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GLASSHOUSE tomatoes are reaching their peak. Attend
carefully to supports, making sure that these are strong
enough to take the weight off the plants. Pinch out he
side shoots on a regular basis and remove the bottom leaves
as they grow old. Regular feeding is still very important,
using a high potash tomato fertiliser. As fruiting trusses
develop, on middle-sized and large tomato varieties, they
can be thinned down to obtain optimum size fruit. Small
varieties like the delicious 'Red Robin and Red Alert' can
be left to grow and fruit at random. Watch for whitefly
attack and red spider. Water freely, damping down for the
floor of the greenhouse to reduce red spider problems. But
avoid spraying the fruit directly as cold water could split
their skins. The year is on the turn now and onions should
be ready for harvest now. If they are lo last in store,
their skins must be completely dry and crisp. After lifting,
they can, be strung together and hung up in an airy spot.
An alternative to stringing is to use the legs of old
tights, tying a . knot between each large onion so that they
are separated. The onions must be kept as cool as possible
during winter but will not tolerate frost. Use them up
before they begin to sprout in spring. As vegetables crops
are lifted, there will be an increasing area of spare
ground. It is still not too late to sow a few late lettuces,
if you are unable to cover the young plants with cloches
towards the end of the month.
Swedes and turnips can be also sown now and, after a mild
autumn and winter, will provide edible roots early next
year. The cabbage-like leaves of Swedes are edible and, if
sown thickly and then singled out to one plant every six
inches in late October, the thinnings make tasty autumn
greens. Spring cabbage plants should be ready for planting
outdoors. These are usually on sale at good plant centres
about now but it is not good late to raise some from seed.
Sow in drills outdoors, or in a cold greenhouse and plant
the young plants out in late October.
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