2015 Tomato Growing

First sown seeds now pricked out

 

Pic above taken Jan 8th, pic below taken today, Jan 19th, I hadn't realy noticed how much progress they'd made in the last 11 days until I compared them, guess I'm getting a bit impatient:

 

Them Toms look good and stocky Scrunge It all does..

 

That's because I've chucked out all the failures (mainly new salady stuff, not toms) and stuck with tomato varieties (& other bits and bobs) tried and tested under lights for the last 2 years. Those Red Robin toms haven't seen a single shaft of natural daylight since they were sown around Xmas time, but if they start getting a bit too 'bluey' coloured I might start giving them doses of natural sunlight.

 

That's half the fun of gardening, trying new things, sometimes failing, sometimes just the opposite. I miss my veg patch...

 

Yesterday, 28 days after sowing, I potted on my Red Robin mini bush tomatoes from cell tray inserts (40x size) to 55mm flexi-pots (placing them at bottom of pots and burying part of stems), not because they were getting root bound, but because being bush toms they had got to 90mm high and needed a bit more space and I also wanted to get them into some more nutrient richer medium.





EDIT: And the seedlings were peeping through after only 7 days as in post #7 above.

 

Nice one Scrunge

 

Looking good there Scrunge To save me trawling, can you say what the attributes are of Red Robin?

 

Compact non-F1 (free seeds saved forever) mini-bush tomato that thrives under lights so can be used for early/late crops. but I wouldn't bother with it during mainstream tomato season when tastier tomato varieties can be grown.

Saw these tomatoes @ 4 for £2 in a Dobbies garden centre this morning, can't imagine why anyone would pay 50p each for those leggy seedlings that will only get worse as they are in the main part of the store without clear overhead roofing panels to let light through.



And why would anyone who's got the facilities to grow these on with sufficient heat and light pay 50p/plant when they could germinate their own seedlings for pennies?

Just compare the quality of those plants to my tomato seedlings a few posts above.

 

Thanks for that Scrunge It's just that I'm considering what to grow this year, and wouldn't mind growing some smaller bush tomatoes, in pots outdoors.

 

Hi freddy
Tomato plants direct are offering new for 2015 two small plants Venus and Vilma which may suit you.
Would not let me post a link Regds Alex

 

Hiya Alex, thanks for that. I should have said, I normally grow from seed, but will keep that in mind

 

Who growing these then
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...one-feed-entire-family-goes-sale-Britain.html

 

Has anyone grown 'Gourmet' please?