Tomato Growing Thread 2023

Hi, that's what I am planning to do next year. To have 9 plants in raised bed where I have my pots now and another 9 plants in pots on the concrete where is the only single pringle now i am determined to master watering this year!

 

Do I need to cut the bottom.to do that?

 

Nah. So long as the pots have decent drainage holes it'll be fine. I save the bottomless collars for the courgettes.

 

Planted up my tomato plants into their final pots in greenhouse. Mix of garden soil and cheap compost plus mycorrhizal fungi. Three each of San Marazano, Orange Wellington, Black Opal, Alicante, Sun Gold and two Golden Sunrise.

 

Good luck with them, would you have some photos?

 

My tomatoes are sprouting flowers yet are barely 18 inches tall, rather odd behaviour, is this the peat free compost I wonder, but as they are now in the ground in the rings, they can access the soil and manure so will hopefully get a wriggle on now.

 

I prefer the first truss fairly low, my early ones are far too tall before the first truss, i don't think my growlights are much good.
The later sown ones are much stockier as they have been outside a lot so grown shorter.

 

It's happening again this year on this site!!! All these fantastic tomato growers with "Jack-and-the-beanstalk" vines and terrific trusses on myriads of unknown (by me) varieties! Last year it just depressed me, but this year not (could be the new pills) as I'm certain mine are coming along fine! Given them more space before planting them out in a week or two. Not in a 'new' greenhouse but in my old REPAIRED one. Taking down the old one and erecting the new one will mean destroying all the old roses and other plants grown over 40years around it. If the weather destroys the greenhouse then I can think again!!

 

First truss of Bloody Butcher de-bagged and tagged for seed collection. This variety had very few seeds last year, so I've bagged another flower truss further up as insurance.

 

So what is the fascination with bloody butcher?

 

It's robust, early, tasty and doesn't give up until the end of the season. Additionally, it appears to have spawned an unexpected dwarf variant, so I'm extra chuffed with it.

 

It's looking to be the earliest for me too. The fruits tend to be a bit variable in size but for an early tom they are a pretty tasty salad tomato

 

Florida Petite and Fat Frog, out in the sun, wearing their little chastity bags.