Tunnel Trouble? What's Going On Inside The PolyTunnel
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- Welcome to my allotment garden! In today's video, I dive into the challenges I'm facing this year with growing tomatoes, chillies, peppers, and cucumbers inside my polytunnel. Despite my best efforts with organic gardening and using heirloom seeds, the climate and lack of pollinators seem to be causing some issues.
Join me as I explore potential solutions, including composting techniques, raised bed gardening strategies, and effective garden fertilizer options to boost plant growth. I’ll also discuss my experiences with hydroponics and how permaculture principles might help create a more sustainable and fruitful garden environment.
If you're dealing with similar problems or just love gardening, don’t miss this video! I'll share tips on managing garden pest control and recommend the best vegetable planter kits for both beginners and seasoned gardeners. Let's get our allotment gardens thriving together!
Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more gardening tips and updates from my allotment. Happy gardening!
My favourite seed supplier - grownlocal.co....
If you enjoyed this video and want to donate to help me keep making them and gain access to behind the scenes footage then you can do so at / marksallotment or make a one off donation through ko-fi.com/mark...
Thank you so much for considering this, it really does mean a lot to me.
love your enthusiasm, but you have noticed like a lot of gardeners the weather (lack of sun) is affecting some things, start to look up into the skies! watch the cloud formation! then after studying come back and tell as what you noticed?
Haarp thats the answer
That’s the whole reason I started my channel, as a new gardener, so I could look back and see the difference year on year. Glad I found your channel, great information and a great presenting style, first time I’ve seen pepers grown in halos, what a great idea. Thanks for a great video.
Hi Mark, most of the roots of the tomatoes would have hit your poor soil and then gone sideways. Next time you go to the plot water about 3-5 liters of water per square meter around the tomatoes but don't water the halos. Leave for a couple of hours and then water normally the halos but stop feeding for a couple of weeks let the roots in the compost around the plant to take up all the goodness in the unused compost. Water the compost around the plants about once a week.
I’m in Scotland too and tomatoes are growing well but no ripening. No cucumbers either. Pollinators are in very short supply I’ve barely seen a bee! I did notice that you have canes and wood across the top of your polytunnel. Removing them will help more light get in. It may help. Everyone is struggling this year, good luck.
Its been a funny old year for growing so far Evelyn.
I've had loads of cucumbers but very few tomatoes on the trusses so far. One thing I missed off the video was the aubergine plant which is another one that doesn't seem to have any fruit on it yet.
Hoping for an extended Summer this year into Autumn to help get a better crop 👍🌱👍
South yorkshire here. I've not many tomatoes yet and alot of the tomato plants have curling branches. I think it's lack of sun.
Pepper plants seem ok & cucumber plants. All in polytunnel.
We definitely need less rain & cloud and much more sun.
Not seen many bees but the butterflies are all over the brassica.
Hopefully august will be better. Everything seems behind
Just lets skip this allotment year 🐝thanks for the great video🌻
Its been a funny old year this year on the growing front that's for sure.
Hoping we get a good end to the summer and a decent start to the autumn to extend the season a little 👍🌱👍
Hi Mark - you are not alone - I am up here in Stonehaven - tomato plants only half normal size, poor fruit set and I've not had any reach a decent size / ripen as yet.
Chilli peppers even worse as not just half normal size, they're only now getting flowers.
It's definitely the weather i.e. cloudy, cold and wet for months, plants need light to grow tall and heat, not only to flower, but also to be pollinated / set fruit, as insects do not come out of hibernation and fly when it is wet and / or cold.
One ray of sunshine is that my cabbages and other brassicas, are like 'triffids' as they love this weather - but sadly so do the slugs and snails ☹ - like other flying insects though, there's been few, if any, cabbage whites about so far this year 😊
Sounds like you're having pretty much the same problems as me this year Ian.
Its been a funny old year on the growing front that's for sure. I'm hoping for a good end to the Summer/early Autumn to see if that can boost harvests 👍🌱👍
We allotmenteers are forever optimists Mark - even if things don't pick up / we don't get an Indian summer, there's always next year 😊👍 @@marksallotmentplot
We have got the same issue in Sweden. Tomato plants huge, there's fruit on the way, but far from ripe. Peppers, small plants, loads of fruit...
