2016-10-23: this time it's over, the 2016 season is closed!. The housekeeping was done in the last greenhouse still in use, only two plants were kept as long as they seemed in good shape and still bore many fruits without spots or defects. This will be an opportunity to test their vigor and endurance in the face of the bad weather conditions we are now experiencing. A green manure planting was done after a good rehydration of the soil to help the emergence. The last edible fruits have been collected, including some beautiful specimens, the others have been sent to enrich the compost. Soon we will have to take stock of this season in half-tone and think already about the next one.

2016-10-16: the frosts of the beginning of the week have had the last plants in production in Brioude. They were pulled out and the ground prepared to receive a green manure sowing. In Ambert, only a few plants were "burned", the others did rather well but we must not delude ourselves, the fruits they can still produce will be just good to finish in soup. Nevertheless, during the last harvest, some magnificent fruits were collected, several of them weighing more than 400 grams.

2016-10-05: the first frosts have appeared these last days, not very strong but frosts nevertheless and in spite of the sun the temperatures are struggling to rise that seems to sound the death knell of the season! The fruits have become soft and tasteless, just good for making coulis or soup. It's a pity because there were many unripe ones left.

2016-10-01: the plants are distilling their fruits in a trickle...except for some exceptions like Boronia which is at its fourth salvo, with this time 6 beautiful fruits. There are still a lot of big fruits, the record being held by Gary O'Sena with more than a dozen. On the other hand, some plants have finished producing like Blackberry, Serendipity, Black magic etc....Green fertilizer (mix of mustard-phacelia-lino-trefoil) has been sown in the "blue" greenhouse, the first ones have been pulled out, we will see their number decreasing again for the next season. In Brioude, abundant watering was done in the big greenhouse to refresh the soil and allow a better emergence of the seeds which will be sown on Monday, leaving time for the water to penetrate well. The peppers are doing wonderfully with a third good harvest and many fruits to come.

2016-09-19: autumn is here ! Rain, fog and coolness are back, consequently brutal fall of the production...still some beautiful fruits! Second harvest of peppers with the key recovery of seeds, damn that it stings.....fini the Super Hot next year I will do only sweet!

2016-09-17: the gray and the freshness seem to settle, it feels the end of the season... The last harvests were ridiculous compared to the previous ones. Some plants still have some nice fruits, immature, they will probably be the last ones, at least the last ones that will still have a good taste!

2016-09-14: an autumnal impression with the return of rain in much less quantity than announced by Météo France. Big harvest after the 4/5 days of absence, probably one of the last of this size. The tomatoes that were exposed in Haverskerque have been seeded, they will probably be the last ones to be seeded because the optimum period for this harvest is now over. Soon we will have to start cleaning the greenhouses with the removal of the first plants that have become useless.

2016-09-11: Haverskerque 2016, 11ième édition.

2016-09-07: The mildness, and even the heat on some days, of this early September has had the effect of boosting the ripening of the fruits, still a good harvest.

2016-09-06: Disparities are created, depending on the variety, some have stopped producing while others still offer beautiful fruits and even continue to bloom. The extremities of the varieties with the most immature fruits have been cut in order to allow a maturation before the arrival of the first frosts. Preparations for the Haverskerque show have started, for this one the number of varieties presented will be in net decrease but the size of the fruits selected, mainly late varieties having produced little, is bigger.

2016-09-04: some pictures of the peppers whose first real harvest has been done. I confirm that it "stings" or even burns! Wearing glasses and gloves is mandatory. .

2016-09-02: back on the field after the Brussels escapade and before the next trip to Haverskerque. A lot of fruits have ripened during these 6 days of absence but on the whole everything is in order. The drought persisting associated with the current heat wave a good watering was necessary. Reappearance of "culs noirs" in Brioude where the lack of water is more prejudicial because less depth of soil leading to a faster drying of the ground. The graining is the main occupation of the moment, it is indeed at this period that the fruits carry in quantity the best seeds.

2016-08-27 et 28: Tomatofest Bruxelles

2016-08-21: The favorable weather conditions have boosted the production so much that some plants have delivered a big part of their fruits and have now only immature tomatoes to offer. This is not a good thing for me because I will have less varieties to present in Brussels in a week for the Tomatofest. At the moment the days are more than full with the graining in full swing, the harvesting, the maintenance of the greenhouses and now the preparations for the trip to Belgium.

