Tomato Growing 2024

I went to The Range and bought two little tomato plants 'Cocktail' for 99p each, a bargain I think. Has anyone tried this variety?

 

Hi, @pattie. Do you have more info about your plants, from the labels? The term "cocktail" is included in some variety names, notably Cocktail Crush, but is used mainly to denote a fruit size bigger than a cherry, but smaller than a salad tomato. Plants from outlets such as The Range are likely to be commercial hybrids, so they should prove healthy and disease-resistant. 99p is indeed a good price for a plant these days.

 

Thats mine up and running. 48 hour germination for the first ones Honeycombe. No room as I still cant move for bleedin peppers lol.

 

Hello and good morning @eatenbyweasels. Thank you for your help. There's nothing much on the label but I checked online and they are described in a similar way to your information. The fruits are sweet with a hint of savory which I like. I will grow the two plants in a growbag and their size fits the bill perfectly.

 

@pattie - do you use the growbags in the standard way, or do you cut them down the middle, and stack them on their ends - like two large containers?

 

Hi @fairygirl!
I stack growbags the second way you describe , to give as much root run as possible for the tomatoes. I believe one can also use bags of multi purpose compost, rather than special growbags. I might try that.

 

Yes - I think cost will definitely come into it now @JKW !
It was something they showed on Beechgrove a few years back @pattie. More stability too for heftier plants.
I always grew mine in pots, just with standard compost etc, but I now have them in the ground to give me more height as I only have a small growhouse, and they really need to be undercover here for a reliable crop. I have the growhouse raised up a bit, and on a solid edge, but in an existing border.
The growbags used to be a good alternative to bagged compost too, but I often look at prices, and there isn't much difference in that respect nowadays.

 

Try to find as heavy a gauge of metalwork as you can. I have to use obelisks in my garden for tall plants, clematis, runner beans etc. as it is exposed to the S Westerly gales. I had one obelisk which only lasted a couple of years because it rusted through very quickly, others have lasted several years so far. I am about to buy another one to put over my upright rosemary bush which is leaning at an acute angle. I have tried staking it with dahlias stakes but that hasn't worked so I am going to try putting an obelisk over it and stakes around the outside.

 

I grow mine in cheapo builders buckets, drainage holes drilled in base, in a mix of cheapo peat free compost and garden soil, throw in some mycorrhizal fungi, BFB and then stand the buckets on a plastic sheet covered with capillary matting.

 

@Goldenlily26 I got round the rosemary growing tall and leaning, by buying a prostrate one; this layers a treat and is 2 to 3 ft tall.

 

I don't have too many problems re the watering, as the plants can draw up moisture from outside the growhouse, due to it being on open ground.
I think that's where it can be easier if you're growing outside though, and you're in drier areas.

I now just improve the soil a bit before planting the new tomatoes in May. Old compost, or home made, and some BF&B usually.

 

I like to use an upright rosemary as a vertical interest point instead of a conifer, also it doesn't take up so much room. I have some horizontal rosemary which I am planning to plant on top of a bank to see if it will supress the weeds coming in from the fields. I was also going to try one in a tall container to hang over the edge, there is a rosemary in a nearby garden which waterfalls down a wall on the road side of the garden. It looks lovely when in flower, and the bees love it. Down here in Cornwall the horizontal rosemary can be a bit of a thug unless kept under control.

 

I grow my tomatoes in old compost bags, stood on end with holes punched in the bottoms. I use cheap plastic washing up bowls as drip trays. I turn the printed side of the bags inside and roll the tops down to make lifting handles. They last for several years. I use multi purpose, home made compost or a mix, depends on what I have available, and feed regularly with Tomorite. (Other feeds available). I found laying the bags on their sides did not give enough depth for stakes or roots they dry out quickly.