoyed some serious tomato beauty in the kitchen and to share with friends.
Results of the top 20 varieties: