Tomato Growing 2024

I think you can get too technical, I just use a complete feed if I think I need to, straight fertilisers are a bit dodgy and easy to overdo IMO.

I've always put blossom end rot down to a watering problem, I know calcium comes into it somewhere but unless the soil is acid I doubt you will need extra calcium .

Just get some Tomorite or similar would be my suggestion and make sure the waterings are going right down deep.

 

Sounds like the majority of us have a problem with Toms this year ( as well as other veg ! ) The main culprit seems to be weather related but there have been compost issues too I think.
Mine all have fruit forming and no signs of leaf issues. no flower drop but very slow.
I did get some Blossom End Rot last year on the beefsteak types and agree with @pete that it seems to be more a watering issue.
Good luck to all

 

Hmm.. wondering if nr.4 if my potential problems could be a home made compost from composter, which I emptied into the greenhouse. Could be too acidic...
Gosh, another season, still learning.

 

I agree. I've said this for years - too much unnecessary food just makes them too comfy, when you want them to get a move on and produce flowers/fruit. That's the whole point of growing them.

 

I think we, or should I say plants, are all suffering from the diabolical weather conditions over the last few months. Garden plants as well as greenhouse plants. The extreme changes in temperature, light levels and moisture means the plants do not know whether they are coming or going.Nor do we!

 

I think things like Tomorite etc. really only came into their own when grow bags came along, you're never going to grow three, or even one, tomato plant in one of those without a lot of feeding.

 

Must admit I've never used Grow Bags for Toms - way too shallow for my way of thinking but I believe others have had success using them.
Just spotted that 1 Sungold fruit is beginning to turn - must be my lucky day

 

Mine are just coming into flower. I think that’s about usual timing for ours as I didn’t sow seeds until the beginning of April and all done in a cold greenhouse. Dismal grey weather here though, I’ve got all the blinds pulled up and usually they’re permanently down from mid June

 

@Butterfly6 Same here with the sowing dates - 4th April for mine in a propagator indoors. All germinated within a few days but they had to go out in my cold GH a couple of weeks later as no light space indoors.
Can't recall when the first fruits started to form. No doubt better off than you because sea level and further south. Not been that much help tho

 

Sowed mine later this year. Outdoor San marzano and crimson crush coming along. Not removing so many side shoots and theres more flowers on them.

Season wont be long enough to keep removing sideshoots. I need flowers now not later. Greenhouse toms coming along.

Feeding consists of growmore and bf & bone at planting and now watering with banana feed. Decent trusses so far. Will add some aspirin soon in case of blight.

 

I'll be stopping nipping out sideshoots too @WeeTam, although I decided to leave one sideshoot on two of the Sungolds early on to create two main leaders, and have nipped out the other two plants, just to see what happens. I often end up with extra stems anyway, simply because it's a small growhouse, and it can be difficult to get in and see what's happening, especially around end of July when they're going daft. I have one supermarket tom outside, tucked in beside the gr'house for shelter and warmth, and it's got a fair amount of flowers too.
I don't usually get fruits until late July anyway, so nothing too different. The plants are slightly smaller than usual, but that's about all, and that's because the house was cooler due to less heating being on, so the plants were smaller when they went out.

 

Just posted on the veg thread, plenty of fruit in GH just none of it ripe enough to pick.

 

One sungold is ripening. Picked the first last year on the 16th July, so looks to be the same this year. Much less fruit on the plants though this year, despite giving them more space