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I am just about to send off for my potatoes, onion sets and seeds but am a bit stuck as to which tomato seeds to buy.  This year, for the first time ever, I am going to try growing some outdoor tomatoes.  Are there some that are more hardy than others?  What is the best way to grow them outside.....in the soil, in pots or in growbags? Your suggestions would be very welcome please.

You will get lots of different answers but I would suggest you grow them in the soil (no great problems if you cannot get to water them occasionally) and though there are newer varieties you will have to go a long way to find a more flavoursome, heavy cropping and reliable outdoor tomato than Gardeners Delight.

Gardeners delight for little ones and outdoor girl for bigger toms, done well for me outdoors, better in the soil so they don't dry out so quickly. :)

Last year I grew the two old reliables  (gardeners delight and alisa craig) outdoors and side-by-side. I was far more impressed with alisa craig and it produced a very heavy tasty crop. Oh, and they were both grown directly in the garden soil.....

I just bung them in the soil. I've tried them twice, the forst lot were just beginning to develop tomatoes when they were wiped out by early blight. I tried again last year, had a nice crop coming, and they got blight. Half the toms rotted; if I get that again I'll make chutney or something straight off rather than letting them waste again.

Growing outdoors all my tomatoes got hit by blight last year.  I'll be growing Ferline next year with my fingers crossed.  The tomatoes in the ground did better until the blight struck.

I am making lots of mental notes here, for my tomato crops last year were almost non-existent ...

Gardener's Delight, Outdoor Girl, Ailsa Craig ...

Perhaps all three, then I can make a real judgement ...

Thank you everyone, there's a lot to think about here. 

Derek, what toms did you grow last year that were unsuccessful and were they grown outdoors and in the soil? 

I grew Gardener's Delight in the greenhouse but they didn't come to much.  As well as the usual red ones, I am also thinking of growing Tigerella.  Has anyone grown them? 

My toms will probably be at minimum 12 feet from my potatoes.  Is this too near as I believe they are poisonous if they cross-pollinate?

HI all, grew gardener delight and alisa craig last year not impressed with delights but craig was ok, both grown in soil next to each other,I always put black bin liners down 1st then  a 2or3" pipe in ground where each plant is going to make it easy for watering .Am growing Fantasio {blight resistant ?) this year.

Quote from: Paulines7 on January 14, 2006, 21:11:19
My toms will probably be at minimum 12 feet from my potatoes.  Is this too near as I believe they are poisonous if they cross-pollinate?

I thought the solanaceae family (tomatoes, potatoes, aubegines etc.) are self fertile and do not cross pollinate. Potatoes can develop fruit that look like tomatoes and these are poisonous. Pick off the flowers as they develop to prevent energy going into fruit production but rather into tuber production. Growing your tomatoes near potatoes increases their chance of getting disease from the potato plants, e.g. blight, so if possible grow them at a larger distance apart.

I had brilliant crops from Shirley and Alicante but both were in the greenhouse. This year I'm growing Shirley in the greenhouse again and Rose de Berne outside. I don't really know if it is any good though.

Quote from: Jesse on January 14, 2006, 21:49:56

Quote from: Paulines7 on January 14, 2006, 21:11:19
My toms will probably be at minimum 12 feet from my potatoes.  Is this too near as I believe they are poisonous if they cross-pollinate?

I thought the solanaceae family (tomatoes, potatoes, aubegines etc.) are self fertile and do not cross pollinate. .....

Fruit from existing tomato plants would not be affected by any cross pollination from other tomato plants if this occurred; the effect would only be seen on plants grown the following year from seed collected. Potato fruits are definitely not to be eaten ever. I think if blight is present on a site, distances of planting don't make that much difference really on the spread of blight, they will all get it eventually in the right conditions.

I find that the determinate (or bush) varieties of tomato do better for me as regards blight, had a particularly good crop of Roma plum cooking tomatoes in 2005, which is sold as a semi-determinate, but I found it bushed up well. It's probably best to try early maturing types to beat blight, such as Sub Arctic Plenty which I haven't tried in bulk or Red Alert, which I have, and found to be a good eating tomato.

Quote from: Paulines7 on January 14, 2006, 21:11:19
My toms will probably be at minimum 12 feet from my potatoes.  Is this too near as I believe they are poisonous if they cross-pollinate?

Tomatoes and potatoes are from different species in family Solanaceae. It is generally understood that plants from two different species will not typically cross pollinate.

Hi Paulines7,
I've grown Tigerella but not outside so I can only comment on them generally. I grew them for the stripe effect of course which is interesting but apart from that they are neither heavy croppers or particularly flavoursome. Worth it for the novelty but thats all. :)

Quote from: Larkspur on January 15, 2006, 07:54:45
Hi Paulines7,
I've grown Tigerella but not outside so I can only comment on them generally. I grew them for the stripe effect of course which is interesting but apart from that they are neither heavy croppers or particularly flavoursome. Worth it for the novelty but thats all. :)

Oh, I was thinking of growing them as Tucker's Catalogue states "Red and Yellow striped cordon, which is very pretty and has a Fantastic flavour"  Changed my mind now!

Thanks Jesse, Jennym and John for information about cross polination.  I was wondering if in the greenhouse, potatoes in pots would cross-pollinate with my tomatoes.  Glad that will be OK. 

Coming back to the subject of outdoor tomatoes, has anyone had any success with growing cherry tomatoes outside?  I was thinking of Tiny Tim.  For the larger toms I will try Ailsa Craig but still could do with another recommendation please.

Hallo Pauline, For outside I used oa. Gardeners delight , cherry, heavy crop, was fine.  Micro Tom,     Mimi charm (small plum)
 
and Patio Orange, good yield, good taste,  Green zebra was fine,  Mountain pride, beefsteak, big ones.

I sow them inside, repot them in yoghurt pots (10cm tall), than in 0,5 ltr milkkartons, outside in the daytime  when the weather is warm enough and finally in the gardensoil . Last year the roots were between 20 and 30 cm long.
I put a big piece of glass at the west side ( protect them from cold sea wind) and a cover against the rain.

Larkspur if you have a few old hanging baskets why not try Tumbling Tom.. Lovely little cherry tom tumbling over the side of the basket(or a big pot on a wall will do) Grew Tigerella last year and have to agree with you ... not big on flavour.  Didn't do all that well with the gardeners delight either  :'( first year with any probs from them.  Must try harder next year. ;)

Thanks Mimi. I have never had the space before but now have a plot next to the perimeter fence so could give them a go on that. My daughter in law has grown them on the back wall of her house in a hayrack but has never had a big enough crop to give me any. :'(

Quote from: Lady Cosmos on January 15, 2006, 15:38:41
..........I put a big piece of glass at the west side ( protect them from cold sea wind) and a cover against the rain.

What a good idea!  We get a very strong westerly wind here which comes racing down the paddock and there are no windbreaks.

Well, I was overjoyed with my Gardener's Delight. Grew them alongside Marmande both inside the greenhouse and outside.

Both varieties did better inside at least as far as yield goes, but the taste of the outdoor GD's was gorgeous, as sweet as the indoor ones were, the outdoor ones were better, but smaller.

The season of the outdoor ones was pretty short though, probably because the June frost meant they had to stay in pots longer.
I've already got the GD seed for this year, but I want at least 2 more varieties.

Iwas thinking Ailsa Craig and Sungold, any comments on these?