Topic: Controversial view on Tomatoes?

[Barnowl]

From the letters page in today's Torygraph re Jamie Oliver on tomatoes:

"Tomatoes hate growbags and should be planted in well manured ground in the greenhouse and watered from a butt that has a bag of pig or sheep's manure in the water. Seeds should be sown in degradable pots, so the roots are not disturbed when planting out.

Good, old-fashioned Moneymaker are the best ........"

Richard Kellaway, Somerset

- any comments? ;D

[OllieC]

I suspect that what he really said was, "Bish Bash Bosh, pucka, bobs-yer-uncle, apples and pears me old china", and they have done their best to translate.  ;D

[Tora]

LOL! :D

I usually like Jamie Oliver but am not too keen on the programme. A bit wishy-washy, I would say! I don't like it when he uses his gorgeous clay oven either. How many of us actually have such an oven in our kitchen? ::)

[Lauren S]

I think the programme makers have seriously run out of ideas. Maybe Jamie will be selling us Pukka Parkas next on the home shopping channel  ;D

Lauren  :o

[valmarg]

I find him the most unwatchable cook on telly, and at the moment the most unreadable part of the Telegraph!!

valmarg

[Barnowl]

But would you agree with what Mr. Kellaway wrote about how to grow tomatoes?

[OllieC]

Well, personally, no I wouldn't. Several reasons -
1) The evidence. I've grown very successful toms in growbags - last year, when it rained at the end of summer, all the soil ones were splitting & the bags were fine.

2) The logic - surely pig poo in water would have a lot of nitrogen, at a time when you mostly want potassium?

Ah, upon closer reading, I notice that this is a reader, not Mr Oliver's comments. Sorry Jamie.

[cleo]

Good, old-fashioned Moneymaker are the best ........"

My lips are sealed :-X

[valmarg]

But would you agree with what Mr. Kellaway wrote about how to grow tomatoes?

No Barnowl, I wouldn't!!  Particularly not sewing seed.

We grow them in growbags, and we also grow them in large pots.  My understanding is, it doesn't matter what you plant the tomatoes in, it is the feeding and subsequent care that matters.

Oh dear, cleo - if memory serves me Moneymaker is your absolute pits of a variety.  I must admit we wouldn't waste space growing it.

valmarg

[gordonsveg]

Re Barnowls Thread,
  It seems we now have yet another gardening expert ( or expert gardener)
  to tell us what to do and how to do it, regardless of the fact a lot of A4As
 have been gardening longer than the experts have been alive.
      I wonder who does his gardening for him, or do they live in a parallel universe with 48hr days?

[antipodes]

oh dear I will now have to confess that I have an unopened packet of Moneymaker seeds in my gardening box....  ::)

Since I have almost no tomatoes this year of any variety, I think that I would still have relished them. Surely ANY home grown tomato can't be that bad? I have never eaten one grown in a backyard that was not 100 times better than a supermarket one?????? 

Won't comment on the rest as I don't even have a greenhouse, or grow bags or pig poo ha ha ha

[Chantenay]

I always think tomatoes taste better for a struggle with the elements. I have grown them in the green house and outdoors, and the outdoor ones always have more flavour. Jamie probably has great empathy with moneymaker - DELISH!

[valmarg]

Jamie probably has great empathy with moneymaker

Yep, if there's one thing he's good at it's making money!!

valmarg

[redimp]

Having read this thread t'other day I thought it had been clarified that the comments re growbags are rubbish and moneymaker are fab are attributable to one Richard Kellaway, Somerset and not Jamie Oliver even if you do loathe him and really really wish it had been him who had said them.


Hamburger and chips anyone?  Here kids....

[northener]

I've always grown direct into soil and i don't think you can beat it. You've no expense of the growbags not as much watering required i always take half the soil out and replace with manure.

[shirlton]

We grew in the flower buckets we got with the bottom cut out. and stood them in well mucked beds in the greenhouse on the allotment. We also grew some at home in the GH in the same buckets but on a slabbed floor. Both  were fed the same but perhaps the ones at home were watered a bit more often. The results were the same. Just less work for us with the first ones during the season