I blame the weather. Cold nights still, 12 degrees Celsius yesterday night. 😮
Its been a funny old year so far on the growing front.
Sounds like you've got very similar weather to us here in Scotland. Looking at the forecast over the next couple of weeks temperatures are about 10 - 12 degrees overnight.
Hoping for a decent end to the Summer and Start of Autumn to stretch the growing year out a little 👍🌱👍
Hi Mark, the weather has been so unpredictable, warm, hot, cold 🙄 your sweet peppers look so much better than mine in my polytunnel, mine are abput the same as yours but the leaves are gettimh munched but, I do have small sweet peppers on them, hoping they will get bigger. One of my plants,only has two trusses and the top had stopped growing, there is no evidence of more leaves at all, very strange. My 5 other tomato plants are doing ok (crimson crush) first time growing them, the sweet million is just covers in flowers & tomatoes. My hubby's cucumbers are in his greenhouse and they are flying. I feel exactly the same as you, its puzzling this year. Great video update. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊
I'm in Scotland too, this year my cherry toms are just starting to go ripe but in small clusters. Last year I was harvesting in July all the way to September. The irratic temperature/sun has definitely impacted certain crops. First time for onions and they are a good size better than I thought. Garlic was not as good, small bulbs!! Oh well start it again soon, for me it's all experimental lol 😂
Hi Mark, I’m in Cheshire and it only consistently got above 10 degrees at night a few weeks ago. Had absolutely loads of honey bees in April/May when the strawberries and raspberries were flowering and same with my sage bush and chives which flowered so early but no bees at all now. Hope the wasps stay away. I am pollinating the courgettes and tomatoes myself. Even though I have used the same fertiliser and compost as previous years everything green has grown unnaturally larger than usual. My beans leaves are huge, raspberry canes are 10foot high, Potatoes were good though as were the delicious raspberries.Strange, strange weather.
Its sure been a funny old year so far on the growing front Russell.
Think I might be taking your lead on this one and start to try and pollinate some of the tomatoes by hand. Got to be worth a try with the way things are at the moment!
Hoping we can stretch the Summer out into Autumn this year and boost the harvest a little 👍🌱👍
Im down in salisbury and i grow my veg outdoors, I have huge tomato plants but not much fruit a couple of vines growing but thats about it. My corgette plant has gone mad and my cucumber plant has only just started flowering with little okes on the way. It has been a very odd year for veg
Completely agree Isabelle, its been a funny old year.
The courgettes have gone a bit mad here as well. Turn your back on them for two minutes and they're tying to turn in to marrows 😊
Hoping we get a late Summer and a good start to the Autumn to extend the growing season 👍🌱👍
It's got to be the weather Mark. Here in NE England our days so far have been either rainy and chilly, or warm-ish and entirely overcast, and the nights were bloody cold until about a week ago!
My plot neighbours and I are having the exact same issues as you are, and I'm really doubtful I'll see a single ripe tomato this year. We didn't quite get two sunny days in a row this weekend, and now it's Monday morning and back to drizzle and 11°C 😭
Hi mark im in Edinburgh and our low temperatures are 7-9 at nights and all the rain and cloud cover has slowed everything down apart fro the slugs. I just hope they catch up. First year with no courgettes as they all got slugged.
Its sure been a funny old year so far on the growing front.
If it's not the slugs then its the weather. Plus I now think I might have another issue with my carrots which I'll hopefully have a video out on at the weekend. Wonder if we can just press the reset button on this year 😂
Hoping we can stretch the Summer out into Autumn this year and boost the harvest a little 👍🌱👍
10 tomato plants & only six tomatoes! Distinct lack of pollinators, usually there are lots of buzzy insects in the greenhouse but not this season.
Its sure been a funny old year so far on the growing front.
Hoping we can stretch the Summer out into Autumn this year and boost the harvest a little 👍🌱👍
Maybe open the poly door ajar. I know it’s colder atm but just to give critters a helping hand finding their way in. Mark I Went to my poly last night with the hubster (have a bad back so it’s been neglected for 3 weeks) my kind neighbour has been watering my poly. Anyway I have tried honeycomb tomato instead of Sungold this yr due to splitting fruit issues. Anyway had my first 2 ripe ones and
W❤W they were sublime and as good as Sungold in my opinion!! The first to ripen as Sungold usually are too😍😍 I look forward to the rest. I Let my neighbour who is watering take my first 2 cucumbers and gerkins so I hope to get some more growing soon x
I’m in North Yorkshire and I am the same as you, tall plants but hardly any tomatoes, my courgettes aren’t doing so good either, my radishes have been fantastic 💕
Its been a funny old year so far on the growing front Caroline.
