tomatoes bush/ cordon problem

[legless]

hi

i haven't labelled some of my tomatoes properly as i didn't have enough labels when i was sowing them. i have 3 varieties of cherry tomatoes unlabelled - 2 bush and one cordon, what disasters will befall me if i treat them all as bush? is there any way of telling as they grow which ones might be cordon?

thanks

Jo

[legless]

[tim]

When will you learn?

If you go all 'bush', you'll be 66% right?

Don't know, but the cordon should show signs of wanting to be taller sooner??

[kenkew]

Your bush ones will start to bush out fairly early on. Your cordon will look like a 'normal' plant.

[legless]

When will you learn?

If you go all 'bush', you'll be 66% right?

Don't know, but the cordon should show signs of wanting to be taller sooner??

i always label everything normally.

i feel about 12 years old after that telling off!  ;)

[Lily]

Your not alone Legless, I too have just transplanted some tomatoes and forgot which were the bush variety, have since found out that what I ordered were all cordons, boo hoo  :(  I was going to ask the same question, but you've beaten me to it.  So that's two 12 year olds.  I might do a little trial and get one or two of them to go bushy to see what happens.

[supernan]

LOL LIly and Legless. Do we have some perferct Prefects on here or what?

I have 12 varieties of tomatoes, have been a teachers pet and labelled but now have to re-read blurb on packets cos I can' remember which wants to grow where and how!!

I am running out of room so some may have to go out that should be in and lump it! Lost one of my greenhouses to a mini tornado earlier this year so inside space is very limited. My brain is brewing on buying a cheepie plastic greenhouse but my bank account is saying NO.

I'd just put unlabled ones in a bigger pot for now, soon tell what they are, and its not the end of the world if you get it a bit wrong. Tomatoes will still taste good.

[northener]

The bush type won't grow as tall but you probably knew that.

[Lily]

I am growing Gardeners Delight and Ailsa Craig.  Because of my very limited space in the greenhouse, height wise, is it possible to stop the  tip after about 2 or 3 sets.  Will I still have a good crop of tomatoes?.  I am already feeling 12 years old - along with Legless, and having senior/blond moments,  please don't make me feel 2 years old  ;D ;D ;D

[kenkew]

If you could sink your pots in the border you'll gain a little height. Normally you should be looking for about 4 decent trusses but if you have to stop the plant at 3, well, no problem, you should still have a fair amount of fruit.

[tim]

My mis- or non-labelled ones go to the village plant sale next w/e. Lucky dip?

Wish I could get through a year without this indiscipline.

[philcooper]

Lily,

If you stop them after 3 trusses - you will only get 3 trusses - unless you allow the side shoots to grow on and they will have trusses too. You could root some side shoots, ditch the "first crop" after they have fruited and have a second crop.

I don't think bushes are the way to go in greenhouses as they take up so much space in the width direction and all fruit at once.

Phil

[BAGGY]

I am also officially a 12 year old !  Not only did I lose the label for the toms but I sowed half a tray of capsicums and half chillis and can'r remember which  half was which - time will tell .....

[Mrs Ava]

I have tomatos with no labels, chillis where the writing has faded so I can't tell what they are and aubergenes where I carefully put all the same varieties in pots in seed trays, then forgot and jumbled them all up when I was watering!  ::)  Hey ho, tis all part of the adventures of 'extreme gardening'!

[Jill]

So last year, I didn't know which tomato was growing in which pot, which potato was in which row, which courgette was a pumpkin in disguise etc, etc.  So this year labels on everything.  Everything, that is, until the blessed wind overturned the tray of pots of courgettes:green, green round, and 2 sorts of yellow that were hardening off and all the labels fell out.

Oh well there's always next year - 3rd time lucky!

[philcooper]

Ask the government if they would like to use them for trials for the new identity cards (ID stand for Identity Discs in the UK - ID is an American abreviation!!!!  >:()

They could put the psychometric or whatever data in them and so even if the pots got muddled you woiuld still be able to identify them  ;D

Phil

[westsussexlottie]

I had the mix up too.  Naughty me...
I now can't identify which squash and courgette is which....
I guess I will have to wait until they are fruiting to find out!

[ruud]

Nobody is perfect i who has so many different variaties,got also mixed up.In the begining i mostly only can tell what is a bush and what is a cordon variaty,but when i see the full grown tommie i know it,so people if there is anyone out there who can tell me a proper system to label please tell me.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Use two different types of pot. You're unlikely to lose those.

[redimp]

This is making me feel better.  I sowed two trays each of different sorts of conical cabbage, one summer and one autumn at the same time.  Labelled them with a water soluble marker (it was my first ever bulk sowing, but still very dim) so they are now planted in a mixed row - I have strategically plated marigolds between the 'trays' so at least I will know where one begins and one ends.  Other than that I will be waiting to see which matures first.

[Doris_Pinks]

If my pots are the terracotta coloured ones, I write on the side of the pot with a permenant marker!