Topic: Tomatoes

[woodypecks]

I am itching to get started with tomatoes and might sow a few seeds I,ve saved from some particularly tasty tomatoes ..red plum and little yellow ones that I bought locally . Has anyone begun to sow tomatoes yet ?

[shirlton]

Sowed mine on Feb 2nd last year and I had tomatoes very early. Will do the same again this year but am not banking on the same outcome. Dont use any heat in the GH so they have to take theor chances once they go out

[Ellen K]

Not seeds but last year I bought a few plug plants early - a little pack of Sungold from Wilkos for about £1.50.  Potted them on and used the side shoots as cuttings.  So by mid May i had 4 big plants and lots of good ones that were further along than if I'd grown them from seed.   

It worked quite well so I may go round again - can't wait.

[Sparkly]

I have sown some mini plants (balconi yellow and red) a week ago and they are just showing now. Just an experiment as we will keep these on the windowsill anyway. One year I did sow some of these in Nov and overwintered them and that worked well.

[pigeonseed]

I sowed them too early in some previous years, probably in Feb. The light wasn't enough for them and they were leggy and weak. I suppose it depends on the conditions you keep the seedlings in. Mine were in the house, and perhaps in a greenhouse, they're able to make the most of all available light, so do better.

Anything you can do to get them fruiting early must be good, to avoid blight and general Autumn-ness at the end of the season!

[woodypecks]

Now thats another thing I haven,t tried ....... growing the side shoots ....  making note in my little book !   ::)

[Stopp]

I brought a plant inside at the beginning of October as it didn't seem to be growing and thought I'd see if I could save it.  It was only a foot tall in a smallish plant pot so I put it on my window sill in the bedroom.  It has now shot up to 5ft tall, flowered and have 10 tomatoes on it and two are now red.  I didn't think there would be enough light over the winter months but then again my chilli plant keeps flowering and giving me loads of chillies !!  ???

[pumkinlover]

That's pretty impressive!

[plainleaf]

i sow mine under florescent lights so i don't worry about legginess.
I sowed the first 36 tomatoes seeds on December   15

[daitheplant]

i sow mine under florescent lights so i don't worry about legginess.
I sowed the first 36 tomatoes seeds on December   15

I am touched plainleaf, that was my 60th birthday. Thank you very much, what a superb tribute. ;D ;D ;D

[Vinlander]

Now thats another thing I haven,t tried ....... growing the side shoots ....  making note in my little book !   ::)

If you scout the garden centres for strong early plants then you can grow them on for shoots & cuttings  and end up at least as well off as struggling from Jan with seedlings in amateur conditions.

You can end up with 10 or more good plants for the same cost as a packet of seed...

Cheers.