Tomato Growing Thread 2022

Fantastic Tom plants...eatenbyweasels.

I have a Beefsteak F1 that was supposed to be a cordon that looks like it's a bush, and maybe the same with a Ailsa Craig and a Sungold as both have terminated at the first truss.

Considering moving them all out of the greenhouse and into pots in the garden as I'm not sure how bushy they will get.

 

I had a Tigerella that wanted to be a bush a couple of years back. I saved the seed to see if I had a cross or mutation but the next generation was completely normal. All a bit random, really. Maybe some minor environmental fluctuation as they were emerging? Who knows?

I think I'd let your rogue plants become bushes if their hearts are set on it. You can always use them to experiment with caging as per my later post.

 

Hello all,

Just an update.

I added the frames to the Maskotka tomatoes in the Wilma systems this morning as they are now growing rapidly after a very late start. No tomatoes or flowers yet and I am very envious of your early starters but I'm sure at the current growth rate we will get there eventually (see photo).



In the photo are 8off Maskotka tomato plants (determinate). In the other Wilma system I have another 4. Also Black Russian (2), Randana (2). In the deep water tanks I have Cherry Falls (2) and Garden Pearl's (2). Any tips on the latter 4 types would be appreciated as I haven't grown any of them before?

Best regards

Ademission

 

Quite a bit of the advice for those seem to be just to let them grow as a bush even if they are an indeterminate. But then a lot of USA growers can get away with letting all indeterminate varieties grow as a bush even outside anyway as they have a much better climate for tomatoes than we do. So it can be a bit confusing. I have one dwarf variety this year, one in the border of a greenhouse and one in a 20l pot in another greenhouse. I will see how they do. They were the same size as most others until I transplanted them, now they have barely grown and the rest seem to be taking off

 

Thanks everyone...I'm just a bit worried it's going to get a bit cramped in the Quadgrows and reduce any air flow.

We'll see how it goes.

 

My first year trying a dwarf, too. I'm growing Dwarf Velvet Night. I'm opting for three stems and seeing how it goes.

 

JWK,
Thanks for the information on Black Russian tomatoes. I'll nip off the sideshoots if that's the case.
I believe that Cherry Falls and Garden Pearl's are types that grow in a similar way to Tumbling Tom so I'm growing them high in the Deep Water system in the greenhouse so that they can cascade down. We'll see how it goes.

The Randana is indeterminate and so it's being grown alongside the Maskotka tomatoes in the frame. Maskotka by the way is not indeterminate but grows quite high.

Thanks for your help.

Ademission

 

My outdoor toms. I bought some large fabric "pots" from amazon for some reason and am trying a few out.

Aurora, early Russian determinate
Banan krasnyi, early russian semi determinate
Crimson crush, blight tolerant F1

 

Cheers for advice re use of Mychorhiza! Any more from anyone else ?

 

Well not exactly anymore advice other than this is my year 2 of using it. Year 1 was very good despite NOT doing the laborious task of changing the soil as in the past. When I dug holes this year I could still see the pellets from last year, now gone blue. The pellets are white before use. I used 2 wee scoops per tomato/ cucumber plant. I had thought of buying a big tub and keep it for a few years but read on the pack it is really only meant to be used in a year from purchase. I will know how effective it has been later in the season but hopefully the crop will be on a par with last year. Not the cheapest stuff, about £9 or £10 for 360grms but saved a huge amount of effort doing a soil change. I will let you know how things go this season.

 

@Ademission I grow Black Russian as I like the flavour and texture of the fruit, slice across caramelise bottom in frying pan excellent.
I do find that sometimes you get fused flowers and the fruit can be distorted and this can lead to the fruit beginning to rot before it is all ripe.
Also yield is not always huge in terms of numbers.

 

Yes, very prone to fusing and not so productive. I'm glad I grew it as a double cordon. The flavour is lovely, though.

 

this is the first year for a long time i have not grown Sungold i have opted for honeycomb this year