tomato plants

[Philbasford]

Hiya,

just been given some tomato plants by a neighbour on an allotment, never grown them before, some of the leafs on the lower part of the plant are a bit yellow, is this a problem,?,.also i have a make shift green house, do i  need to wash it down with jayes fluid or owt., they are going to be grown in grow bags

[Philbasford]

[tim]

It would be sensible to wash it down.

Yellow - no real problem, maybe the seed leaves?  - take them off & plant up to the first true leaves.

[carloso]

yeek i have had some too but on the top leaves (6 leaves altogether !) they look  light brown at th emoment and worried that the old blight struck before we start is that possible ?

[tim]

Scorch more likely?

[Svea]

yes i think you forgot to put the sun block on - they can burn to a brown or a crisp white

[Meg]

Ask if they are cherry or what type because you have to pinch out one kind and I just didn't discipline mine the first year and it was like a horror movie. They were everywhere and then the toms went all rotten inside but last year all was calm and a fantastic crop!!!!

[suzylou]

Tim, when you say plant up to the first leaves, is that for planting out, or potting on?

My pathetic seedlings are getting a bit tall and floppy, but I don't think they're big enough to go out into the world yet...

[Svea]

it's for both potting on and later planting in situ.

put them deep, the little furry things along the stem will grow into roots on contact with soil

[suzylou]

Thanks Svea.  Next question then - since mine aren't ready to go out yet, should I leave them alone, or dig them out and re-pot them deeper?

[Svea]

ah, so you have already repotted them, and want to know if you should have done it differently?

not sure, it's your call. if you think your toms wont be too stressed if you take them out again and repoty deeper, then fine. that's between your tomatoes and you though - they might decide to sulk!

put them outdoors/cold if you can. they will slow down growing high then and become stronger
my toms have been on the balcony for about 3 nealry 4 weeks and it's been fine, even with temperatures down to 5 and 6
just give them sun block (make sure you dont splash water on their leaves) or else they might burn a bit in the sunshne - again it does them no harm overall

[suzylou]

Yep, they're potted up - I have some out on the soil in the garden, some on the lottie in an open cold frame, and some in an open plastic greenhouse - trying all the options! 

I might have a go at repotting say half of them - then if I lose them it's not the end of the world.

Thanks for the advice, I will do it differently next year!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mine were dreadfully leggy seedlings, so I planted them with their bases at the bottom of a three-inch pot, They've grown away really well, and are now sturdy little plants. I'll bury about another three inches when I plant them out.