Topic: Need some advice...Tomato growing

[Chris Graham]

Hello,

Last year I started my tomato plants on 25th Feb (my birthday) and this year I'm going to let leave them a bit longer.

If i start them off and the germinate ok in the kitchen would it be safe to move them out to a cold green house.....in April? 

Once they have grown a bit i could then plant them on into growbags.

Thing is I dint really have much room on the kitchen window sill as this year I would like to try peppers.

Leaving them in the warm kitchen also seems to have made them a bit leggy with the heat and lack of sunlight.

I have also read that its good for the seedlings to be subjected to a bit of cold first.   ??? ???

I'm undecided on what I should do this year and any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers!!!     ;D

[rentawreck]

I take it you are in Stirling Scotland.   Looking at your posting it seems that you are trying to grow outdoors.   If this is the case then you are a very brave person as the season up there is very short.

First grow indoors (greenhouse) or out.  If out you need to plant out after the last frost has passed as tomatoes are tender (frost kills them and extreme cold -close to freezing, biting winds etc, leaves them unable to grow)  Your plant out time may well be 3rd week in May.

Plants should be in pots around 6 weeks before planting out and another week for germination (this can vary from type to type along with the amount of heat supplied)   Ask around but I would say sowing out NOT before 3rd week in March.

You may only get 3 trusses per cordon as I usually stop mine 3rd week in July (You may want a week or so earlier as I am N London and outdoors).

In a greenhouse you could start a couple of weeks earlier but you may still need a little extra heat in cold snaps.

Best I would suggest if outdoors is to try a tomato like "Balconi" (yellow is best I find and there is a red also) which is a small 15inch high plant and is Determinate.   This needs no training or staking and grows cherry tomatoes all over it's gnarled stature.   It will happily go in pots so that you may be able to protect with a bit of polythene etc.  Young plant dont need planting out so soon if weather is a problem too.

However I have to say good luck up there......and see what others advise you.

[Tee Gee]

I go along with rentawreck and likewise wish you the best of luck.

I don't think global warming has developed quite so much as to expect too much outdoors, when you consider; I have a degree of difficulty in my area and thats a couple of hundred miles south of you.

Here is some info on tomato growing indoors and out that might help; http://tinyurl.com/3dlpgt

[Chris Graham]

Thanks for the info.

I'm not really that bothered about growing outside now, apart from the tumblers, which alwasy grew well.

Just wondered if its safe to move Tomato seedlings into a cold greenhouse once they have germinated.

[valmarg]

Just wondered if its safe to move Tomato seedlings into a cold greenhouse once they have germinated.

I would say no, unless you fleece/protect them at night, and even then it would be a bit risky.  Tomatoes are very susceptible to the cold.  Even when you have flowers on them, if they are subjected to cold nights the fruits are likely to suffer from 'catfacing'.  It doesn't make the fruits inedible, but they just look ugly.

valmarg

[Shirley]

I am in West Lothian, and wait until end of March before planting seeds for Gardeners' delight.  I raise these in the house and put them in the greenhouse, which is north facing, at the beginning of May.  I put some plants outside as an trail against a south facing wall last year.  Got a few trusses but half of them had not ripened by October.