2016-08-16: it's an avalanche of tomatoes since a few days without doubt the favorable weather of this last week with mild nights and sunny days without excessive heat. The question that arises now is what will be left for the tomatofest in Brussels in 10 days...the stress is starting to mount! Note that a few moths have invited themselves again this year, for the moment it's under control, some fruits have been damaged but nothing dramatic, daily observation and surveillance are essential to avoid any proliferation. (by the way, pheromone traps are not 100% efficient!).

2016-08-12: In spite of 3 very cool days, not to say cold, 7° C at dawn yesterday morning, the harvest remains good. Note a singularity: the fruits of some varieties like "Beauty Princess" or Wessel's purple pride" which were formed and of definitive size for almost a month, are ripening almost all at the same time. The graining started a few days ago and the tomatoes produced are conforming and contain many more seeds, indeed many of the first fruits were from "cat's flower" (thus deformed) and contained very few or no seeds.

2016-08-09: The weather is starting to yo-yo again with extreme temperatures, in one day we lost more than 15° C. 2016 is shaping up to be a weird year both in terms of weather and tomato cultivation. A lot of deformed fruits, a lot of aborted flowers or even whole bunches burned. Some plants (Sputnik - Amazon Chocolate - Golden Stripes - Big yellow zebra etc...) at the beginning of August look like the ones we usually see at the end of the season, that is to say more or less dried up and with yellowed leaves and seeming to be at the end of their life, while others are still very green and vigorous, really weird..

2016-08-05: The return to more suitable weather conditions facilitates the ripening of the numerous fruits waiting to be picked. Some varieties are still waiting to be picked like Dark Queen, Buffalo Soldier and some dwarfs, but some seem to be at the end of their production and have taken on an autumnal look.

2016-07-29: in spite of sunny and warm days the nights remain cool, +/-12°, which seems to disturb the ripening of the fruits. Indeed the production is done by jerks, on the same plant it is not rare to see ripening from 3 to 6 fruits at the same time and then nothing more... strange strange! As far as the "black asses" are concerned, they have almost disappeared, no doubt the addition of calcium, through milk powder, in the watering water has been beneficial.

2016-07-26: the production is in full swing, soon all varieties will have produced their first fruit ... note the arrival of the first large or very large sizes!

2016-07-22: the storms of the night had the effect of "killing" the heat but unfortunately the quantity of water that fell was negligible : 8 mm for Ambert and 2 mm for Brioude... Let's hope that the return of "cooler" temperatures will allow the plants to find less stressful growing conditions. The "black asses" are strongly reduced since the addition of milk to the watering, which is already a good news in itself..

2016-07-20: decidedly the weather will not spare us anything this year.... we are now waiting for the rain, who would have thought it! The damages are starting to appear, sunstroke, burned foliage and our famous "black ass" which despite a treatment are not decided to disappear; let's hope that the return to "normal" temperatures will allow us to put things in order.

2016-07-19: notwithstanding of the heat wave which is again installed the fruits continue to ripen without too many difficulties nor damage except for some "black asses" which appear here and there... the causes can be multiple and varied and to deal with the most pressing: slight increase in the rate and volume of watering (3 waterings instead of 2) (1.5 l instead of 1, l/foot/week) and contribution of milk (dosed 1 l/watering can for the affected varieties and 1/2l/watering can in prevention for the other varieties).

2016-07-17: Here we go, in spite of the return of the freshness, the varieties turn one after the other allowing to discover the novelties in "real" and the disappointments are there even if fortunately there are also beautiful discoveries... we will speak about it again at the end of the season when it will be a question of drawing up the assessment of the campaign.

2016-07-14: today, fireworks of novelties...finally of the color! and it is only the beginning.... to be followed!

2016-07-12: it is always slowly that the production is made, the return to less extreme weather conditions (heat wave since 4 days) will perhaps allow this one to really start. We notice at the beginning of the harvest that the first fruits, for a great majority, have no seeds and that their skin is very thick..

