Tomato Growing 2024

Or pronounce them!

 

Tomato seeds that have found there way into the compost bin germinate after the finished compost is used in the garden when conditions are right (ie warm enough),so they will certainly germinate outside, but (here at least) by the time that happens it's too late in the season to get much of a crop. If you live somewhere warm with a long growing season, direct-sowing tomatoes outside might work whether that's from a slice of tomato or from a packet.

 

I'm guessing southern US where the growing season's probably long enough to get a crop from direct sowing outside. Tomato seeds germinate in the soil here, I assume from seeds that have got into the compost bin as kitchen waste, but not early enough to get a reasonable crop before the first autumn frost clobbers them.

 

Last season I kept one tomato plant that sprouted in the greenhouse. With tomatoes on, I even knew what is was (quite good cherry type, grown from shop bought seeds a year before).
This season I'm trying all new varieties, all labelled, it matters, , hence pulling out all seedlings that appear in the greenhouse. I think, that large-fruited varieties if sown directly won't open their potential during not that long growing season here.

 

I'm experimenting with rooting side shoots, and looking it up online led me to the suggestion to take cuttings later in the season to overwinter...
I can't help but doubt that would work in the UK without fancy kit - has anyone tried it?

 

I have also read that there are tomato plants (well seedlings) found on railway tracks too

You are all doing so well with the growing! My airing cupboard trick seemed to germinate most of mine - they are on a windowsill (well window seat actually) now so I’m hoping they crack on.

 

I overwintered one plant a few years ago, I eventually rooted another cutting from it in spring as it had grown very thin and leggy.

 

My few are just on the greenhouse bench now.

 

Yes, I've done it with my Sungold for the past two years. I take a couple of side shoots in late summer, root them then leave them on a sunny windowsill through winter.

Then I take further cuttings in spring and dump the by now leggy parent plant that overwintered. It's worked fine, no issues at all.

 

I've rooted side shoots as well, and it's generally seen as a better method than trying to overwinter a plant, but I've never tried the latter. I don't think my house would be warm enough, so I'd have to add heat which really isn't worthwhile.
Light is certainly a bigger problem here through winter/early spring.

 

I think I may have to try rooted side shoots, I used to have no trouble getting seeds to germinate, but last year I had to buy plants and this year it looks like It's going the same way. I just wish i knew why.

 

Are you using a different growing medium for them @floralies ? Tom seeds stay viable for such a long time, so that wouldn't likely be the problem. I think I had to re sow some last year because they weren't germinating. I resowed, and they were fine after that.

I just checked my little notebook - the ones I sowed 3rd week of March [in kitchen propagators] had been out in the gr'house, but weren't staying moist. [must have been much warmer/drier last year!] I sowed more around 11th April, and also sowed some from a supermarket tom - they were sown 16th April. They all came on fine after that, and were put out in the gr'house in mid/late May as usual.

 

@fairygirl I think it's the seed compost, it seems to stay too wet, I think I should just use a used MPC or similar, our composts are rubbish here now, they never used to be. I know they don't need much nutrient to get going so that maybe the problem.