Tomato Growing 2024

Piquant peppers?

 

@Alisa I'm intrigued as to why you soak your tomato seeds in aloe vera for 24 hours before you sow them, I haven't heard of this before.

 

Just potted up 24 tomato seedlings.

 

Aloe is considered to be one of germination stimulators along with many other solutions like peroxide, honey water etc. I renewed my aloe plant this year (re-rooting the top of the plant). I've got plenty of spare aloe leaves un my fridge, hence went for a lazy soaking method: just leaving seeds inside the leaf before sowing.

 

I find tomato seeds super easy to germinate especially on a heat mat...but this aloe vera suggestion is interesting if you have it going spare. Every day a school day

 

Thanks for your reply @Alisa, that's interesting to know.

 

i use chamomile tea to germinate my tomato seeds.
it help stop damping off.

 

Hello from France. Interesting to see all the different varieties of tomatoes. We have Super Marmande of course, Marmande is a French town, but the varieties here have different names.

I had a greenhouse at my last French house and I grew lots from seed and planted some in the veg garden and some in the GH. I love Sungold, can't get the seeds here. I used to buy them in England but since Brexit it's forbidden.

I never sowed them until the 2nd half of March as the GH wasn't heated and French window sills are on the outside because of the shutters. Windows open inwards.

Now that I've downsized and I don't have a GH I cheat and buy plants to plant out in May. Can be awkward as I'm often in Norfolk where OH lives but my handyman waters them.

 

I tend not to sow mine until early April when it's warm enough in the greenhouse. They grow very quickly and only need potting on once before planting out.

 

I normally sow mine in February but haven't this year as it's been so cold and wet and grey that seedlings would struggle and etiolate before they're big enough to go out in the polytunnel. I shall probably start some later this week.

I'm intrigued by the aloe vera trick @Alisa. Do you blitz the leaves in some water to make a soluton? I have a plant on standby for when I cook myself.

 

I have sown my tomato and peppers seeds. The tomatoes are only just up. Beef steak tomatoes are first across the post. The peppers - capsicum and hot peppers are to surface. Sown 5th March.

 

Why are your toms growing so much to cover the greenhouse folks? Surely you just stop them after 5-6 trusses - have things changed???
Have to add that I miss growing toms, peppers and aubergine so, so much. However the thought of trying to here in England after doing so in a hot climate is too off putting.

 

I nip mine out @DiggersJo , but I only have a small growhouse rather than a full sized greenhouse, so space is limited. However, I missed some sideshoots on one a couple of years ago, and trained it along the top instead. It didn't affect the cropping, and I had to be vigilant so that there was no damage to other stems etc, but I don't know if that's what would happen with all varieties. I know Bob Flowerdew apparently did it by laying them along the ground.
They'd just get annihilated if I did that - slugs and snails love them! I had to put netting on the doorr one year to stop the magpies getting them too
I'm looking to get a new greenhouse maybe later this year, but the shed and my camera both need replacing, so that'll come first. I'm always surprised at just how many toms some people grow, but I suppose you can give them to friends/family.