Author Topic: Potting tomatoes on (Read 7098 times)

northener · « **on:** March 22, 2005, 13:19:41 »

Hello All. I'm about ready for potting on my toms from 2" pots from propogator to ?????????? They will eventually be going into growbags in the greenhouse. How big [tall] do they have to be to put into growbags. Cheers.

tim · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2005, 13:25:43 »

You obviously have a heated greenhouse. Ours are not sown yet! And they won't be planted till late MAY. But they fruit from early July to November.

How big? 'They' say 'in flower' - but I can never get mine to that stage before they get too leggy. So - 6-8"?

Oh, 3-4" pots - whatever you have room for. And sink them to within 1/4" of their leaves.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2005, 14:03:56 »

Not sown yet Tim! Oh my, I think I have gotten a touch carried away!

Funny how different varities have different leaf shapes, and that smell....I have been potting mine on all morning and the scent is amazing!

Jesse · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2005, 14:29:22 »

Northerner I usually plant my tomatos out once they're about 4 inches tall but it's probably a little early still so keep them indoors a little longer if you can, perhaps pot into larger pots to keep them going.

kenkew · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2005, 15:14:47 »

I won't be p*icking any of mine out for at least 2, maybe 3 weeks into 3" pots. From there I like to see plenty of root before I plant them out. I agree with Tim about depth, a bit deeper than they were in the 3" pot. This encourages extra roots.

wardy · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2005, 17:15:26 »

I'm not sowing any toms yet as I've nowhere to keep them warm so they'll have to wait, along with most other things. We get frosts up here until late May so no bedding goes out up here until first week in June. I'll be keeping my toms etc outside so I can't sow them too early

I'm itching to get them done though :) I think I;ve got Moneymaker which everyone on the forum seems to hate but I've not tried it. Mortgage Lifter (beef variety) and G. Delight

derbex · « **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2005, 17:48:00 »

I potted up my Balconi Yellow at the weekend, but it's going to live on the windowledge for a few early treats. They stay very small bushes and sometimes seem to have as many toms as leaves.

Jeremy

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #7 on:** March 22, 2005, 18:25:14 »

Thanks to complete lack of space due to another mammoth sowing today, one of each variety of my toms is now residing in my heated, bubble wrapped cosy greenhouse. Just hope it is cosy enough!

northener · « **Reply #8 on:** March 22, 2005, 19:55:14 »

No i don't have a heated greenhouse just window sills. I was thinking get to April and it should be ok in unheated greenhouse, am i being a bit optomistic after seeing the sunshine again? i'm in s. yorkshire. Thx for advice

kenkew · « **Reply #9 on:** March 22, 2005, 20:44:04 »

Yorkshire-April-tom's-greenhouse....mmm! I'd be thinking a bit of heating even if only night-time.

Jesse · « **Reply #10 on:** March 22, 2005, 22:21:20 »

If you can keep the night time temp above 10C then they should be okay. However, in my first year of growing toms I was very enthusiastic and had my tomatoes in the greenhouse (unheated) by mid March. They didn't die but grew very slowly, had a fantastic crop but no sooner than if I had delayed planting a little longer.

tim · « **Reply #11 on:** March 23, 2005, 06:45:04 »

We've had many cut down by frost in late MAY,

The cost of even modest heat in a 30x12 g'house would be huge - let alone the cost of the heaters - & defeat part of the object of growing your own.

And, ideally, as said above, toms etc like a min of 50F. I'm in no hurry - don't want to waste all my early efforts!

wardy · « **Reply #12 on:** March 23, 2005, 08:50:34 »

No I'm not either Tim. I have nowhere warm to keep the seedlings except the windowsill which is a bit gloomy and makes em go leggy. I understand toms like to be a bit warm for quite a bit after germination so I'll have to delay sowing or they'll probably perish. I now have my little growhouse but that would be far too cold. Their final growing position will be outdoors so am holding off sowing and following instructions on the packet.

I would like a warm greenhouse too because it lets you steal a march on nature to some extent and get stuff growing much earlier. I've been dropping broad hints to my OH to get us one for our 25th anniversary. I'll be lucky :)

derbex · « **Reply #13 on:** March 23, 2005, 17:05:04 »

I'm afraid my gardners delight seedlings are in a cold greenhouse, no bubblewrap no nuffink! Seedlings today -they don't know they're born in my day ..........
.....yadayadayada

Jeremy

tim · « **Reply #14 on:** March 23, 2005, 18:04:42 »

I do accept that plants can survive, despite efforts to kill them.
So please don't anyone be put off because of what I say!

growmore · « **Reply #15 on:** March 23, 2005, 18:56:00 »

I have a lean to at the back of the house .I have had heat on for my onion and leek seedlings.
So in Feb sometime I set a couple of trays of tomatoes Money maker and
Gardeners delight thinking I will have a risk and put these in one of the cold houses in April.I pricked them out in early march thinking they will stand a month or so Anyway they have gone in a cold green house today as they were about 9 inches High and were outgrowing the pots and the shelf in the lean to.
So I have set a dozen of them out in bottomless buckets in one of the cold greenhouses..Plenty of horse muck in bottom of buckets
I too am in South Yorks I have just sown my Shirley's and my Alicantes for going in cold houses about late April or even middle of May..
So whats the odds of the MM's and The GD's maturing and giving me some early toms ..... I live in hopes ... ;) cheers Jim...

wardy · « **Reply #16 on:** March 23, 2005, 20:38:00 »

Let me know if they keel over Growmore. I've not sown mine yet but if yours are ok where you are then I should be safe to go ahead. What happens though if we get some snow and icy weather? I've got no greenhouse so I'd have to bring them all back in the house.

Second thoughts. Manyana (or however you spell it) ;D

in my wellies · « **Reply #17 on:** March 26, 2005, 00:44:50 »

I pot mine on when they look nice and strong and they're always OK but the very best tomatoes I ever grew happened last year.
My father died and a could do nothing in the garden for about 3 weeks. I had sown 3 packets and had just transplanted them into 3" pots. When i got back they had not been watered, were about 15" tall and very woody. They had all started to flower and the leaves were going red/ brown. Very pot bound and stressed.
I planted them into growbags, fed and wartered them well and they took off! I had the most fantastic crop.
I don't know if I will be brave enough to do this again this year?

wardy · « **Reply #18 on:** March 26, 2005, 09:54:10 »

That often happens doesn't it. We can pamper and preen our little charges and they promptly keel over and die! Or we totally neglect or forget about them and hey presto they're the most fantastic specimens we've ever grown ;D Best parsnips I ever grew were onces I totally forgot about and only rembered about them when my dog brought one into the kitchen. Buried treasure hey ;D

Garden Manager · « **Reply #19 on:** March 30, 2005, 23:40:02 »

Sowed my tomatoes in a heated propagator on the conservatory in early march. I have only just potted them up (some having grown a bit leggy - too much heat prhaps).

They now reside out in the greenhouse which is currently unheated. I am hoping they will be OK without heat as the nights have been quite mild here recently. If it looks like getting cold at night again i shall stick the heater on out there.

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Author Topic: Potting tomatoes on (Read 7098 times)