Tomato Growing Thread 2022

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by JWK, Jan 1, 2022.

  1. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Hi @Alisa I can't make out what that is, what are you sowing into?
     
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    • pete

      pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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      Looks a bit like pieces of Aloe leaf.:scratch:
       
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      • Alisa

        Alisa Super Gardener

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        Yes, stimulation in aloe juice. It's a lazy version though:). Aloe leaf was supposed to be kept in the fridge for a week, for all good staff it contains to activate. I just put seeds into freshly cut leaf for 24 hours. Will transfer today into compost.
         
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        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

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          Interesting but does it help germination @alicia and any other benefits ? Is this the first time you used this method and do you use it for other seeds?
           
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          • Alisa

            Alisa Super Gardener

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            Aloe considered very useful from many aspects, including helping seed germination. I was inspired by an experience of the other tomato growers, but didn't go deep into science. It's year 2 I treated tomato seeds this way. Last year I had very strong plants (before I planted them out and messed up in the greenhouse). Difficult to compare to if I didn't treat seeds with aloe, as I grow just around 10 plants, and treat them all the same way. Will not use for any other seeds.
             
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            • NigelJ

              NigelJ Total Gardener

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              Tomato seed planted last Sunday.
              Black Russian, Sungold, Black Opal, Ailsa Craig. Golden Sunrise, San Marazano and Montecarlo F1 from an Italian seed company some 8 years ago.
               
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              • joolz68

                joolz68 Total Gardener

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                I have Indigo blue berries,Datio F1,Sakura,Indigo pear drops & Banana legs :)..all cherry types but may add to the selection :heehee:
                 
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                • eatenbyweasels

                  eatenbyweasels Messy Gardener

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                  Hello!

                  I've really fallen down the tomato seed rabbit hole since 2020. I used to be happy with three or four reliable favourites, but then I fell amongst tomato nerds on Facebook and now I have seed for over 100 varieties.:rolleyespink:

                  This year's sowing so far (in most cases, just one seed of each):

                  Bloody Butcher
                  Santorini
                  Brandywine Cherry
                  Tigeretta Cherry Reds
                  Haley's Winbox
                  Rosella Cherry
                  Maskotka
                  Red Robin
                  Pigletwillie's French Black
                  Sinister Minister
                  Dwarf Velvet Night
                  Cherry Roma
                  Zuchertraube
                  Jaune Flamme
                  Sakura F1
                  Lizzano F1
                  Blush
                  Grushovka
                  Sci-Fi (my own project)

                  Putting in a few more varieties in early March.
                   
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                  • JWK

                    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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                    Where do you grow them all, that is a big lists. Greenhouse, allotment? I guess you have grow-lamps as you have started sowing already.

                    Are you growing that one because of the name :biggrin:
                     
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                    • JimmyB

                      JimmyB Gardener

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                      Planted a couple of trays a while back - mostly with seed collected from last year. There's a yellow one which I think is Sungold - tastes great and grows well. Maybe had the best blight resistance of any last year - not that it made much difference in the end: absolute catastrophe - and so sad. I'd put in infrastructure to grow them - well manured trenches, posts and wires to grow something like 40 or 50 cordon plants. Had first toms ripe by end of May - and blight showing by mid June. All around us in the fields the main crop potatoes were so blighted the farmers cut the leaves off and left the potatoes in the ground which feels like eco-vandalism to me, given that we are told to carefully remove and burn or bin every blighted leag... but whatever.

                      Anyway. Having last year given up tomatoes as a bad lot, I have of course planted a load more in the greenhouse. Nothing doing until I brought them in and now coming on well in a window sill. There's a smallish pink variety I've also had good success with historically, and kept the seed: they are coming on too. But they were blight central last year so...not too hopeful.

                      Anyway. Maybe this year we will do better on the blight front? I will be spacing my plants out around the garden in any event.

                      I wanted to ask: is there an issue with leggy plants? I see lots of people mention it...
                       
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                      • JWK

                        JWK Gardener Staff Member

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                        They will grow a bit leggy unless you give them space and good light and temp below 21C. It's not a big problem as each time you pot on just bury them deep, they grow more roots from the hairy stems beneath the compost. At the final planting you can bury them quite a way or even at an angle if they are really leggy. They are very forgiving plants. The issue with 'leggy' is the stems are weaker and break easier if you are not careful.
                         
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                        • JimmyB

                          JimmyB Gardener

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                          OK - got it - thank you. I'm going to have a fair few in pots in the greenhouse this year. But having started so early, no doubt a bit leggy will be how mine grow.
                           
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                          • eatenbyweasels

                            eatenbyweasels Messy Gardener

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                            I'm growing for two greenhouses (one is mine, one is a friend's), the South-facing front of my house, a few for family and neighbours and the remainder I'll foist off on the unsuspecting.

                            Who wouldn't grow a variety called Pigletwillie's? My gardening friend says it sounds like a sort of condom. I'm now struggling as to where I can fit Dancing with Smurfs into my growing plan.

                            EDIT. Yes, I have lights. And suspicious neighbours.
                             

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                            • ricky101

                              ricky101 Total Gardener

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                              Hi,

                              Looking for a couple of new varieties to us, would welcome suggestions for a Beefsteak to grow in the greenhouse.
                              Never grown them before as some say they need a lot of heat/sunshine and as we have seen others locally ( north of England) they only seem to manage to get some fruits ripe by September ??

                              That little Bloody Butcher, already mentioned, sounds tasty, any problems with it ?

                              Also growing JWKs Gardener Delight and Shirley.
                               
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                              • eatenbyweasels

                                eatenbyweasels Messy Gardener

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                                BB is a bit short of stature. It's one of those stocky, tough-as-old-boots Eastern Bloc potato leaved earlies. I grow most of my cordons as doubles, but BB (and the similar, slightly earlier Stupice) is allowed three or four stems in order to get a decent number of trusses. So if you want something to rocket up to the top of your greenhouse, you might want to look elsewhere. BB is also quite small, if you're looking for a big'un that won't do so well outside. Some of mine were bigger last year because of the number of fused flowers, which I believe is caused by lower temperatures. Some growers rate the flavour as good for an early, but quickly surpassed by the mid-season types. For me the taste was very good; we all have different tastes in tomatoes, of course.

                                Ripening is a challenge here up North for the big, beefy types. Most of my larger fruit were picked half ripe or green due to the blight, and ripened on a windowsill. Pictured are Moskvich, Bloody Butcher (fused fruit). Black Russian, Purple Ukraine, Orange Banana.

                                What sort of size (average, by weight) were you thinking of growing?
                                 

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                                  Last edited: Feb 25, 2022
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