Tomato Growing 2024

I never use seed compost for anything @floralies , because it does tend to be heavy, and is better for autumn sown plants, which I hardly ever do, because it's low in nutrients and helps avoid too much leggy growth - in theory.
I used to use just MPC for anything being sown at this time of year, but - as you say, many of the composts are 'variable' at best. I started mixing spent compost from the previous year's potted annuals, with a bit of grit or Perlite, depending on what it was for. I sometimes use a bit of soil in it if it's for things like sweet peas which need to be damper.
Maybe some grit mixed with your seed compost would be better - 50%/50% or similar?

 

I've never had problems with my seedlings as I have this year. Those in two types of newly bought compost from well known brands aren't doing well at all. Binned a couple as seemed dead. Have way too many, so it's ok, but it doesn't bode well in terms of buying compost in the future.

Just seen JWK's post about microwaving compost from last year - think this may be the way forward.

 

Surprised no enterprising person has looked to sell tomato suckers or have they.

 

Mine have to be outside, it's normally nice and warm for them! Not today with a strong NW wind!

 

Yes, how would we know? I guess from one little tomato seed at least a doz suckers in the right conditions could be harvested. That's a pretty decent ROI, plus all the tomato seeds in each fruit. They're never going to become extinct.

 

I do the same as @fairygirl for most of my edibles - spent compost and perlite. Germination is usually good but some seeds ( noticeably cukes ) have proved awkward little B's this year.

 

tomatoes dont like to be cloned ive heard, year 2 isnt as good for some reason. not seen any proof of this yet though peppers and physalis should be fine to clone. suprised i dont see them sold as adult plants. especially physalis.

my cucumbers are going strong but none of my 3 year old seeds came up. sad cause its expensive f1

 

My 'experiment' growing Tesco's Piccobella has exceeded expectations, I didn't expect such good germination in just 4 days just with growing on the kitchen NE facing window sill (now moved). Don't know whether they are an F1, but even so I think they may be close to the mother plant. Still not bad ROI from just one cherry tomato.

No sign of the seeds germinating from 2 Piccobella tomato slices sown and treated at the same time, presently just 2 lumps of grey fungi. 'Experiment' isn't over yet.

 

I did something similar @Jenny_Aster - last year maybe? Just a s'market plum tomato, because my first lot of seed didn't germinate well at all. They were very good, germinated easily, and very like the original tom. I ended up with a few outside, and fortunately for the toms, the weather was kind ennough to allow them to do well.
It's always worth a shot

 

When I first started growing tomatoes in France they didn't even sell seed compost. Still expensive and not always easy to find. Same for vermiculite. I just used multi purpose peat based compost which worked fine.

Nowadays I just buy plants. I no longer have a GH and since I met 2nd OH, who lives in Norfolk, I'm not here all the time. I do miss my GH and seed growing though. I don't know now whether peat free multi purpose compost is good for seed growing now that it's all changed.

 

Well I hope those south of The Border are having more success than I am. Despite being in a heated propagator my tomatoes have that tell tale tinge of mauve about the colour of this emoji…well not quite!
Due to being very busy doing other garden related things I was quite late sowing my toms, germination was excellent but it is so cold they are hardly growing. At this rate I will be enjoying my first 2005 Gardeners Delight @JWK along with my turkey on Christmas Day.

 

I only sowed mine about a week ago @hailbopp, all in our unheated greenhouse. I was very late last year and they were very slow due to the weather. I remember they were about 10cm tall when we went on holiday in mid June. But they soon romped away and we got a good crop eventually, just late from mid August through to October