2016-07-10: In spite of the good weather and the heat which reigns since a few days, the plants distill their fruits with a drop...the vegetation seems to be frozen and offers very little evolution from one day to the other.

2016-07-07: Now the season has really started, each day offering us new varieties to admire and to taste!

2016-07-04: In Brioude, little by little the fruits are getting their colored dress and it's a real pleasure after so much waiting... The first "black asses" are also appearing, they are few but I wonder what could have caused them, watering regularly and sparingly (with a small watering can of 2 l, at the foot, 2 to 3 times a week for a total of 1. The fertilization is done exclusively by spraying a mixture of homemade purins (comfrey/nettle/horset/fennel), which could be a little too high in nettle (nitrogen), this is an avenue I will look into..

2016-07-01: first fruit tasting. By the end of next week the production will be launched. The first bunches are bearing fruits that are just waiting to ripen while the second ones are loading at high speed, hence the need to secure the plants to avoid any breakage!

2016-06-29: finally the color is coming! the first fruits are starting to "turn" not enough to make an indigestion, but it is only the beginning... Considering the number of immature fruits carried by the various varieties, the beginning of the harvest promises to be good. Now we will have to manage..

2016-06-24: Brioude, after 3 days of great heat still no ripe fruits! The pictures speak for themselves, no need for comments... everything is going well and I hope it will last... Put in place pheromone traps to trap possible noctuid moths in order to stop any desire of attack.

2016-06-18: In Brioude, the growth of the different varieties is going on well, in fact when we look at a picture of the greenhouses taken in mid-May, that is to say just one month ago, we can realize how vigorous it is! We can now easily see if the different varieties, which bear sufficiently large fruits, are in conformity with their standard and the surprises are there...to begin Mr Stripey is none other than Tigerella (Mister Stripey) many collectors make the mistake, Burgess Lemon, seed bought at Tatiana is absolutely not in conformity with the standard, 100 Pudov the first fruits do not seem to be piriform enough we will wait for the next ones to be sure or not of its conformity. Fortunately the percentage of non conformity is low but it is part of the hazards and we have to deal with it... We can finally see what the enigmatic "Colosso di Rodi" looks like and I invite the different collectors who have also obtained this Italian variety to tell me if their fruits are similar or not, because there is almost no "literature" about it...

2016-06-16: Ambert, the "blue" varieties have finally decided to show their nose, the size of a walnut can already distinguish the more or less important anthocyanins. In spite of a far from favorable weather, the few sunny spells have warmed up the atmosphere of the greenhouses and thus allow the plants to enjoy themselves.

2016-06-12: Ambert, very good growth of plants here too. Despite everything a little late compared to Brioude, probably due to the difference in altitude of +/- 150 m. The plants are starting to be loaded with fruits... The "blue" varieties seem to be more difficult, just 'Glossy Rose Blue', 'Bosque bumblebee' and 'Soyouz11' are showing some.

2016-06-10: In Brioude, the rather mild week has been profitable and the plants have developed exponentially! The gourmands are numerous and the first hooks to support the bunches have been placed. Most of the plants are bearing fruits at different stages of growth and the objective to taste some before the end of the month is achievable.

2016-06-03: In Brioude, the varieties coming from the "cold" are the first to present fruits already well formed. On the other hand, the Italian varieties, which do not have any for the moment, have an exuberant development exceeding by far in size the other plants. We can notice a flagrant difference in the growth between Ambert and Brioude, probably due to a difference in temperature between the two cities which is even more significant at night and which can reach 4°C...

2016-06-01: In St. Ambert, in spite of the abundant precipitations of these last days, the plants do not seem to suffer too much from these bad weather conditions. A preventive treatment with Bicarbonate of soda, to which we will have added horsetail and nettle manure, was carried out to prevent any possible attack of Mildew, by insisting on the most exposed plants, i.e. those which are at the edge of the greenhouse where the humidity is the most important. A new spraying will be done within 5 days.

2016-05-25: This beginning of the season is not really favorable as far as the weather is concerned, the growth of the plants seems to mark the step, especially in Ambert where the nights remain cold. Few fruits are formed and many are the deformed flowers. As for the peppers which are still "warm" in the veranda, it is not planned to take them outside before at least a fortnight, the flowering is intensifying and the first fruits appear.

