I bought three packets of Tomato seeds from Wilkos yesterday they are
• Unwins Sweet Olive (10 seeds),
• Sweet Million (15 seeds)
• and Gardeners Delight (sufficient for 50 plants)
The instructions say, “Almost fill a seed tray†and I’m wondering if I’m successful will I have too many toms?
What do yoo’s guys do? I was thinking maybe half a tray Feb. half a tray March and so on.
Think I will rename myself the Green Gardener. :-[
Hi roy I always sow my tomatoes individually in small pots and then justpot them on as they grow. Mucheasier than transplanting and as you say it means that you can decide exactly how many you want. They are usually pretty reliable and germinate well. I also bought the sweet olive of which I sowed 3 on Wednesday, and also 3 of Italia - a plum variety. These are just for greenhouse cultivation, I'll sow loads more come next month for outdoor growing.
Terri
Roy, how many plants do you want to end up with?
Last year I sowed 10 tom seeds in a 3" pot and they all germinated. I had 2 balconies full of toms :) I hated the pricking out stage though, and this year I am going to sow in modules, with toms, one seed per module.
Have the lottie this year, but I'm about to lose my balconies, as we are moving soon :'(. I have about 6 varieties of tom. Going to have to re-think my tom plan :-\
If you do end up with a million tomato plants, I'm sure you could find family and friends to give them away to :) You just need the space for bringing them up :-\ I usually sow based on how many plants I want, with a few extras to account for any that keel over etc.
Roy - I notice that they're all 'cherries'. Is that what you intended?
We always sow in small pots too, Roy, but still end up with far too many plants (just in case you know ::)) but find there are always willing takers for the spares and you get swappsies too!!
Good point, Tim.....
Thanks Guys'n'Gals I'll do it the potty way then, what size pot should they end up in? ???
Oops Tim never realised they were all cherries, just noticed the F1 Hybrid as someone on here said are best or easiest to grow, although we do normally buy the small toms.
Moggle, why the :'( face when you said you were moving? is it not to pastures greener? ???
Start them off in a small module and then you can bury the stem as you pot them up. This will allow you to control their height if they get etiolated and they will root through the stem giving you a stronger root system. I think Ina finishes hers off in toilet paper rolls? Another project with the grandkids?
Roy it will be ;D for the cheap rent, and that will make it pastures greener, but :'( to saying goodbye to the balconies where I grew something like 8 tomato plants, a couple of growbags full of petunias, herbs, a growbag full of strawberries, 2 pepper plants, one chilli plant, 2 pots of spuds, 2 pots of french beans. Both balconies have a roof, and are mostly protected from frosts.
I think the potting up theory is to start small, and when the roots fill the module/pot, pot them up. From module to 3", and then to 5" I guess??
Thanks again to you both will try the T/P Rolls John, the Grandkids are learning faster than me and it won't be long B4 I'm asking them for advice. ;D
Moggle glad your Happy sorry your Sad about loosing the balconies but you have your lottie to compansate 8) ;D
Quote from: john_miller on February 12, 2005, 17:28:10
Start them off in a small module and then you can bury the stem as you pot them up. This will allow you to control their height if they get etiolated and they will root through the stem giving you a stronger root system. I think Ina finishes hers off in toilet paper rolls? Another project with the grandkids?
Not quite John. I don't use toilet paper rolls for tomato plants. I just repot several times up to their top few leaves and end up with them in a tall, 1 liter yoghurt container. Then they go into the ground with the long root at a slant, almost horizontally in the soil, the theory being that if you plant them straight down, the soil that deep is still very cold in spring, slowing the plant down.
Just found out on the weekend that there is a small bit of the shared garden that is 'mine', so I will have some space for toms at the new place after all :)
Roy I probably have a couple of spare 'craigella' seeds if you want something other than cherry toms. I think they are supposed to be a medium sized, outdoor tom. However, I grew all cherry types last year, and they are great :), just not so good for slicing for sarnies. :-\
Yoghurt containers, thanks Ina, your saying that has reminded me how I am going to use all the yoghurt containers I have saved, although they're 500ml, not a litre. They are still around 6" deep though, which I hope will be enough.
On your, how many to sow, if you sow 2 seed in each of the required number of pot/module/toilet rolls and then remove the weakest you will not go far wrong. Tomato germination rate is very high so almost every seed should germinate.
There's some very good advice on when to sow at http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_july_1_tomato.asp
BTW Gardeners Delight is not an F1 - so you can save the seed and have hundreds of free plants next year!!
Phil
Thanks for the tips again Guys'n'Gals and the useful link ;D
Pleased you got a piece of garden to plant in Moggle, may turn out better than a balcony ;) Thank you for the kind offer of the tom seeds but I feel at the mo that I maybe killing more than growing. I feel I'm on a starting line and don't know which way to run ??? It will all come together in the end I'm sure, (I hope) ??? ;)
I start my toms off in small modules (about 2cm wide at the top) two seeds to a cell. Once they have germinated, I pot them up individually to 3-inch square pots. (I hate thinning - I can't stand throwing away useful plants). With tomatoes, I only sow about two or three more seeds than I need. Germination rate is very high. If I get extra plants, I give them to mum, neighbours, etc.
I keep potting them up gradually. Pot them up when the roots are poking out the bottom. Mine end up in 10-inch pots or half growbags, stood up. They need the root space.
I also plant upturned 2l bottles in with them. remove the lid, cut off the bottom and put it upside down into the compost. Then fill it when you water them. The powers that be reckon they need this amount of water a day (I found this to be the case on very hot, dry days, or that amount every other day on less hot days). And this also delivers the water to the roots and encourages them to grow down.
PS - tomatoes are dead easy. as long as you don't get blight.