Your comments and tips

28 Dec 09, Alison (Australia - temperate climate)

Just south of Wollongong NSW, my beef steak's are about 6ft tall and were very slow to show flowers. Now I think I have a wilt fungus as the bottom leaves are turning yellow and dying. What do "they" mean when they say you shouldn't grow tomatoes in soil that previously had tomatoes in it? Perhaps the boiling water idea in November. Apparently eggplants are also affected by the same wilt - Vermillician or something like that. Any help or ideas guys? Cheers

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11 Dec 09, lisa (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I have grown my tomatoes from seed from big tomatoes yet all five bushes are growing small cherry tomatoe size fruit lots and lots of them, what have i done wrong?

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11 Dec 09, Helena (Australia - temperate climate)

John - by any chance is it possible that you live somewhere close to Melbourne? Would like to see your savagelly clipped tomatoes. Grandmother (63) (interested ONLY in gardening)

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26 Nov 09, Freyja (Australia - temperate climate)

We are growing veggies for the first time and have started with tomatoes, pumpkins and zucchini. Of our eight cherry tomato seedlings - five are growing ok but slowly, two are hardly growing but look otherwise healthy and one has grown a little but looks a bit sick and slightly yellow. Two Black Krim seedlings seem ok, just slower than I had hoped. I'm feeding them seasol and am about introduce seasol powerfeed. They were planted into a well prepared bed with mushroom compost, cow manure, lucerne hay and premium garden soil. Does the sick one have a disease? Should I remove it? Also I think one of the pumpkin seedlings might have powdery mildew, do I need to remove it? Thanks, Freyja

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22 Nov 09, Marina (Australia - temperate climate)

My tomatoestook off and areproducing fruit but the wilt has set in worse than ever before. The leaves are yellowing and dying from the ground up. It happened last year too. I imagine the fungus is lying dormant in the soil and then attacks new seedlings. Help! Is there a drench or something I can apply to the soil in winter to kill off the spores? Is there a variety of tomato that does not fall victim? My egg plants aren't happy either. Would love a solution that does not involve leaving my garden fallow for years. Can you advise me? Marina

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19 Nov 09, Elle (Australia - temperate climate)

I am a first time tomatoe grower. My plants are fruiting well except that the green fruit and the few red ones we've got so far have a black/dark spot or patch on the side of the fruit furtherest from vine. Does anyone know what this is and how what I can do about it?

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16 Nov 09, Wayne (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Jared, I am doing it at the moment. The tomatoes in my garden are looking better. I find if you over water the upside down tomatoe the folige gets wet which is a bit of a no no. Overwise the experiment continues.

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14 Nov 09, jared (Australia - temperate climate)

Q:Has anyone heard or tried growing there tomatoes hanging in an upside down container i have heard of this method but havent tried it,has anyone had any experience with this method - pro's & con's?

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17 Sep 09, John (Australia - temperate climate)

Re the tip on 13 Aug re "savagely clipping" the tomatoes: When tomato bushes are more or less fully grown, flowering and/or bearing fruit, continually prune the bushes, by about 10 - 20% every week (just enough so the pruning matches the regrowth). Prune from the "inside out" ie remove most of the material from the middle of the bush. This opens it out, lets air circulate, reduces wind damage, discourages pests and diseases, and encourages fruiting. Avoid pruning stems which are flowering - they will produce fruit later. PS I forgot to add to my tip about letting fruit drop and self sow for next season - once the seedlings appear, transplant them. Having tomato crops in the same place each year will attract nematodes. (if you do get nematodes, a solution of molasses and water into the soil will often remove them - the molasses slurps them up).

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15 Sep 09, Homebrewpig (Australia - temperate climate)

Thanxs for the reply David. I haven't tried the boiling method yet but was going to try is as a option. Might try the topsy turvy upside down method for a bit of fun!

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