Back in June of this year I got these three Tomtato plants so I could have a go at growing them and see if they are worth the money and live up to the hype.
See THIS blog post for more information.
I planted one of the plants at the front of the polytunnel just outside the doors in one of my large zinc tall planters, and the other two were together outside the back doors of the tunnel in a large builders bag style bag . Looking back on it I should really have planted one of them inside the polytunnel for comparison purposes.
This large colander contains the tomatoes I picked off all three plants ....
... and this tray the potatoes from beneath all three plants.
Just under two kilos of potatoes and around one and a half kilos of tomatoes, not many of which ripened.
They were good strong plants, the two at the far side of the tunnel got a full day's sun every day the sun was out and the single one at the front got the afternoon and evening sun. They all got regular watering and plant food once the tomatoes appeared so they were well taken care of. In my honest opinion what I got from these three plants .... was not worth either the money or the effort.
I think I'll stick with separate potato plants and tomato plants in future, although next year I might have a go at planting one of each in the same pot and see how they get on that way.
I'm glad I tried growing them though, if you don't have a go at some things you will always be wondering.
One really good thing to come out of the tomatoes was this lovely tasting Chutney, and the potatoes are delicious, really delicious .... so all is not lost :-)
Sue xx
I got sent some of those instead of the tumberling toms I ordered. I was disappointed to receive them and the ammount of toms/potatoes. though the toms were sweet but small and lots of green, the pots are nice. would not get them by choice.It did not make any difference that I grew some in a tunnel, some in a greenhouse and some on the patio in a bag.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, can I ask you or your readers a favour? I've been given my third large bag of apples (quite sweet) and want to make a basic chutney. Can you suggest a very simple recipe please? Last time I made it, it was too watery and took hours of simmering to thicken, by which time it was sticking to the bottom of the pan. Many thanks x
ReplyDeleteA real basic Chutney recipe would be approximately -
Delete1½ kg fruit and/or vegetables
1½ kg onions, peeled and chopped
500g sultanas, seedless raisins or similar
600ml malt vinegar
700g brown sugar
Herbs,spices and salt to taste
Chop all the veggies and fruits to about the same size, then put everything in a large pan and bring very slowly to the boil. Let it bubble away for a few minutes and then reduce to a gentle simmer for as long as it takes for it to thicken nicely. You should be able to see the bottom of the pan if you draw your spoon through the pan when it's ready to put into the jars.
Make sure you use sterilised jars with non-metallic lids, the metal ones with the plasticised interior are ideal. Chutneys are best eaten after a month or so, this gives the flavours chance to develop properly, in fact I've always found the older the chutney the richer and tastier it is. Once jars are opened they should be stored in the fridge.
Hope this helps and I'll add it to the Recipes page at the top of the Blog so you and anyone else can find it a bit easier.
Thank you so much!! That's brilliant. It sounds easy and I can't wait to try it. Will let you know how I get on x
DeleteThanks for the update. Sometimes the hype doesn't live up to the reality and you have documented that for us.
ReplyDeleteOne thing for certain Sue - home grown potatoes are always better-tasting than bought ones.
ReplyDeleteAs for tomatoes - are you going to make green tomato chutney? My mother used to make it when I was a child and we had a greenhouse. Any that were left at the end of the season made the chutney - I used to love it on bread and butter like jam. Don't know what the recipe was but I dare say there is one on the internet.
Thanks for the honest review Sue. I have been wondering how these would turn out.
ReplyDelete