Hoping we can stretch the Summer out into Autumn this year and boost the harvest a little 👍🌱👍
By letting the air flow through you're actually letting blight spores in too.
I’m in Oxford, serious lack of fruit on my plants. Nothing for peppers or chilli at all! My tomato plants are like yours, only micro cucumbers in my tunnel.
Weather and lack of pollinators, I think….
Its sure been a funny old year so far on the growing front Emma.
Hoping we can stretch the Summer out into Autumn this year and boost the harvest a little 👍🌱👍
I’m in Canada, Northwest BC. We’ve had a cool, dry year. My tomatoes and peppers only started to “move” after the solstice, and my King of the North are the same as yours - small plants , although yours have bigger peppers than mine. It’s my first year with this variety 🥂
Its sure been a funny old year so far on the growing front Leanne.
King of the North is usually a pretty solid performer on the pepper front. There's definitely some odd weather causing issues this year if they're not growing.
Hoping we can stretch the Summer out into Autumn this year and boost the harvest a little 👍🌱👍
I thought it was just my tomato plants which have very few trusses and the plants are very sparse looking apart from a massive Marmande plant which is in a pot on the bench and has lots of flowers and big tomatoes.
In the weat of scotland. I thought it was just me, tomato plants are nearly 6ft but very few trusses of tomatoes
Its been a funny old year on the growing front so far this year that's for sure.
I'm hoping for a good late Summer/early Autumn to give harvests a boost 👍🌱👍
My poly is exactly the same here in Aberdeen 🫤
😂😂 BC gardening wear shorts and a flannel shirt today Mark, it’s 20c today. My tomatoes outside are like yours and we have been as you know insanely hot, my flowers are dropping off before setting. You actually don’t need sun to ripen them just to get them happily producing but they can be temper mental princesses. My tiny Tom’s are prolific though so at least I may get some cherry ones 🍅🍅. Have a great day Mark, keep at it, Ali 🌞🇨🇦
Quality content as always. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Cheers John 👍🌱👍
ive hardly seen any bees this year or butterflies, buddlia in full bloom and only the odd bumble bee it seems really strange.
I had quite a few bees buzzing around the comfrey earlier in the year but they all seem to have disappeared of late.
Its been a funny old year for growing this year. Guess there's always next year 👍🌱👍
Cloud seeding and bee pesticides are being used
I've had disastrous growing this year, tomatoes not as tall hardly any flowers no fruits, only a few onions and odd beetroot....
Its been a funny old year on the growing front that's for sure.
Guess there's always next year 👍🌱👍
Hi Mark - on a fool's errand this year! The Minnesota melon has a few male flowers but total absence of female ones. Even if there were female flowers, near total absence of noticable pollinators. The large borage plants, covered in flowers are not being visited. Have seen one cabbage white butterfly so far this year. Wasps! - sure, a tad early but zero so far. One thing that is setting well - the runner beans, due to damp soil and pollen beetles (!). Usually, have a high % drop of blooms until later in the season. Tomatoes - bit shorter but planty of set fruit coming on. Weather could be turning summer like according to the models at 168hrs. Cross digets.
My Minnesota melon has flowers but no fruit as yet not sure if I will actually get any ripe fruit this year though and it’s my first year successfully growing melons thank to Mr Dowdings videos!!
Hi Mark, I’m in Norfolk & my tunnel is the same. So infuriating as it’s my first year with the new big tunnel. Trying King of the North too & they are pathetic….cucumbers are ok nothing spectacular though. I can recommend Socrates F1 very tasty
Its been a funny old year this year on the growing front that's for sure Vanessa.
Such as shame when its your first year with the new tunnel.
Hoping we get a good end to the summer and a decent start to the autumn to extend the season a little 👍🌱👍
Lack of warmth, sunlight and pollinators in many places this year.
