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edleigh7
head gardener
Australia
1005 Posts |
 Posted - 30/01/2008 : 07:08:03
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This plant just sprung up out of nowhere. It is probably around a month or 6 weeks old maybe a bit older. It certainly likes where it is, but the plants around it may not. The tomatoes are relatively small and take a long while to ripen, but its growth is phenominal!!
There is a Red Latan Palm in there, 2 crotons, a cordyline and now it is trying to engulf my Dracaena marginata. Leigh won't let me pull it out
Can I prune it?
How long will its cycle run before it dies?
Leigh loves tomatoes, I'm not too fussed on them, but I am fussed for the plants it is taking over that I paid good money for
Ed
Brisbane QLD AUS
Tropical Collector
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Mary-Anne
garden sage
Australia
10810 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2008 : 07:23:54
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Yes of course Tony said to shoot them, take the middle growth between the forks and snap them each way if you only do it one way you could strip them, or get a little knife and cut them off.
Stake them and strip all the leaves off below the fruit if none then the flowers..
We have heaps of volunteers here too...
And one lasted nearly a full year because the frost did not get it
Its heaving rain down here 
Good Things Come To Those That Wait ... I am Tired Of Waiting |
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Gail
garden sage
Australia
7707 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2008 : 13:01:15
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A bit of a cheeky gnome there Ed! 
The poor little tomato is just trying to reach for the sun. Trimming won't hurt the plant but you may lose the fruit if that stem had flowers on it. Just do as Mary-Anne suggests and remove a lot of the foliage below the fruit. It won't hurt the other plants.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.
Gail, near Gympie, Qld |
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edleigh7
head gardener
Australia
1005 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2008 : 13:40:00
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I forgot about the cheeky gnome I only realised after I put it on here. Oh well its not too rude.
It won't hurt the big plants around, I just don't want my crotons to be starved of light and die, hence my question.
I'll do as Mary-Anne suggests and see what happens. I can hardly wait for it to fruit so I can rip it out. Just don't tell Leigh.
My fault I suppose, I should of relocated the monster before it got too big
Don't get me wrong, I like most plants, just not Day of the Triffid Tomatoes.. LOL
Ed
Brisbane QLD AUS
Tropical Collector |
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Mary-Anne
garden sage
Australia
10810 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2008 : 13:59:44
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Oh that Little rude fellow 
I know the feeling Ed between tomatoes which I don't mind too much and pumpkins I feel like its a market garden here and to tell you the truth I am sick of all the vines as the weeds are growing up through the mulch and I am getting scratched to pieces pulling them out plus I am sick of looking at the mildew on the leaves.
Now I know how Jack felt with this giant beanstalk.
Good Things Come To Those That Wait ... I am Tired Of Waiting |
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edleigh7
head gardener
Australia
1005 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2008 : 14:10:54
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Yes well I thought I had pumkin in the back corner, but now I think it is watermelon. Yum but yeah, I don't fancy pulling that one out.
Luckily there is nothing growing up there at the moment
Ed
Brisbane QLD AUS
Tropical Collector |
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Mary-Anne
garden sage
Australia
10810 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2008 : 14:26:48
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No I would not pull a watermelon out either Ed.
They have very small leaves..
Good Things Come To Those That Wait ... I am Tired Of Waiting |
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tessa
head gardener
Australia
3682 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2008 : 14:38:25
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ed...tomato plants are semi-perrenial in the right conditions...so you could be stuck with it for years.
i'd get it staked up and cut off the lower leaves and trim it to tree shape. that'll let light in for the crotons...and keep it from setting more roots everywhere that it sprawls and then shooting out more branches.
cranky people live longer. i'm going to live forever!
perth, wa |
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edleigh7
head gardener
Australia
1005 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2008 : 06:42:09
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Yes I definately need to stake it more as the fruit is nearly touching the ground and it is starting to climb up my wine palm.
Believe me Tessa, it won't be there for years!!
This plant has a limited life span of, sayyyyy, 2 months, no matter what, and then thats it. I'm ripping it out then and Leigh can do with it whatever she likes, except stick back in the garden
Ed
Brisbane QLD AUS
Tropical Collector |
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Gail
garden sage
Australia
7707 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2008 : 12:37:46
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Someone mention pumpkins? My groundcovers on the bank behind the house that are taking over everything but there are heaps of pumpkins on the vines so I don't want to pull them out.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.
Gail, near Gympie, Qld |
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edleigh7
head gardener
Australia
1005 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2008 : 14:39:13
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Ed
Brisbane QLD AUS
Tropical Collector |
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Pamela
head gardener
Australia
3949 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2008 : 19:35:57
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| wowwwwwwwwwww Gail!! |
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Mary-Anne
garden sage
Australia
10810 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2008 : 20:06:46
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Half my block is covered in them and I have had enough they are growing up the white bridge, over the plumbago and down then up one of the Callistemon. Closer to the house they are growing up the tall Cannas, today I noticed they are shooting off again and going around the big tank..
On the other side of the house there were eleven side shoots creeping across the driveway and over my garlic bed so on Monday when I was watering I cut them all off. The ones down the back near the banana I had to pull out as they started creeping no call that running across all the other veggie beds, and the ones behind the back of the shed/garage are taking over the wood shed.
And the strangest thing is as fast as I cut all these metres and metres of vines off within a week the rest of the vines produces more pumpkins instead of vines and leaves which makes sense. But I don't want anymore as there are twenty something in the shed now and still more on the vines and I am sick of eating pumpkin up to five nights a week so the neighbours are loving us
Sorry Ed for taking over your tomato thread, its like my pumpkins taking over my garden and life..
Good Things Come To Those That Wait ... I am Tired Of Waiting |
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Gail
garden sage
Australia
7707 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 04:37:14
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Mary-Anne, put a sign up at the gate "pumpkins for sale", might make you a couple of dollars 
Cutting of the growing points of pumpkins does mean more fruit, trouble is I can't keep up with it. Most of the ones in the pic are the big greys which are hard to cut but a beautiful flavour. I planted more kents than greys but the kents haven't done as well. BTW I don't water or look after the vines at all.
Mary-Anne in the first pic you can see one of your hibicus cuttings, the white one in the front just left of centre. There are others amongst the vines somewhere
Sorry Ed for mentioning pumpkins, I've got some tomatoes doing a similar thing but at least they aren't as big a grower.
BTW Ed, this is the area where the frangis are growing - the flowers I put on another post. You can just see the corner of the roof of the house in one pic.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.
Gail, near Gympie, Qld |
Edited by - Gail on 01/02/2008 04:40:02 |
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edleigh7
head gardener
Australia
1005 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 06:44:43
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Yep got it
Ed
Brisbane QLD AUS
Tropical Collector |
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Pamela
head gardener
Australia
3949 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 07:03:17
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I think I will change my order to Big Grey then if the flavour is good.
Sorry Ed - continuing on the pumpkin theme - as I will make most of my pumpkin into soup and dips, and so want to roast it first, what is wrong with making some stab holes in the pumpkin to let out heat and then simply roasting it whole and then scooping out the flesh? I am sure I will do myself an injury cutting them one day when raw. |
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