Anyone growing tomatoes?

Soldato
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Last year was my first effort growing tomatoes at home. Grew them from seed in little pots on the windowsill, but I think I started a bit late and didn't water them enough to begin with - was just worried about overwatering - so I didn't end up with any fruit appearing until mid-Aug and so harvesting didn't really start until September. By which time ripening was taking a while as it was getting colder.

This year I've started earlier and bought a £6 propagator to keep them warmer and moister from the get go. Planted last night so looking forward to hopefully a more successful effort this year. Anyone else growing? Got any special tips?
 
Soldato
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yes been growing them for years

first time in a greenhouse last year and my plants grew up to 8 feet it was madness.

this year i plan to grow a different range of tomatoes. main tip is when the plants get big, give them a bit of support via sticks and ropes.
as the plants mature, they begin to get heavy and can easily fall down
 
Soldato
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Yes, starting off in the house, then down the allotment in the cold frame, plant outside mid May. Tend to grow bush varieties as easier outside, minimal staking and lots of fruit. Keep well watered as the fruit sets, support any really heavy trusses. I recommend trying the variety 'red alert' they are an early variety with decent flavour a good first tomato to grow.
 
Soldato
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I have a good selection of tom's making good progress on the kitchen windowsill, having started seeds early February. Marmande for stuffing, then Sungold, Cherry Baby, Roma, Sweet Million and one more I forget right now.

A greenhouse makes all the difference in the crop size - below was our greenhouse last summer. Tom's on the left (in a bed) and the right (tubs on the floor), with chillies and peppers on the right worktop.

SIw5LPIl.jpg

Agree lots of support is needed otherwise a heavy crop can snap the plants. I feed twice weekly in the greenhouse and once weekly outside. Water every day, though I have that setup with an automatic timer. Last year we were overwhelmed, so we start making batches of pasta sauce up which is fine frozen.
 
Soldato
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I have a good selection of tom's making good progress on the kitchen windowsill, having started seeds early February. Marmande for stuffing, then Sungold, Cherry Baby, Roma, Sweet Million and one more I forget right now.

A greenhouse makes all the difference in the crop size - below was our greenhouse last summer. Tom's on the left (in a bed) and the right (tubs on the floor), with chillies and peppers on the right worktop.

SIw5LPIl.jpg

Agree lots of support is needed otherwise a heavy crop can snap the plants. I feed twice weekly in the greenhouse and once weekly outside. Water every day, though I have that setup with an automatic timer. Last year we were overwhelmed, so we start making batches of pasta sauce up which is fine frozen.


wow that looks great, hardly any room for movement though haha
 
Associate
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I'm going to be growing cherry tomatoes this year, reminds me I need to start sowing the seeds asap.
I bought the "Piccolo" Variety, I'm hoping to get some good results, I'm gonna plant some in the conservatory and some in the garden.
My goal, apart from using them in salads, is to harvest enough to make passata and store it away until needed.
 
Soldato
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I’ve got 6 varieties which have all successfully germinated. Just waiting for them to get a bit bigger and I’ll transfer them out into bigger pots. Had more than we knew what to do with last year due to the heat. The main learning point was making sure they’re well supported as mine ended up as a feral mess!

@#Chri5# - love the setup! One day I’ll have a massive greenhouse!
 
Soldato
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ive got 9 varieties in pots atm, only 1 variety has germinated so far and that the indigo cherry, a black cherry tomato..so lots of fun. ive got 6 heritage and 2 f1 types. looking forward to seeing how tall I can single stem my interterminates.



rotters
 
Associate
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Hook
We planted out Tomatoes into little pots in the Pollytunnel about a week or so ago. We plan on keeping them in the tunnel along with our cucumbers and peppers.
 
Soldato
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wow that looks great, hardly any room for movement though haha

You do feel like a jungle explorer trying to get to the back plants but it's worth the effort. Before we moved and got the greenhouse, I tried tom's on the patio for several years. As other's have found, you'd get a few ripe but lots of green ones.
 

SPG

SPG

Soldato
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I did some in hanging baskets last year.... Never again, its like having a small child demanding constant attention of feed me water and the slightest bit of wind wrecks them.

Would love a green house tbh :(
 
Soldato
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We planted out Tomatoes into little pots in the Pollytunnel about a week or so ago. We plan on keeping them in the tunnel along with our cucumbers and peppers.


some tomato and cucumber varieties do not get along. it might stunt the growth of your cucumbers. Also are you pollinating the female flowers if in a greenhouse?
 
Soldato
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some tomato and cucumber varieties do not get along. it might stunt the growth of your cucumbers. Also are you pollinating the female flowers if in a greenhouse?

I didn't know that. We've had a single cucumber plant in the greenhouse the last couple of years as I don't like it but Mrs Chris does. Even one plant had us giving big cucumbers away though.
 
Associate
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Hook
some tomato and cucumber varieties do not get along. it might stunt the growth of your cucumbers. Also are you pollinating the female flowers if in a greenhouse?

We've germinated them in the green house in individual pots, once large enough they will be transferred to larger pots but still kept separate. they'll never be in the same soil. As for pollinating flowers, I'm a newbie to all this veg growing stuff so didn't realise i had to?
 
Soldato
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Growing tomatoes and chillies again for probably the 10th year. Every year I always grow far too much.

But we spend a fortune on salad so hopefully this year I'm going to try and get a production line of salad leaves on the go. And hopefully it wont get decimated by caterpillars unlike last year.
 
Associate
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Am doing tumbling tom variety for a hanging basking. Only 4 out of 10 seeds germinated (indoors) which was a bit naff.
 
Soldato
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11 Dec 2004
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This is my first year trying to grow anything in the garden.

I've got three blueberry plants just starting to break dormancy and 5 raspberry canes that are not waking up yet.

I bought those as plants. In addition I've planted carrots, strawberries, sweet peppers, chilli peppers and tomatoes from seed.

I'd like to try other things but I figure that's already quite a lot to spread my time over when I don't know what Im doing. I'll consider myself lucky if 50% of the things I've listed produce anything edible this year.

Fingers crossed
 
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