Ok, you say watering daily, but the pot is too dry from the photo. And the leaves are pale. Need more feed, unless you’ve been piling in the 25:25:25 every day in which case feed less😀
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I now grow my tomatoes in pots that our positioned in trays so that any excess water can lay in the tray to be absorbed later. I feed Tomorite twice a week and water every day.
This usually works but at times of unusual weather I find I have to vary slightly to ensure healthy growth.
This year they do seem to be taking longer than normal to ripen.
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Yes does look dry, maybe I’ve cut back a little on water last day or so wondering if it’s why the cherry toms are a bit tasteless.
The leaves are pale, they’ve been having various feeds in recent weeks.
The Moneymaker behind that one and several others are really green and have had the same feeds.
Maybe the compost was different or it’s the location as some adjacent cherry ones are also a bit pale.
I have several bags of compost with peat from a few years ago still to use which I got before the peat free mandates kicked in. Can’t see it would deteriorate in the bags?
Interestingly at the garden centre the other day I got some ‘traditional blend’ Jack’s Magic which supposedly has 50% peat content but it doesn’t mention it on the bag at all. Same brand at B&Q has ‘naturally peat free’ above the sunflower. Odd.
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2 x Pi complete. Very apt name as a circle is 2 Pi radians and the patio and roof will be circular.
Phil
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These two are odd - the first has pale leaves like the one with mild blossom drop, the second much greener healthier leaves sitting in front of it on a plastic chair (one behind on a storage box):
As they are so close to each other I think they’d have had similar watering/feeding via watering can which I fill from a large bin of water filled by hose.
Maybe (look to be) different plants, pots probably similar volume but greener one fuller, maybe it’s my inconsistent use of different garden centre composts mixed with manure.
Actually think that spell of very muggy/humid weather a few weeks ago may not have helped. Lots of dark spots on the Crimson Crush (?early blight) which is supposedly quite blight resistant.
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I really don’t think the weather has caused your problem.
It looks like your compost mix contains bark, which is good for drainage and aeration, but it doesn’t hold onto nutrients very well. So you feed it with expensive liquid feed, then the next time you water it, it gets flushed out. Different bags, different results, different batches and even the inconsistency within the same bag. Stored compost always goes off. 1 year max. Being in a bag, damp with no air-water exchange it, just fills it with bad bacteria and bad fungi.
Growing in pots successfully is such a complex subject. I had so many problems with various composts over the past 10 years, I ended up making my own potting mix from scratch. The more I looked into it, the more involved it got. I never stop learning.
I use a mix of coir, perlite & (clay pebbles in big pots). This has no nutrients, but is inert, standard and a clean base to start. To this I add vermicompost, Ecothrive Life-Cycle, Biosys, TNC MycorrPlus Mycorrhizal. This adds the nutrients, bacteria and fungi. I water with dechlorinated water only. The mentioned nutrients are pretty organic slow release, so I also feed with Sensi Coco Grow. The above makes a living soil that looks after itself, but if it dries out or chloramine is used, it will start to die. I also use seaweed extract, but not Maxicrop, as their extraction method is old fashioned and destroys much of its benefits. Also the salt content of Maxicrop doesn’t appear to be regulated. I have never seen so many plants thrive so much. The only ones that haven’t taken to it are chillis, but they were very small plants and didn’t like the strength of feed. Also there was an iron/manganese/magnesium deficiency with them. This is where I’m learning.
I’m just describing what I do, because like you, I went through disappointment and inconsistencies.
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All fascinating, thanks. I suspect it’s the old garden centre peat compost mix I used in some of those planters but not all. Would agree many composts seem to have a lot of bark which I dislike. I guess my hunch was that keeping some of the older stuff in bags would allow the bark to break down more. Had never considered it ‘going off’.
Some of the containers have some more expensive RHS recommended/endorsed compost. Shame I didn’t note what went into which!
I buy propitiatory Grow bags and empty the contents into large pots. The compost has nutrition for 6 weeks and then you need to give liquid feed once per week. This summer has been so hot that it has burnt off some of the flowers so my harvest will be down this year for sure.
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Yes the bark would break down in storage, but with no new water/air exchange, the whole bacterial process just produces a stagnant mix. Also bear in mind that when you use these bark mixes where the bark has clearly not been composted (nearly all of them), it will decompose in your plant pot and rob the plant of nitrogen.
At the end of the day, you look at the plant’s growth and performance every few days and act upon what you see. Tomatoes like consistent feed and watering and they don’t like large temp drops. If they’re outside, the current UK temps for the past 6 weeks have been perfect for them, not against them. Chillis don’t like loads of feed, don’t like constant wet and want a little shade from full afternoon Sun.