2016-05-17: Good growth of the plants in Ambert and Brioude in spite of the return of frosts during the night of Sunday to Monday. A lot of fright but no damage thanks to some subterfuges installed in the night... Only some pieces of branches, here and there, got soft but without consequences.

2016-05-15: In spite of an icy north wind, the sun, which has returned, is heating the greenhouses sufficiently for the flowering to become widespread. Note that some fruits are already formed. The "variegated" varieties show more and more their variegation on their foliage and even on their stems..

potato plants from TPS seeds, about ten varieties, were also put in place and well spotted..

2016-05-08: the plantations are now completed, it remains only to attach all this small world to the cord which is intended for him, a good day of work and with knees! At the same time it will be necessary to eliminate the flowers of cats already numerous and the first gourmands. The last frost made small damages on three dwarf plants located in border of greenhouse, only the extremities were burned, I wait a few days to replace them by their lining or not. As for the weather, we went from winter to summer in a few hours with a strong southern wind. The plants were put to the test and we had to water them to give them back some vigor as they had become soft and wilted.

2016-04-29: In spite of the polar wind which has been raging for a few days, leading to some morning frosts, the period of planting in the ground has started. Yesterday a first row was placed in Brioude under the lean-to greenhouse, along the wall, the most protected place, this one will be used as a test. Tomorrow the two other rows should also receive their plants. Still in Brioude, the new greenhouse has received its mulching cloth and is now ready, the first plantings are planned for next Monday. In Ambert, as of today, the small greenhouse dedicated to the "blue" varieties will be planted, the addition of a small heating blower will also be put in place for the case or. For the big greenhouse which was used as a nursery, we will have to wait until the middle of next week that all the stored plants are distributed in order to free the place. We can imagine that at the end of next week all the plants will be put in their place and that a new phase of culture will start with more colorful pictures, because it is true that green is a bit boring..

2016-04-24: notwithstanding of a rather mixed weather, this last week was very profitable. Indeed, the growth of the young plants was spectacular so much so that many of them touched the tarpaulin of the tunnel which was used as a shelter and which became too small to receive them all. It was necessary to find makeshift means to protect the plants, not sheltered, from the announced frosts. Unfortunately the week that is announced, very cool, will not allow to do the first plantations in the ground without risk before the beginning of May. In Brioude, the new greenhouse has been covered and all that is left to do is to lay the mulch cloth, so it will be ready to receive its occupants, who are expected to number 120. The installation of a windbreaker on its perimeter was essential because located on a slight hillock, it is unfortunately exposed to the wind whether it is from the South or the North..

2016-04-17: end of the repotting. In passing I noticed that some varieties, including old heirlooms, have been "polluted" by the "blue" gene and show anthocyanin deficiencies, proof if any that the term "blue plague" is appropriate. These plants have already been located in order to note their evolution. The graining of the fruits that they will give is proscribed in order to avoid the proliferation of this anomaly. Otherwise the growth of the young plants is exponential, in the space of one week certain cultivars have doubled in volume undoubtedly due to a more lenient weather at the level of temperatures. The announcement of the return of cold weather, even frosts, will calm down the ardor of this little world and will allow to wait for the moment of the planting while finishing to harden up!..

2016-04-12: The second series of repotting, in pots of 1 to 2 liters has started and will continue until the end of the week, depending on the growth of the plants. It should be noted that the plants coming from the second sowing caught up with those of the first and for some are even more advanced. As for the weather, the nights are still cool or even cold, some small frosts persist, and the lack of light, although tending to regress, is still present. The important variations of temperature in the greenhouse put to hard test the plants what has for goal to harden them and will be thus more robust when they will be planted in full ground, what is programmed between next May 5 and 10 if the weather allows it.

2016-04-04: The grey and gloomy weather that has settled for the last 4 days does not favor the growth of the young plants which tend to want to "spin" for lack of light. The 360 different varieties before being transplanted again in bigger pots, have been, for convenience, dispatched by final location. A final sorting of the foliage was done to eliminate all non-conforming plants.

