Tomato Growing 2024

The first tomato seedling up is one of the "sow by 2019" Gardeners Delight. Sowed on Friday afternoon, one up by Monday morning. Not bad

 

I sowed 3 Green Zebra, 3 Ozark Sunrise and 3 Big Mama, direct into JI 2 MPC about 7 days ago. A couple of days ago I sowed 2 Pink Grapefruit and 2 Surender's Indian Curry. (Not through yet) No soaking. All are through. I think it depends on weather conditions where you are and temperature night and day and daylight hours. I know I have lost seeds germinating keeping them too damp and some too dry. You learn as you go along.

 

Normal amount of wind today and no rain forecast so the toms are outside to harden up a bit.

 

My babies are far too young to venture outside in this nasty strong wind and rain. I shall keep them tucked up indoors for at least another week or two or three.
The broad beans, leeks and onion seeds have come through to join the sweet corn. There are new additions each day now. Love it. Such a relief.
Have just potted up the Morello Cherry I bought a few weeks back from B&M. There are some fine hair roots just beginning to grow, it has been quite heavily root pruned to enable the packers to wrap the roots. It has gone into neat JI 3, there are new green shoots showing so hopefully it will do well in the 20 litre pot for the time being.

 

All my tomatoes are now basking in their own little pots, inside a heated propagator in an unheated greenhouse.
I'm only growing 2 varieties (so far) this year; Black cherry and Happy Day (which I grew, and liked, last year)
I'd like to try a yellow variety, but I'll have to get my skates on to sow them. Any recommendations, please?

 

I've got Noire de Crimee (Black Russian), Red Cherry, Tigerella all potted on into individual pots, all doing fine. I have a fourth one, Cuor di Bue a beef tomato, which I haven't grown before. The toms are all in coir compost, which I've also not tried before. The Cuor di Bue is sulking like mad, not growing like the others, leaves turning yellow, any one else had the same experience?

 

Today, I am mostly in France.

 

As soon as I get back home at the weekend, I'll be collecting my biggest plants from my plant-sitter and getting them out into the greenhouse. I have fleece, bubble-wrap and a paraffin heater so I can tough out any April temperature dips.

 

I'd recommend Golden Sunrise. It has a bit more tang and flavour than yellow tomatoes typically have. Widely available too.

 

@Penny_Forthem We like Yellow Pear for cherry sized tomatoes and Ananas/Pineapple for a big beefy one. Ananas is more orangey than yellow tho a yellow version is available.

I have just bought small plants of Ananas and Blue Ananas which is described as yellow with blue shoulders.

I grew Moonglow and Orange Banana last year too - both yellow, medium and well-flavoured.

 

Now that I grow in the bed in the gr'house, as opposed to containers, I just add some organic matter to the bed, and a little BF&B when planting. They certainly don't get fed again until the first truss is set. Water when slightly drooping, and maintain a good routine with watering from the start.
Overfeeding isn't a good idea IMO. If you treat 'em mean, especially once they're growing on well, it pushes them into flowering, which is what's wanted.