Not even the Buddleia is covered by butterflies as it use to 🐝.
Do you reduce some of the green on the tomatoes?
Its sure been a funny old year so far on the growing front.
The tomatoes have all been given a good haircut after the video went out. Nearly all of the lower leaves, up to the first fruiting truss have been removed. I've also taken off some of the higher up leaves where the plants were growing over each other.😊
Hoping we can stretch the Summer out into Autumn this year and boost the harvest a little 👍🌱👍
Hi mark . I’m pretty much the same here in north Lincolnshire . I’m struggling to keep the flowers on the Tom plants as well , the flower forms and the fruits don’t follow . Disappointing doesn’t describe this season for me .
I do wonder if the fruits will taste tough , earthy etc , if they do form . Due to such extended periods of growth .
Cucumbers look good though and around the same place as you have there .
Its sure been a funny old year so far on the growing front Mel.
Hoping we can stretch the Summer out into Autumn this year and boost the harvest a little 👍🌱👍
👍👍👍
Yes big tomato plants and not a lot of fruit, Co Down, N Ireland
Its been a funny old year this year on the growing front that's for sure.
Hoping we get a good end to the summer and a decent start to the autumn to extend the season a little 👍🌱👍
Super mark te Tunnel planting groente the july thans te video Top weekend fried🥒🌿✌️🍹😎🌻🫑🌶🍅🌤
Cheers Luc 👍🌱👍
It is my first year growing in what was my avairy covered in acrylic sheets. Very big tomato plants with quite a few trusses of fruit. I only have one full sized cherry tomato but not ripe yet. Would it be worth putting my grow light near it, would that help to ripen it?
I’ve got lots of flowers on my ONE cucumber but they just die off. Should I be doing something to help them ( I am tapping them with a little brush)?
Terrible year, I have no tomatoes at all.... rotten never mind next year will be better you'll see
Its been a funny old year growing wise so far Ana😊
Like you say there's always next year 👍🌱👍
sun blocking to protect earth -sea etc.sounds daft but its all on the gov site. might be time to take up curling or naked river swimming er summat 🤣
It’s not daft they are cloud seeding. The Farmers are struggling no farmers no food is the chant
I agree also the powers to be are using pesticides to kill the bees
👍
I notice your halos are dry..Could that be part of the problem..I'm in the Newcastle area and have quite an abundance of tomatoes..Sungold are ripening well and the other are showing an ever so faint hue..I make sure the halos never completely dry out..
How do you do that because they drain away so fast? If I kept them permanently wet I’d be drowning my plants.
🫣
Must admit I was kind of wondering the same thing as the water drains through my halos within about 10 minutes.
@@TheFarmyardGarden If they drain away fast surely that's because the drainage Is good..Your plants wont be waterlogged..The whole point of Halos is to hold the water until It's required..If they are draining so quickly,I doubt if you will have a problem with waterlogged roots.If the soil is damp the Halo will not release water until it's ready..My Halos take around 24 hours to drop their levels..I also use large plant pots that I cut the bottoms off on some of my plants..This allows me the extra soil to bury the plant deeply..I have never had bottom end rot,Fruit splitting because of irregular watering..Keeping the soil moist Is the answer to getting a good harvest
@@marksallotmentplot same. Doesn’t matter if the soil under is wet or dry.. they drain the same
Obviously they probably wouldn’t drain if floating on a puddle 😂
@@RichieFairlamb I don’t find this to be the case with mine. I’m going to have to to some testing now! 😂
Your tomato plants would benefit from you removing some side shoots as they are draining the plants.
They've all had a good trim this afternoon Susan. Hoping it'll make a difference 👍🌱👍
Super mark te Tunnel planting groente te july thans te video Top weekend friend ✔️👍🌶️🍆🍅🌻🌤️😅🌱🌿
Thanks Luc 👍🌱👍
Too much nitrogen in the feed? Loads of green, no flowers.
They had a wee bit of Seaweed feed when they were small but have just been on the tomorite and a tiny bit of CalMag ever since. Pretty much the same mix I use every year 🤷♂️
@@marksallotmentplot That's strange then!
That's poor for a poly tunnel alright suspect poor overnight temps all season are the problem consistently below 10C most of the growing season