I've always grown my tomatoes under glass but they take so much watering that I was thinking about putting some outside this year until I read that they are more likely to get blight. What are the pros and cons, please? The varieties I've got so far are Gardener's Delight and Alicante but thinking of growing a beefsteak variety if it's not too late.
Both of those will grow outside. If you put a shelter up like a canopy so the plant leaves don't stay damp it should be OK. XX Jeannine
If you have an earth floor to your greenhouse try taking a grow bag and cut it in half and sink it into the ground then plant your tomatoes in this, it holds the moisture much better than laying a grow bag flat on the floor and you get a much better root growth .
I've grown mine outside for the last three years. The first year they were great, but they have struggled the last two years. I am hoping that they will be happier at my new allotment as it is sunnier than my garden.
Why do the most innocent questions raise so many answers? ;D
Planting direct in a soil bed should not need water every day nor should `ring culture` if you stick a bottle in the top.
Outside-both the varieties you mention should do OK-listen to Jeannine-she is your neck of the woods.
Beefsteaks outside might be more tricky-grow Brandywine or Caspian Pink or Cherokee Purple inside-outside you could try `Marmande` but it is an awkward so and so at times
Yes - they are more prone to blight outdoors, but that is the luck of the draw? And there are preventatives?
Almost all toms grow outside - given a bit of commom sense & TLC.
I grow most of mine outside as I'm not very good at remembering to water the greenhouse. Last year I got a good crop from costoluto di fiorentino. PM if you want a few seeds I haven't planted any of these yet. Good luck.
I grew loads outside last year; they were really successful till the blight hit. Pick your variety - I can let you have some if you want, there are plenty beside the well-known ones - and hope they don't get blight. Grow them as bush.
Has anyone grown Brandywine outside? I've always grown my toms outside as my greenhouse is small (8x4) but this is the first year I've grown the larger varieties.........panicking now ???
Quote from: Emagggie on March 21, 2007, 21:58:08
Has anyone grown Brandywine outside?
Not me-but that does not mean it will not do well in your garden-It`s a big tom and needs a lot of support-with a taste you will never forget
Always grown Gardeners Delight outside and never had any problems (put seeds in propagator this afternoon in fact!)
Messed up last year though, as I planted 2 per tub and got very crowded and dried out far too fast. Its always a learning curve this gardening lark!
I will also be growing Gardeners Delight and The Amateur up on the allotment this year..we shall see what happens.
Regards
Matt
I grew the Amateur when they first came out. Very prolific bush tomato, I had 252lbs (114.5Kg) off 24 plants.
Glad to hear about the good things said about Brandywine. I also got some seed this year and am looking forward to planting it. For info I read that it is an heirloom Amish seed??
I also grew Marmade outside on a south facing patio last year which was find but I had to water like crazy.... Am thinking of digging out a piece of my lawn to put them in!! DH thinks that I am mad - but I might just be more reasonable and get some growbags instead and am seriously covetting a drip irrigator for them!!!
I have to grow all my tomatoes at home as I believe they get bad blight on the lottie site - but I will try Stupice and Fantasio as a compansion plant on the asparagus bed - which I believe has blight resistant - but then I suppose when it hits they'll all be gone.
Jitterbug
I am growing amateur this year - my neighbour has just told me that they are a very poor cropper - we shall see. Also growing San Marzano outside, and gardeners delight. Under cover will be tigerella and sunbelle.
Grow bags in Aldi today 89p ;D
I've always grown tomatoes outside as well as in the GH, even before I got the allotment. Yes, some years are bad for blight, but - as Tim says - that's the luck of the draw. You need to spray.
Advantages are that the outdoor ones have (in my humble opinion) a better flavour; you can certainly grow more interesting varieties. I grow Shirley under glass, but outside it's Marmande, Roma, Costolutto Fiorentino, plus heritage varieties like Black Russian & Spanish Big Globe. We always grow enough to make several batches of chutney and freeze enough sauce & puree to last us and our son & his family throughout the year. (About 60 or 70 plants last year.)
And as I have to lug watering cans around at the allotment (no hosepipes allowed), I water as little as possible.
I also think that toms are better outside. Sure, they are less prone to blight, and they have a longer season, but imo the taste is far superior.
I too grow lots of different varieties - tried black russian, costoluto, san marzano, orange banana, golden sunrise etc, etc.
Have to say though, still growing the really old favourites G delight & Ailsa Craig as well.
Wouldn't mind trying brandywine though if anyone has any spare (if you don't think I'm TOOO cheeky ::))
Happy to swap - just tell me what you'd like.
Terri
I plant both inside and outside. I have about 10 plants inside and about 15 outside, divided into about five differing sorts. Those outside are always quicker to grow, tastier and carry a larger crop. But - if blight hits only those inside are left.
This year I'm going to cover those outside with a simple roof - it's probably worth it.
Just stay on the side of safety!
Emma Jane made a mean tomato cover/house a couple of years ago. I was ( still am) absolutely GREEN when I saw the pic.
But last year, about September, I took off a few side shoots that I'd missed ::) and potted them up.
They grew well and were providing lovely fresh toms ( in the g/house till well into November!!
Best of both worlds I felt 8) ;D
Terri
I'll definitely grow outside then- leaving more room inside for my aubergines and cucmbers!
Jitterbug,there are several strains of Brandywine, I think I have about 9, my point is that they have different maturing times, most are main season, but there is one that is a liitle earlier so is a better bet.
Times below for comparison purposes only as it is US scale are days after transplanting out into it's final spot.
Yellow Brandywine...90 days
Yellow Brandywine...Platfoot Strain 85 days
Brandywine Sudduths Strain 85 days
Brandywine ( the one people are usually talking about) 80 days
Brandywine OTV 85 days
Brandywine red.(potato leaf) 80 days
Brandywine red ( regular leaf) 80 days
Compare this then to say
Tumbler 55 days
Gardeners Delight 65 days
Sungold 57 days
Big Beef, my favourite biggie 73 days
Beefsteak ( the original) 96 days
Picking varieties if you are growing outside is as important as taste.
Hope this is helpful to someone. XX Jeannine
Having a google around re. different kinds of tomatoes I came across a site which advocated cutting most of the leaves off the plant as tomatoes need air and water more than sunshine. :o It was actually an advertisement for fertiliser, but offering 'growing advice' too. drastic hey?
No expert, but for cordon/indeterminate I now start removing leaves from the bottom of the plant upwards as the fruit develop.
Read the same advice from a jGuernsey commercial grower in the Guardian a few weeks back.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,2018826,00.html (http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,2018826,00.html)
"When first truss begins to form remove all leaves below."
This was the ad I read. The part I refer to is quite a way down, headed "you're not growing tomatoes, you're growing leaves!"
http://www.joyfultomato.com/?gclid=CMGql7aPjYsCFSgEEAodUEl1RQ
Yes, I always remove the leaves below the bottom truss. And it sometimes pays to remove leaves higher up to let air circulate: Roma is notorious for refusing to grow as a tidy little cordon and produces a solid bush-like plant unless you are quite ruthless.
The plus side of this is that while you are busy pulling off leaves & side-shoots and tieing in new growth, you will spot any signs of the dreaded blight early on.
Er .... why would you try to grow Roma as a cordon? It is a bush tomato.
Agree, but if you just let it do it's own thing you get masses of leaf & side-shoots and very little air circulating. So when blight arrives, it's certain to get it. What I meant was, you need to be ruthless with it and take off side-shoots & leaves that obstruct free air flow. It's never going to look nice and tidy like a genuine cordon, but I find I get a heavier (& more certain) crop if I "manage" it a bit.