2013 Tomato Growing

I was going to say both, but after thinking about it I'll most probably be nipping the growing points out (to encourage side shoots) before they're big enough to be usable. The plan is to get some rooted sideshoots the same size as seed sown plants for a comparison.

 

I think I can understand why you changed you mind i.e. no side shoots available.

But the thought struck me?????

What do you think might happen if you sunk a plant into the compost so that say two sets of leaves were buried.

Do you think they might root from the leaf axils i.e. where side shoots usually form?

Might be worth a try what do you think?

On the other hand if this does not work at least your trial plant will have a better root system as roots emanate from the stem.

So it could be a win win situation.

I leave my thoughts with you....Tg

 

Hi TG, good and valid point, I planted my toms "deep" last year, maybe not quite up to the 2 (true) leaf mark but not far off, they did very well and I managed to grow the largest recorded tomato on GC last year.

 

He didn't have 99 of them Armandii

 

I haven't the "puff" to blow balloons up! I painted a grapefruit?

Oh dear, will just have to grow a bigger one this year?

 

My view is :

Toms grown from cuttings will fruit lower down (they don't need to do the trick of producing "X leaf pairs" before any trusses, because the plant is already "mature"). This allows more trusses between floor-and-roof in greenhouse.

However, if you plant in the border you can plant them deep (or on their side) thus getting the benefit of the first truss being low down, so perhaps cuttings are only really useful (heightwise) for Pot / Grow-bag growing?

Another reason is if you only have very little seed and need more plants. (Or you happen to see a plant in a garden centre where the staff have failed to routinely remove side shoots ... )

However, side shoot plants will be a long way behind their seed-grown parents. A month I would say? so that is possible a negative.

One route I am guessing would be for outdoor plants? For plants to still be relatively small in May when you plant out then cuttings taken in April would be ready for planting out by then, and they could come from side-shoots on just one or two mother plants raised from seed in February. So for folk with very little space that might be an option. Plants from cuttings will bulk up a month or so more quickly than those from seed.

If growing from seed I, personally, would not take the tip out - I would leave that so that the original seed-grown plant can be grown on to maturity unchecked for the earliest fruit, and I would use the side shoots for cuttings instead. Not sure taking the tip out will accelerate the side shoots much? Sure the 2 side shoots immediately below the tip will then sprout, but I don't think it will speed up the ones lower down the plant by much.

Indeterminate Toms seem to produce side shoots the moment you turn your back anyway!

 

Well thats Jack's & Lolimac's seeds in the post finally, who else wants some?

 

Hi folks

Been thinking I thought that I would knock up a 'frame' to house my outdoor toms. Basically, a timber frame which I will cover with polythene. My thinking is that I could uncover the toms when it's warmer, but cover again when temps are low, night time or when it's wet and cold. My guess it wouldn't need to be too tall, as I'm only looking at allowing 4 trusses. Any thoughts?

 

These mini bush toms were sown on 27/12/12, exactly 4 weeks ago today and are now ready to go in 70mm square pots (buried a bit deeper). I'm still hoping for a ripe tomato by Easter:

Personally I'd spend £45 on a 1.4 x 2m polytunnel (something like this poly tunnel), or about £10 more for something twice as big. With anything smaller I'd be worried about ventilation.

 

Hiya Mandy.

I had considered problems with mould, but I reckon if I only cover when it's cold, I shouldn't have too many problems on that front. Thing is, last year was a total write-off, not a single tom, so gotta be worth a try, I reckon

 

Freddy, is this of any interest? I grow my cordon toms on structures like this (pic taken aften they'd been cleared away) so the canes will support protection thrown over the structure. When the plants reach the top they can either be trained along the top, horizontal cane or simply left to dangle over the other side.



If the planting holes were set in from the canes, you could simply wrap a long strip of polythene around the entire structure, and either one or both sides could be rolled up/removed as and when required.

I've been using this setup for some time as my plot is a windswept frost pocket (not at the same time) and I got fed up with single, vertical canes getting blown over, having to take out tips when plants got to the tops, they were a nightmare to cover up, it's easier to walk in between rows of toms sloping away from you and it reduces the growing area so a cost saving if growing through Mypex.

One day, many years ago when I found yet another broken vertical cane, I was about to push in another beside it as a splint but I couldn't be bothered so just leant it towards another support and suddenly had a 'good idea'.

 

I always do that anyway. No need to I know, just a habit I've got into