THE TOMATO GROWING THREAD 2018

Happy New Year fellow tomato growers. Here are my first babies of 2018:

Their mama was a big of a triffid Black Russian x Bloody Butcher I think cos the plant was very vigorous and fast growing, potato-leaved with smooth Black Russian type fruit. This photo was taken yesterday and I've got Bloody Butcher and 42 days also germinated. I'll wait a while before sowing others, though I'm tempted to put in an order with Tatiana's Tomatobase.

 

PS Armandii, you tomato appears to have chrysanthemum leaves! Jus sayin!

 

Hi All,

Have always grown the toms in the greenhouse, but this year want to try growing them outside in the sunniest spot in the south facing garden.

Any suggestion as to the best varieties, bearing in mind we are up in the W Yorks Pennine hills.

Have generally grown cherry toms indoors for the better flavour, but perhaps no so true for outdoors ?

Also wondered what is the best method of growing them, just let them side shoot at random or restrict them to a limited number or even grow as a cordon ?

thanks

 

Last year (amongst others) I grew these outdoors...
Tomato Seeds - Tumbling Tom Red at Suttons Seeds
3 to a 3ft planter, I had very good results. They started fruiting in early July, if memory serves. Very good flavour, and plenty of them.

 

That is the only variety I grew last year and I was really pleased with the results.
I put four in my VegTrug (but ended up pulling one out because of spacing issues); I put two in a 12" hanging basket, which did ... ok-ish; and one in a 15" hanging basket which turned out to be the very best in terms of crop per plant. The 15" hanging basket is on a bracket attached to the house and didn't get any sun until after midday.
The three remaining ones in the VegTrug needed support when they started to spill over the edge - not something which happened with the basket ones - so I doubt I'll grow them in there again, just for that reason.
They freeze well too @Freddy

 

Mine spilled over, but I had already placed the planter on top of a couple of large upturned pots, so it wasn’t an issue.
As for freezing, not much chance of that, Aunt Sally scoffs the lot...almost

 

Ah, never considered blight, though no signs of it round about or affecting the greenhouse ones, yet !

Think the Tumbling Tom or Crimson Crush sound ideal.
The TT cherry type which l prefer and being small can have anywhere in the garden but also in have some as backup in the greenhouse without taking all the space up the usual cordons would.

I know its a piece of string question, but roughly, how far down do the TT trail, 1, 2, 3 ft ?

 

I would say around 2ft? I suppose one could give them a trim, if necessary.

 

Really!? Crikey, yours did do well

I'm struggling to find the photos I took of mine, but I don't think mine reached that length. Well done Freddy!

 

A bit difficult to see...






The trough is around 1ft tall as is the upturned pot it stands on. They were still in growth at this point.

 

Have to confess I have not followed the previous years Toms threads so a question that doubtless has been asked before.

Beechgrove, the really good gardening tv program, presenter Jim McColl always says his favourite tom is Rosella; do all agree ? has any member actually grown it ?

 

Not tried it myself, but just took a look, and are quite tempting. For me though, ‘Sungold’ rules