2016-03-31: The first plants are sufficiently developed to carry out a first verification of conformity and it is at the level of the foliage that this first control will be carried out. Indeed it is now easy to see if the foliage is in conformity with the standard and thus to eliminate the intruders. On the whole, there are few problems with what should be potato leaves! But as every year we find ourselves with varieties presenting with the 2 types of foliage (Solar flare - Grandfather's Ashlock- Blackberry - Big tiger) the one not corresponding to the standard will be destroyed. More curious is the non conformity of new varieties with the descriptions of the sites of sale, of which particularly the innovations of Dean Slater: Dean's "Brad Gates" announced with regular and variegated foliage is in fact with potato leaf, Dean's Haley rainbow: on the 2 obtained feet one is with regular foliage the other of potato... here is what arrives when one releases not stabilized varieties..

2016-04-01: Today the "maternity" is closed after transplanting the last seedlings from the 22nd and repotting the Dwarfs varieties. The only missing varieties are 2 (Orlinyi Klyuv or Eagle Beak and Purple rose smudge) and will be replaced without problem.

27-03-2016: Yesterday taking advantage of a magnificent sunny day and without northern wind, displacement of the plants from the first sowing in a cold greenhouse, in order to give way, to those of the second sowing, in the polycarbonate box. No loss to deplore, it must be said that the tomato is a "good girl".. for the final statistics of the second wave of sowing it is less good than the previous one but sufficient to generate the number of plants planned. 95% of the varieties are there but only 66% of the seeds have raised. The missing varieties are of various provenance including 3 from Tomatofest, which is curious! As far as possible and depending on the remaining stocks, they were reseminated for a second chance. Today transplanting of the remaining plants from the sowing of 12/03.

22-03-2016:  the work is not lacking, it becomes delicate to find time to write some lines. Last Sunday the last sowings were done, +/-50 varieties essentially "orders" and the few cultivars that did not emerge at their first attempt. For the sowings of March 12 there are still some seeds germinating but the main thing is done, the provisional statistics are not very good compared to the first series: for the germination rate we reach only 51% and the number of emerged varieties 89%. Indeed many cultivars had only 1 to 2 seeds germinated, a strange phenomenon considering that the germination conditions were the same for both series! At the level of the first seedlings transplanted no concern none are missing and their growth is proceeding as normally as possible.        

17-03-2016: Transplanting in 8x8 pots of the plants resulting from the first series of sowings, that is to say in total 336 cultivars, on average 2 per variety. For the second sowing, the emergence is more laborious at D+5, on 198 varieties 31 are missing, that is to say at D+5: +/- 84% of the varieties have emerged against 90% for the first sowing.

16-03-2016: It has been 15 days since the first sowing was made and we can consider that there will be no longer new seeds now. If we obscure the 7 varieties whose seed was aged 10 to 15 years, the statistical results are as follows:

12-03-2016: second wave of seedlings, the "mid-season" varieties +/-200 species more....the game of musical chairs has started, replacing in the nursery the previous ones that have left to integrate the greenhouse in the veranda. The first repottings are planned for the middle of next week. 

09-03-2016: J+7: à ce jour seulement les graines de 2 variétés n'ont pas levé (Silvery Fir Tree et Purple Rose Smudge) mis à part les 7 variétés dont les graines sont agées de plus de 10 ans. Au niveau des statistiques: 72.81% de réussite au niveau de la germination et 94% des variétés ont levées et si l'on occulte les 7 variétés déjà citées on atteint les 98%.

07-03-2016 D+4:: +/- 90% of the varieties have risen, it misses to date 17 of which 7 whose seeds had more than 10 years to see 15 for oldest. At the level of seeds on average one must be with 70 % of successful germination. By experience one should reach the 80% what is in the standard. This year I carried out a sowing a little deeper, +/-5 mm what had for effect to avoid having the cotyledons of stuck in the tegument (envelope of the seed) to the raising.

06-03-2016 D+3: 40% of the tomato seedlings have emerged. This is consistent with other years.

05-03-2016: Sowing of potato seeds, mainly varieties (31) from Tom Wagner. First varieties of tomatoes have emerged (Mong - Chianti rose - Moonshines ball - Maralinga..)