Second Week of March

A hot finish to the second week of autumn. Summer may be officially over, but it's effects are still likely to be felt for a while.

It's now been six months since the initial set of tomato seedlings were transplanted. Last week yielded another twelve tomatoes. But I doubt the plants will be producing fruit for much longer. Also of note is that a couple of plants are producing a different variety, similar to the "vine ripened" tomatoes I've seen in supermarkets. Meanwhile the "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plants are making mixed progress. All the plants have fruit, but those that I transplanted to the general garden area are still quite small and are struggling to cope with their load. My plan was to have these plants producing tomatoes long after the first set had stopped, but the new plants may not last as long as I'd hoped. I probably left it too late to transplant them, so they haven't had enough time to grow properly. In contrast the two plants I've kept in pots are visibly bigger, and look more capable of supporting their fruit. If these plants produce lots of tomatoes, then next year I might keep more of the late season plants in pots rather than in the ground.

The first capsicum is almost ready to harvest. The fruit on the other three capsicum plants continue to mature. Another week has passed and still no sign of fruit on the fifth plant.

I also harvested the first aubergine. I probably left it too long on the plant, but it's skin was damaged anyway. It was an early starter so the fruit was touching the ground as it grew. I might keep it for seeds. The other plants are still doing well, and I should be harvesting more fruit over the next few weeks. Judging by the smallness of the fruit, I think they are of the "Lebanese" variety.

I ran out of seaweed solution and didn't get the chance to feed the plants this week. I may switch to three-week intervals, or even once a month feeds.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 25)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 19 after transplanting)
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil plants (week 18 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 9 after transplanting)