Planning ahead for next year...

Hello!

This is the second year my tomatoes havent done great, I have a few, not many for the number of plants, but they're still all green or just forming. As this is likely the end of sunshine in Scotland, I'm expecting chutney this year *yeurch* The bananas and brown paper bags never worked last year :(

Anyway, looking ahead to next year, is it worth my while starting planting things a little earlier?

I have a greenhouse and grow mostly in pots/tubs.

I was wondering how to make the most of our one week of summer, usually in April or May and only thing I can think of is start earlier so the plants can really benefit from the week of summer we get.

I know there are year round growers here, any advice on this? I have a conservatory I can start things in during late winter which would be warmer than the greenhouse

 

I'm in north west Cumbria and I sowed my toms on 20th Feb in a propogator, and we've been eating toms for weeks, however not all varieties have done so well as some need a longer growing season than others. I've never had much luck with beefsteak types although I try them every year.

Try Sungold and/or Gardeners Delight, both of these are to me reliable whatever the weather although this year I did not grow the latter. I grew one new variety this year called Sungella (Thompson & Morgan) and its been incredible, its a larger fruiting brother of the Smaller Sungold and is a very heavy cropper.



Sungella Tomatoes

If you can get seedling going early then grow them on in your conservatory, then your greenhouse you should get a good crop even in the west of Scotland...as I cannot imagine yours and our weather being that different at all.

Steve...

 

Definately worth it Moopants, especially as you are in the north.

If you can sow in heat in the spring it will give you a longer season and more chance of them ripening. Choose an early variety too, i've grown Tamina this year and am getting ripe toms now.

The only problem you'll have is the lack of light, they'll grow spindly.

Kristen(a member who you probably haven't met yet) gets over that partially by backing his window sill with tinfoil to reflect what light there is.

 

Hi Moopants.

It can be a bit tricky, I think. Sometimes one can sow extra early in an attempt to get ahead. The only problem is that if the plants get 'checked', then the outcome may well be that they actually fall behind later sowings. Last year I was relatively early with my sowing, but I had the problem of trying to maintain a minimum of 10c at all times, a right pain. So, this year I sowed later, and I still had tomatoes in early July. Hope this helps.

Cheers...Freddy.

 

Same situation here in Fife Moonpants
In fact quite crest fallen today, bitter cold dark mornings and dark at 19:00 at night, no chance of ripening for me, I am not a cook either

So I binned 70% of the plants out of the greenhouse pointless feeding every week, I expect they will compost down without squashing them all up ?

£600, 14x12hr days hard graft and 16weeks err Fun for six ripe tomatoes :-)

PLAN B find a home grower and buy excess if they are selling, 1Lb a week

Jack McH

 

Thats a bummer Jack, you not holding out for a Welsh Summer then ?

Got dark at 8 down here tonight

 

First year at growing, and having a garden with greenhouse
I have learnt a lot on here, so not packing it in
I will try earlier next year, though there is no way I can heat the greenhouse
Obviously there is but I just could not afford it
Parrafin £1.73 a litre that lasts THREE nights
I can have home grown tomatoes flown in from the USA for less than that a year

I can not use an unheated greenhouse for bringing on seeds for spring planting so not point really even for bedding plants

My retirement relaxation bubble has burst

As for tomatoes, well plants were not even available until MAY and now Sept they had produced green tomatoes and we have short days no sun and cold
So no realistic chance of growing them anymore

Lucky white heather

Jack McHammocklashing (dejected)

 

Don't give up on us baby, to quote David Soul.

Have you considered thermal mass as a way of heating the green house?

 

I am no expert gardener but I do know that you cannot fight nature, if you cannot grow tomatoes then find something that will grow in the conditions you have. There has to be something for you to grow if it is the cultivating that you enjoy rather than just eating your produce.

 

Just to add, as Steve said, 'Sungold' are very reliable. This year (as last) I grew them, and they were weeks ahead of my other tomatoes,'Shirley'. Oh yes, and the flavour!

 

Thermal mass

Not sure what the term is
But if it relates to concrete blocks as decking, and a large metal box work table, that get warm in the day, then cool during the night
I already have that accidently

Nope my next idea is to nick one of the rusting Nuclear subs from Rosyth and use the reactor, I belive you can get quite high steam temperatures :-)

Nah as I say it is my first attempt, and I did not start gardening until MAY

Next year I will try and adjust the start off times
I will have to get an old calendar, and mark all this years trials one month earlier and try to use that

The rule of thumb up here is whatever it tells you on the seed packet or TV prog, do it one month later, (the only trouble with that is the year runs out before anything is cooked :-(

Jack McH

 

I did something similar this year... it's good to see what worked and what didnt.

That's my problem, None of my neighbours grow anything and everyone else I know who does, live down south so its hard to get it right.

With the tomatoes I went with the earliest date on the packet and they took ages to grow over 3" when people on here were already showing their green fruit.

I may have just been unlucky this year. :(

Maybe third time lucky.

 

Moopants...get yourself down to your local allotments on Saturday or Sunday and chat with some of the plot holders..get dates/times and advice from them...you'll be surprised how much info you can get that way.

If you dont know where your local plot's are then use Google maps in satelite view..scan your area and you'll soon find them.

Steve...

 

Thats what I meant Jack Bear in mind its been a pants summer this year too.

 

believe it or not, there are no local allotments! I've been harassing the local council to set some up but not funding blah blah blah.. but oh that lovely greenbelt land has been sold to more developers against locals wishes.

I really *really* want an allotment.