Allotments 4 All
Produce => Under Glass => Topic started by: tim on April 21, 2006, 08:28:34
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Slow but ? sure.
Just thankful that I only have a couple of dozen, rather than the 45+ of the younger generation!
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Tim, is that greenhouse unheated? I am toying with the idea of putting my monsters into mine today, they are taking over the conserve, and I need the windowsills for more produce!
Looks great BTW!
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Indeed it is!
Cover with fleece if there's any chance of frost. That's why I haven't got the stakes in yet.
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Tim,
I see in your pic that you aren't using your growbags as the manufacturer intended so to speak.
What advantages does this method have?
Would like some advice as I haven't grown toms before (mind you, they haven't germinated yet so may be speaking too soon)
cheers
sl
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Sally -
1. Ina does it!
2. It allows better spacing.
3. I plant deep & then fill up as they grow from other bags.
4. The first time I did it, my watering was poor - the roots only showed around the edge of the compost. This year it'll be better!
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Tim, are you using one growbag per plant? It is more expensive than putting 3 in one bag but I imagine the yield is much greater. Can you re-use the growbags next year by adding some slow release fertiliser?
I was reading somewhere that toms can be planted in 30cm pots with multi purpose compost and fertiliser. Have you ever grown them this way and how successful is it please? Thanks for your help.
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Pauline -
1. No - 1/2 a bag per plant. I reckon that 3 to a bag is far too crowded.
2. No - I don't re-use - too much hassle - better onto the garden. Yes - you could re-use with a balanced fertiliser - but it's the daily or weekly feed that is more important. I would be concerned about disease remaining in the bags.
3. Yes - they can be grown in pots.
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is that greenhouse unheated? I am toying with the idea of putting my monsters into mine today
Mine have been in unheated greenhouse, without fleece, and have been there for a couple of weeks. They are quite sturdy little plants. In fact they are much better than last year' lot that stayed inside for ages. Plan to put them outside at the end of May.
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You're making me realise how far behind mine are :( One set have seed leaves, and the others haven't even peeked through yet.
I'm quite pleased though - the ones that have appeared are the seeds I saved last year. Never tried that before.
sally
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Pauline -
1. No - 1/2 a bag per plant. I reckon that 3 to a bag is far too crowded.
2. No - I don't re-use - too much hassle - better onto the garden. Yes - you could re-use with a balanced fertiliser - but it's the daily or weekly feed that is more important. I would be concerned about disease remaining in the bags.
3. Yes - they can be grown in pots.
I totally agree that 3 toms to a growbag is too crowded. Growbags have got smaller over the years yet they are still shown as having spaces for 3 plants. I will cut mine in half like you do and put the rest in pots. Thanks for your advice Tim.
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And as said, you'll have 4-5" of space to top up with soil as they grow.
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I did that with the growbags last year because of Ina (you little star Ina!) and I had such a fab crop! The benefit is, you can really give them a really really good thorough watering and they don't dry as quickly as those thing growbags laying down. I topped up the growbag pots as the plants grew with regular potting compost - as you can imagine, when you soften the compost and divide it in half, after settling you are left with a space. I rolled the excess growbag down and then just unrolled a little at a time as the plant grew, filling up, so the plants rooted from their stems and I was picking throughout the summer and way into the winter! ;D
Half of mine are in my now unheated greenhouse - the rest will go out this weekend. I am hoping to get the first lot planted on the allotment at the start of May! :o
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And little of the root is exposed to evaporation.
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What a fabulous thread and picture to start it all off! Will definitely try a few toms like this in half-growbags.
I wondered if I could sit bags of spent hops up - like tim's in the picture - and put a bottomless ring culture pot on top, filled with compost to plant the tomato in, and let its roots go down into the hops. Some of the bags are 'mature' and some are fresh, I'd probably try both to see if there was any difference. They do hold the moisture well. Can you predict trouble ahead, or do you think it would be worth a try?
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Tim, do you put holes in the bottom of the growbags for drainage?
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Sprout - I'm sure that there are many versions of 'ring culture' - but the principle should remain the same?
Here is a professional's view.
Pauline - about 1" from the bottom - otherwise the water can drain too freely.
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Thank you tim, good info for Experimenting 8)
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Great tread Tim and all, im moving mine on out to the greenhouse tomorrow too, i grow mine in free cut plant pots from summerfield, with big holes cut out the bottom, works well for me.
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What a good idea! I have some tomato plants coming along nicely that I leave outside during the day now. They are all of the "tumbling" variety and I was wondering how to plant them as I don't have anywhere for hanging baskets. (I know, why did I grow this sort then - well they were free!).
Anyway, looking at your picture Tim the bags seem quite high - would them be high enough for tumblers - or I could perhaps but them up on some bricks? I was going to experiment and take some down the allotment to just ramble over ground and keep some up near the house.
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High enough? I reckon!
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I took your advice Tim and cut the growbags in half yesterday. :D I found that they had such large solid lumps in them, so decided to tip the contents of each ½ bag into a bucket to break them down. I took the opportunity to put in some gel and slow release fertiliser, added water then in with my hands to mix it around. The water was ice cold having come from the water butt so I went and got some hot water to add until the chill was taken off. I thought that the tomato plants might not be happy being planted into a freezing cold bag. ;)
I was in my childhood again, making mudpies. ;D With my arms almost up to my elbows with dirt, I then put the soil back in the bag and planted the tomato plant. All good fun!! ;D ;D
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Good thinking - the warm water!
