Balcony Tomatoes

The seven tomato plants on my balcony are still growing, and there is quite a lot of fruit ready to pick in the next couple of days. They are Mountain Magic tomatoes, a blight resistant variety and the only ones I now grow outside. The balcony is quite sheltered and sunny: last year I was still picking a few tomatoes the first week in November. 

I could have followed yesterday's lacy leaf with many more, as I spent a tedious half hour or more picking huge numbers of voracious caterpillars off the calabrese plants, which were doing well until very recently but are now full of holes, have serrated edges and some leaves nibbled back to the ribs. I gathered a big tub of all sizes and stages, from tiny eggs to big, hairy black and yellow stripes. I hope the calabrese is grateful.