green tomatoes

Growing tomatoes on the same latitude as Labrador brings certain challenges.

This has been a superb year for tomatoes grown in our greenhouse with bumper crops and a long season.

But the nights are cooler now and the hours of daylight are reducing. It is time to take the tomato plants down and to strip them of their fruit.

We have bowls of juicy red tomatoes waiting in the cool of the garage to be used. And 4lbs of green tomatoes that will not ripen.

So, we use the old gardeners' fall back: green tomato chutney. While I was out enjoying watching Nottingham Forest beat Newcastle United, Jill was making jars of green tomato chutney for use over the coming months.

a great year for tomatoes

This has been the best year we have had for tomatoes. We grow ours in our small greenhouse and have the tumbling variety in hay baskets beneath windows.

Growers of outdoor tomatoes have been hit hard by blight this year. But we have been lucky - none of ours have been affected. In fact they continue in robust health with thick green foliage and abundant fruits.

The fruits are so abundant that for the first year we have suffered with mice nibbling them. And the garden bantams have become addicted to pecking tomatoes straight off the plant and will dash into the greenhouse as soon as the door is open.

We have used our favourite varieties this year - Gardeners' Delight (sweet, small red tomatoes) and Costaluto (big red and juicy).

It has been a heavy week at work including evening meetings each night. It is an especial treat then, to celebrate the weekend with a delicious breakfast of home made pikelets, home made houmous and a generous helping of fresh, home grown tomatoes cooked in olive oil and served with basil. All eaten outside in the morning sunshine.