Normally, if you water 2 days before planting, & it's nice & warm the next day, there should't be too much shock. At least 1.5 gal/bag.
You shouldn't really need added fertiliser if they are reputable bags, the main supply will be from your daily or weekly feed.
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This year I started my tomatoes off in propagator's, then removed the lid & left them on the windowsill with only early morning sun & the window ajar. When they were big enough I re-potted them in small pots & put them in the cold frame on the patio. The problem I have is they have all gone slightly yellow but otherwise look healthy, please could someone tell what has caused this?
I did the same thing last year but put them in a mini greenhouse as I didnt have a cold frame & they were fine.
Thanks
RC
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You shouldn't really need added fertiliser if they are reputable bags, the main supply will be from your daily or weekly feed.
Tim, it is slow release fertiliser that will activate in a few weeks time when I am away on holiday. ;D ;D
... The problem I have is they have all gone slightly yellow but otherwise look healthy, please could someone tell what has caused this?
Thanks
RC
Redcow, Tim will probably come up with the answer to your problem as he has had many years experience at growing tomatoes. ;D What size pots are the tomatoes in and how tall are the plants now?
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You're making me realise how far behind mine are :( One set have seed leaves, and the others haven't even peeked through yet.
I'm quite pleased though - the ones that have appeared are the seeds I saved last year. Never tried that before.
sally
There is plenty of time yet to plant tommies out in a cold greenhouse ..Cheers Jim
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Nice thinking, Pauline - & probably won't overdose because the plans roots won't have reached it.
Yellowing? Sorry, no idea.
And Sally - does this make you feel better?
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how do i know whether to feed daily or weekly ?
???
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That picture represents the extent of my achievements to date, Tim. I am hoping things start to move a little bit quicker now? I am still potting up tomato seedlings in my little area at work (because its warm) as they germinate ...
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KP - either - depending upon your pattern of life.
We do it daily, because I live here & believe it to be better, using an appropriately dilute mix.
Otherwise, just follow the instructions.
(Nice photo, Curry!)
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ahhhhhh Tim, i though it might be a different type of tom or summit !!!
well i've got my first two potted up in their ring thingies and out in the unheated g/h. I'm only just keeping up with my very small quantities, lord know how you lot cope.
;D
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I have gardener's delight, sungold, alicante, shirley and rose de berne. I was intending to plant some outside and some in the ghouse. Unfortunately my father-in-law managed to upend the seed trays on the floor. I've saved maybe 70% of them but now have no clue which is which. Is there any way I can identify them before they fruit? If not are there any that would shrivel up and die outside? ..since I don't have room in the (cold) ghouse for all of them I'm sure to put some outside that would prefer to be in...
Oh dear. Help! help! please.........
:o :'(
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Some do have slightly different leaves, but to be honest, for me anyhow, until the fruit start to set, it is very hard to tell what they could be! My kids tend to pinch the labels so mummy can have a guessing game :-X and last year was a mystery. I knew what I had sown, so waited until the fruits started colouring, then I could narrow it down. This year the kids have lost interest in the greenhouse so I think i am safe! ::)
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The ones that grow taller quicker, more stretched out, will probably be the Cherries.
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How soon do I start to use a feed when I water my tiny 'tumbling' tomato plants, which are only about 2 weeks old.....and is any liquid tomato feed ok?
Up til now, I've just been using water when they've needed any and today I've also moved them from the house out into an unheated greenhouse that I share with another person because at least there, they get some sunshine.
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Feed? As soon as the first truss has set.
Yes!
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"One for the mouse and one for the crow, one to rot and one to grow."
.....and one for the father-in-law!.....
thats usually my trick-turn round-splat!....
kitty
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I've just noticed that some of my "tumbling" (although they are still straight up at the moment) tomato plants are beginning to get flowers. They are still all in their 4" pots and are hardening off in the garden by day - back in the conservatory at night. Eventually they will be totally outside - either in the garden or up on the allotment. Is it a little early to be flowering and will it matter if they are in flower when I put them in their final growbag/pot/bed?
Crikey this veg growing lark is a steep learning curve!! ;)
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These are mine this morning;
(http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Misc.Photos/Pics/Toms.JPG)
The ones on the left are my 1st choice, those on the right are spares.
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Amanda-you are probably about two weeks ahead of yourself-but things should be OK,just don`t let them get a check from becoming pot bound.
Hey!! and I had the first customers of the season today :)
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What's on offer, Stephan??
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You know me Tim-loads of varieties. I do wish I had a front garden,I sell for 50p-had to go to the local garden centre earlier because I forgot to buy some chervil-they were all there-paying 69p for Moneymaker and Alicante.
makes me despair.
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And so it goes on....?
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And Sally - does this make you feel better?
Much better, thanks :)
They're still very small, but both sets are growing quite happily now. Might have cleared a space for them by the time they're big enough to do anything with ;D
Sally
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it's a bit like the questions of "how big is the universe" ..... to much for me to comprehend !!!! do you supply the whole village ??
;D
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tim has a HUUUUUUUUUUGE family mrs kp-and he likes to cook!
i only wish he'd adopt me.... ;)
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Me too Kitty! ;D
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Hiya,
My toms bolted a little and are not very sturdy. They have been inside for a bit too long i think (first time growing things) Can i do anything to fatten them up. They are in cells.
Many thanx, Mark.
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You mean 'leggy'? Notalot!
Just plant deeep.