{"id":71391,"date":"2023-08-23T11:09:42","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T11:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/specialist\/?p=71391"},"modified":"2023-08-25T07:30:22","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T07:30:22","slug":"true-colours-tomatoes-with-niall-radford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/specialist\/2023\/08\/23\/true-colours-tomatoes-with-niall-radford\/","title":{"rendered":"True Colours – Tomatoes With Niall Radford"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Fancy a look at some truly stunning tomatoes, shapely as anything on earth, and full of indescribable, inimitable colour? Well come and see what Niall Radford<\/a> has been up to using our systems! He\u2019ll let you in on how the magic happens too – if you\u2019re very well behaved.<\/p>\n\n\n Concentrating his efforts on a couple of small greenhouses for 2023, Niall has seemingly devised a perfect set up for his 25L \/ 6.6 gal AutoPot XL modules<\/a>. \u2018I only fill them to about 15L \/ 3.9 gal with a mixture of coir, compost, and perlite.\u2019 This grow media seems to have provided a winning combination of aeration and water retention in which Niall\u2019s beautifully niche heirloom tomatoes are thriving.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n Think fruity-fresh, Sart Roloise<\/a> with their gorgeous, ombre fades from purple shoulders to yellow\/green blossom ends. Admire Niall\u2019s perfectly formed, intensely flavoursome, indigo and green-mottled Kaleidoscopic Jewels<\/a>, dazzling little opal shaped fruit that absolutely live up to their moniker. Prefer something milder, yet dense and meaty? Niall\u2019s crushing that too with voluptuously shaped, crimson and black Crushed Hearts<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n Yet more colour variety is on show with orange-black\/purple Lucid Gems<\/a>, a beautiful, sweet tomato that dials down on acidity. Like to get trippy inside? You\u2019ll love Niall\u2019s P20 Beauty King\u2019s<\/a> with their wildly structured, vibrant pink interiors. The list can, and does, go on, running the gamut of Ozark Sunrise, Midnight Sun, Black Beauty, Rebel Starfighter VT16, Pink Berkeley Tie Dye, and Blue Beauty, many of which are available via Niall\u2019s smart and informative seed shop<\/a>. Fed on Hydrosol<\/a> (a two-part, water-soluble, mineral feed) and a little Fulvic Acid the plants and fruit are exhibiting a robustness of form and colour that is quite extraordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n The fruit are able to reach such astonishing highs thanks, in part, to the means by which they\u2019re supported. In their individual AutoPot modules the plants each draw water from a reservoir, via pipework to their own individual requirements. As the plants know the correct rate of intake better than any human they\u2019re always set fair to achieve their full potential. As well as being highly effective, the particular system setup Niall is using is also a great advert for the longevity and sustainability of AutoPot hardware.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather than opting for the very latest model trays, pipe, and fittings, Niall has made good with his existing, old-style 3mm aperture \/ 6mm outer AutoPot kit. Here and there the system has been extended and renovated using our still-available range of 6mm spares<\/a>. But essentially this is a excellent example of how the systems can provide exceptional results year-on-year, with minimal changes required. As Niall explains, \u2018I just purchased a few new AQUAvalves and extra pipe for this greenhouse as I had some spare pots and trays<\/a>. Although running on the original smaller aperture, I\u2019ve not encountered any blockages. As a matter of course I run off a litre daily just to make sure everything is moving, but other than that there\u2019s very little extra work involved\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n Making the greenhouse as user friendly as possible is key, especially when you\u2019re looking to maximise floorspace. Niall has some sound advice on this front too. \u2018If I was setting this up again, I\u2019d run the main feed line round the front of the pots (outside perimeter of the greenhouse) rather than down the middle of the floor. Down the middle lends itself to inevitably standing on the joints and potentially causing small leaks.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Plumbing in the pipe work for this 12Pot XL<\/a> set up took less than 30 minutes, it\u2019s always handy to have some warm water to dip the pipe in before pushing on to the connectors. I\u2019ve found from experience that this makes the job a whole lot easier and quicker.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n When you think how often you see great plants in a well maintained space you realise how much of growing isn\u2019t rocket science. Keeping kit in good nick<\/a> really can help you get great results, a theory Niall extends to his water supply. \u2018I probably don\u2019t need to, but I fully drain the reservoir every third filling, give it a good wash out and also give the main feed line a good flush with water. Purely precautionary but good practice that probably stems from a prior life in the hospitality industry – cleaning beer lines!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
may not be bang up to date but they remain incredibly effective<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n