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Indecision, indecision, maybe should have binned/burned this mini cucumber plant - leaves not at all healthy due to red spider mites.
Have tried non-pesticide sprays which help but within days the newer leaves are infested. This has also stopped me from potting in a larger container which probably isn’t helping at all.
Was just about to give it a shot of a pyrethrin type insecticide, but seeing the huge bumble bees flying in and out of a crack in the patio and seeing smaller bees pollinating new flowers on this I just can’t do it. Wondering about spraying on the pavement outside then taking it indoors for a week or so:
At least I got one!
Gosh more tweaks available than with hi-fi: 
Must start to look into the scientific aspects of some of this gardening stuff!
Where does the non-chloramine water come from? Do you treat it, let it stand for a few days or maybe have plenty of water butts collecting rainwater?
I have 2 large compost bins at the Botton of the garden - quite good at filling them but have never removed or turned any of the stuff inside - love seeing thousands of writhing worms in there every so often though.
As an aside does anyone else think the ROI NPK numbers on products make much more sense?
Anybody come across some kind of inline feeder you could attach to a garden sprinkler?
Have had a few of those bottles with an integral spray head you can water things with when attached to a hose but thought it would be less of a chore using something attached to the garden sprinkler than manually wandering around with a spray provided the feed is suitably diluted.
Finished 2Pi for now. On to the patio next, but really need the 9 x 3 timber for the raised beds to take the good soil. Might have to use 9 x 2” instead.
Started sanding down the oak doors from my daughter. Their new doors are superb. Apart from restoring the wood I have to get rid of a slight bend by putting some weight on.
The slates (roof battens) go on last. I’ve been going up and down the ladders a lot and it will be easier on a flat surface as each batten needs fixing accurately.
Phil
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Yes it can get as in-depth as you wish, but we are bringing plants from all around the world with different conditions, latitudes and expect them to thrive long-term in B&Q compost.
For dechlorinating the water I use either Dr Hydro or Ecothrive Neutralise, depending on the plant or how I feel 
Dr Hydro produces calcium after dechlorinating.
Ecothrive uses vitamin c, which produces chloride.
The extra calcium is useful, because in coir mixes, it’s the calcium that can bind to the coir particles. However, the calcium being produced, raises the ph a little, which is something I rarely want. To counter this, I add Canna PH-Down, which is 45% acid. I also add this to Ecothrive Neutralise, but at weaker rate.
So basically all water I use for coir pot plants at every watering is dechlorinated, acidic and contains some sort of feed or bacteria. It sounds a pain, but it’s just 3 things added to a water butt.
No, letting water stand makes no difference. Most suppliers now use chloramine and it doesn’t dissipate.
And yes, you are right, NPK numbers are confusing. You do ask great questions.
If you want to learn more, read manufacturers sites and proper papers that come up with Google. Whatever you do, don’t read Facebook groups or plant forums. As a statistic, I would say more than 9 out of 10 posts are talking absolute rubbish. And isn’t it ironic, don’t you think, coming from a bloke on a hifi forum?
I hope Morissette is getting through and I’m not by myself.
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I’ve yet to search for AM on iplayer (assuming it’s still up).
Shows how little I use iPlayer or watch terrestrial TV I think as the individual matches are in the Sport category.
Not sure the Beeb’s categorisation and layout is the best.
Oddly in recent weeks I’ve started going ‘retro’ having rediscovered some BluRays snd DVDs! Much more engaging.
Low cropping veg.
Some things just work. Others seem to involve little effort but little return. Tried that baby sweetcorn variety from garden centre plants. Must be 10-12 weeks since planting and apart from a few I didn’t put in containers which are small the others are getting on for 2m in height and no sign of flowering. Wrong nutrient mix maybe or containers too small?
Plan was to put them in the imaginary (late) raised bed!
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Give them time, I can almost hear the song from Oklahoma….
Best wishes
Ian
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The timber (9 x 3 “) arrived yesterday morning and I spent the day cutting the 6m lengths into the pieces for two raised beds two tiers high. I positioned it before screwing it together with 140mm 8mm screws which needed the first timber predrilled. The temperature is 34c having peaked at 35.6c. Will finish this one tomorrow as now out for a walk.
The side with the raised bed including the gable end of the garage will be the veggie area once the laurel is removed. The other 2 x 2 m bed will go where the onions are at the moment.
These raised beds are 170 and 140 kgs in total. I could have used thinner timber but this is not going to bend over time.
Soon I will be able to start making the hugelkultur bed. Once the patio is excavated I will be able to continue with the sub base using the rubble I have from our stoney soil (old buildings longs demolished).
Phil
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