Allotments 4 All

calm down lbb.

It is most definitely not essential that you take out the side shoots.  In fact OH leaves the variety Brandywine to romp away (tying in the side shoots).

He has been on several American sites, and they don't bother side-shooting.

valmarg

I agree, don't worry. It's practically impossible to control Brandywine and Costoluto anyway- you only have to take your eye off them for a day or two. :) 

Mine have two or three main stems each.

Standing by to be corrected, but I do think you should check out the number of trusses that have set (i.e have fruit appearing on them) because the one plant will only be able to ripen a reasonable number of fruit.  Pinch out the tips of the stems if the plant looks like it's getting overloaded, say more than 5 to 7 trusses.

Which reminds me, I should be out tying-in and Side-shooting the Toms...  ;D

i just cant keep up with them, every time i look round they have grown again, their newest trich is sending out baby branches from the middle of leaves, now thats just bizzare

lbb

Quote from: littlebabybird on July 30, 2008, 09:47:15
i just cant keep up with them, every time i look round they have grown again, their newest trich is sending out baby branches from the middle of leaves, now thats just bizzare

lbb

I've had that as well, also sprouting from the end of trusses.  I do remove  both of those.

GrannieAnnie, I am not sure I undrestand what you mean about the names changing. Some toms do have two names..lke as you say Mortagge Lifter.  RE Cherokee..there is Cherokee Chocolate, Cherokee  Green and Cherokee Purple but they are all different.

LBB. don't worry about pruning if you don't want to, I know many folks in the US,,including the No1 authority who never prune anything, the plants do get very big sometimes though, but then some of the bush ones as I said can get very wide. You can simply pinch back if you want to now and again.

Tim, I don't  know exactly if it is three but they will only set a few before stopping, the leader should then bear fruit.

Grannieannie, just thinking here,If a tom is changed from say a hybrid to an open pollinated, the seed that is sold as a result of the change will change slightly or if they are bred down to a smaller plant as in the ones I quoted. Which is why you can buy the original under one name and the later under a similar name,,as in Early Girl(ID) and it's little sister Bush Early Girl which is determinate.

Homesweet comes under 2 names as one is a generation removed from a hybrid.

Is that what you mean?

With Brandywines it gets even more confusing, as there is Brandywine Red ( a mid season tom which is the Landis Valley strain) and Brandywine Red which is a maincrop, and it comes in two leaf forms as well . Then there is the one that everyone says is Red Brandywine which is actually pink. it's correct name simply being Brandywine..  then there is the one often called Original Brandywine , which is also called Pink Brandywine or Brandywine Sudduths Strain and none of them are the one simply called Brandywine which  also just happens to be pink.I will stop at that but there are many more strains and indeed colurs too. so much so that many breeders are questioning which is which!!

Tigerella is also Mr Stripey and it goes on and on. I found over there they had duel names too, but I think here for sure the Brandywines are confused.

Fun isn't it!!

XX Jeannine

If I wasn't confused before, I definitely am noW! :D LOL.
Often I've looked in US catalogues for varieties of plants being mentioned in the UK and they aren't here. I thought perhaps the person bringing them back from where ever they were originally hybridized just changed the name for something "new". (Am I cynical, or what?)

But your explanation of different generations makes sense.  Would be helpful if the catalogues gave the genetic parentage.

Another point is that in the US catalogues you will see many more varieties than we see here, I buy the vast majority of my seeds from the US simply because I can get the varieties.They are becoming much more known now and folks are trying many more than they did even when I returned 8 years ago. I am certain that there were a lot of folks who grew toms that were unusual here when I first came back but not as many as there are now.

When I lived over that side and looked in seed catalogues for "UK" veggies I simply didn't find them(apart from roots and brassicas) The only tom I remember seeing that was English bred was Moneymaker..my Dad grew this in the sixties and we thought it wonderful ,now I know better,but.. every year I see them by the hundreds in the garden centres.

People shop in an International market place now  so it is getting less unusual to ship "new" varieties from overseas. I originally had my choices shipped over because the ones I was familiar with simply were not here.  It is the same with squash and beans my other loves,it is amazing and smashing to hear folks talking about their squash now, 8 years ago, squash was a butternut ,fullstop, at least it was to everyone I talked to.

Sadly many of the older varieties that were here many years ago are simply not available anymore.

I grow Hero of Lockinge melon..born and bred in the UK(another one of my Dads) but I can't buy it here, so I buy it in the US.

I think sites like this one are invaluable now as people are shopping all over the world and sharing their finds on line.

Now if only I could find Shake and Bake so easily!!

XX Jeannine

Quote from: Jeannine on July 30, 2008, 21:13:33
Now if only I could find Shake and Bake so easily!!

You can get it over here on ebay or from either of these sites.
http://www.angloaustraliantrading.com/Canadashop/CAdetail.aspx?ID=132
http://www.fabfoodsdirect.com/acatalog/Misc_Groceries.html

jeanine-my dad also only grew moneymaker-in those days i think it was the only one available-nearly everytime i go in the polytunnel i think of him when the tomatoey smell hits me!!
great days but now we are blessed with lots more choice-
just when i think i've kept up with the 'nipping out'i turn me back and *plink*theres more!
kitty
xx

Quote from: Jeannine on July 30, 2008, 21:13:33
Another point is that in the US catalogues you will see many more varieties than we see here, I buy the vast majority of my seeds from the US simply because I can get the varieties.They are becoming much more known now and folks are trying many more than they did even when I returned 8 years ago. .......

I've been getting Chilli seeds from New Mexico. Some aren't available here but even those that are work out much better value.

Yes I agree Barnowl, cost is another  big reason I buy from overseas, I find I can bulk buy for very little more cost than a packet which allows me to share. I would much prefer to buy here but find it is almost impossible for one reason or another.

XX Jeannine