Tomato Growing Thread 2021

But Apero appears to be a cordon tomato Buy your Apero tomato seed here - Sea Spring Seeds "Categories: Tomatoes – indeterminate (cordon)" Tomato Seeds - Apero F1 | Dobies "Cordon variety - One stem grown by pinching off side-shoots as they appear, needs staking and tying in."



Golden Nugget is described as a "compact bush" 2 feet/600mm high.

I have grown varieties of bush tomato that get 'overgrown', producing such a mass of growth that it would shade out the first flowers/fruit and much/most of it would never produce tomatoes before the end of season.

Just as many people would take the tops off outdoor cordons after 4 trusses, outdoor bush tomatoes with excessive growth require pruning.

I've used a sharp (Stanley) knife and cut back stems to leave flowers and developing tomatoes that would stand a chance of producing ripe fruits before the first frosts. Don't overdo it and remove too much so there's nothing left to produce at the end of season.

But I did this much later than the first week in July, when my bush tomatoes had only been planted out for 3 or 4 weeks.



That leaves the Apero, a cordon tomato that has been grown as a bush. Without seeing a photo of them I'd suggest staking and cutting off sideshoots beyond the first truss on each one (if that's where developing tomatoes are), ensuring that sufficient leaves remain, maybe leaving one beyond some trusses if required. If adding a new stake, try to avoid driving it through the roots close to the stem.

Again, best not to initially overdo it. Stand back and look if there's anything left that should be removed.

 

I may be coming to the same conclusion..

 

Thanks for this help! Brilliant reply.

Apero are cordon how on earth did I manage that! But clearly they are..

So I have 3 each alternating Golden Nugget and Apero - there's not much to tell them apart tbh - and they have made a huge wall of green around the cordon plants. 3 feet and counting. Cordons not suffering too much yet but makes me anxious .

I went out first thing with my sharp knife but it broke my heart to slice at them. So, armed with my new knowledge and @Scrungee at my elbow, I took out the longest side shoots and made a few cuts here and there. That's the way forward now .. a daily tinker to keep them about the size they are now and try to stop them shading themselves too much. Perhaps also some judicious strings from their (heavy) ground supports to the canes of nearby cordons.

Erghh.. wont be pretty. Thinking as @JWK now.. bush toms more trouble than they're worth. Still, each year bring something new.. Loving this forum - thanks heaps to all

 

I've muddled up bush tomato labels with cordons twice, the worst time was when I accidentally planted cordon tomatoes in my first floor window boxes.

 

I've got my first ripe Brasero in many years! Not grown outdoors, but in a polytunnel. And despite looking so firm and tasty it wont be eaten, but used for seed saving (maybe the next one?).

For 13 years the seeds were in a poly bag in a biscuit tub, and I've revived them




P.S. This was the bush variety which if planted into open ground that had been covered with loads of compost, would produce masses of growth and require pruning back.

 

I'm so impressed to see ripe tomatoes of any sort

Meanwhile.. a friend is seeing blight on their allotment and pulling plants.. all very worrying

 

Purple Ukraine are my biggest yet, doing really well on both my plants.



Costoluto Fiorentino coming in nicely as well. Several full trusses.

 

Tomatoes are currently growing well and some of the cherry tomatoes (Sun Gold and Black Opal) are beginning to ripen.

 

So impressive

 

For the first time I've got one of those hanging basket types called garden pearl, had a few ripe ones, can't say they do much for the taste buds.

Got some black cherry just starting to ripen.

 

What a Summer.
I went checking photos from last year and I had a few starting ripening on the 6th of June, and full trusses by the 11th of July.
This year all I see is green :D
Well, I guess that eventually they will turn red, hopefully not all in one go

 

Wait..
There is one..




Who knows.. Maybe...

 

This really made me laugh

 

Seeking opinions on pruning...

I've just done the first big prune of my plants. Obviously leaving enough green for them to thrive but removing lower branches helps me see what's going on (and not miss any tomatoes!)

I had quite a few secondary leaders that I had to pull off. Obviously always sad to see flowers go, especially fruits! But I've always followed the common wisdom that you want all fruits coming from the main leader and not diverting energy to others.

However I popped into the greenhouse yesterday at the home of some people I pet-sit for to check (read: oggle) their tomatoes (they're always amazing) and I noticed he has pinned a secondary leader to the stem quite early on, so he has two large stems together and obviously a lot more fruit.

Just wondered people's opinions on this. I think I would only do it if I had my plants spaced apart much more. Mine are quite close, because I do what I can with the space I have. Hopefully next year I'll have more space to spread out plants so I might give a secondary leader a chance and see...

 

I tend to think that idea of two leaders is a good one, cant see why it cant be, why do we need so many plants, you could cut in half the amount of plants you grow.

The only limiting factor I think is when people put, say, three plants in a single growbag, why not put one plant in a grow bag and have two stems.

Not sure anyone has ever tried it out, just maybe you would get your first toms slightly later, I dont know.