Tomato Growing Thread 2021

Its not the end of the world when a side shoot is allowed to fruit.
You just end up with a bit more untidiness.

 

Yeah, last year it was mostly fine, but with so many plants (18 total) I need to keep them under control lest they all run away with me and end up in a big tangle like last year! And then I only had 6!

 

When I first started growing toms in the 70s I used to have loads of plants.
After a few years I noticed I could get the same amount of crop out of fewer plants that were well spaced.

I know the tendency is to grow too many, I've still got plants to plant out that I really dont need, but overdoing it can be a problem, especially in damp weather when lots of plants crammed together get blight, outside, or botrytis inside.

 

They aren't too crammed together, they're all in tomato bags of which I have several. I just wanted an opportunity to grow lots of varieties to see what worked well. Last year they were too close and got unmanageable so I have spaced them further apart.

 

So how much space do you recommend leaving?? On outside plants?? Mine are in a diamond pattern with 1 to 1.5 feet between them. It's likely less than you would recommend. But it works ok and does let me try different varieties.. perhaps when I become a responsible adult tomato grower I'll do fewer. It's really interesting that you get the same yeild from fewer plants. What should I be aiming for?? Thanks ☺️

 

Oh dont take me too literally, it was never a scientific observation.

I just remember having lots of plants, mostly because I grew too many from seed each year, and cramming them all together.

I also, for some reason, I thought I needed loads of tomatoes, I think it was some kind of obsession.

 

I actually give them more spacing than that outside, and I plant them here and there, not in one space.
Thoughts being some might get blight and others may not necessarily get it at the same time if they are at other ends of the garden.

 

ah yes - I am very obsessed. Tomatoes are my absolute favorite and I usually (touch wood) end up with trays and trays of them which make me very happy. To relax I watch clips of tomatoes on YouTube We freeze and can and usually dont buy tomatoes again until well into the next spring.

But, I do end up with some plants out-performing others rather than the even results of some of my YouTube heroes. I suspect if I crammed less in I might do better, but I cant bear the thought of potentially less 'action' in the tomato bed

 

I also have a question: I have some Outdoor Girl plants this year. They are said to be indeterminate and so Ive planted them in a way to grow them in cordons. But .. they dont look indeterminate, the growing meristems looks suspicious. I would hate to remove all the side shoots and find the plants had no more options for growing.

Have others tried Outdoor Girl and found them slightly unusual in their growth habit? Thanks for advice... ps: found nothing on YouTube

 

I'm also a tomato hoarder. 6 plants was not enough to satisfy last year. I waterbath can them in jars and we use them regularly in cooking. I don't actually like fresh salad tomatoes myself (never have... however I find homegrown ones far more tolerable and home grown cherries are absolutely delicious). But we easily get through a litre and a half of crushed tomatoes a week so I'm hoping to grow enough to store.

 

I think I'd trust your gut and leave them as determinate if that's what they look like. As others have said you don't have to prune, even though it's ideal, hopefully once it gets to a certain size you'll know for definite.

 

What pleasure! All those shapes, colours and sizes!

 

Put about 9 plants out at the gate yesterday, free to any one who wants them.
Only got rid of 2 atm.