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Tomato plants outgrowing my kitchen...

BenwoodcockukBenwoodcockuk Posts: 20
in Problem solving
Hi all. Hope you're enjoying this beautiful spring day.

We sowed some tomato plants earlier in the year and they have been growing really well on the windowsill. First time I've done it from seed. However fast forward to now and some of the plants are just 5inches or so off the height of the ceiling.

My Grandad who's grown tomatoes for 50 years said not to put them outside until end of May. By that time I'm concerned the plants will be too tall for the windowsill. Can't really put them anywhere else inside because I have small children who would just destroy them.

So, what do people do when these plants get too high, but it's too cold to plant outside? I haven't got a greenhouse. I guess for next time I should just get a developed plant from the garden centre in early summer... 

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    You’ve sown them too early,  if they were a foot tall now they’d be ok, there’s not much you can do except either sow some more seeds or just hope they don’t go through your ceiling, as your grandad says to plant out at the end May. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • BenwoodcockukBenwoodcockuk Posts: 20
    Okay, thank you Lyn. I most likely sowed too soon. Think we sowed in early March time. Most of them are now nearly 2ft and only one pot is one foot. Hopefully the bigger ones stop growing a bit! 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    That’s not so bad Ben, I imagined them to be at the top of the window frame already, 
    have you got somewhere indoors but colder to keep them. 
    You may have to put a stick in to support them.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • tui34tui34 Posts: 3,493
    Hi Ben - could you put them somewhere a bit cooler to slow down growth?  

    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • BenwoodcockukBenwoodcockuk Posts: 20

    As you can see the one on the right is near the top of the sill
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Dare I say they look rather straggly I would take the tops off. They have grown tall,to the detriment of bushing up.I grew mine kitchen window early February,but they stay in a quarter seed tray,JI no 1,they don't then get too big,they are now potted on to 3 or 4 inch pots
  • BenwoodcockukBenwoodcockuk Posts: 20
    That's a good tip ill look at doing that 👍
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    Could you get a plastic greenhouse for the garden? That would help. If not pinch the top off the tall one and force it to bush, you will still get fruit just don't let the side shoots get more than one bunch (truss) of toms as they wont take the weight .😀
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    What variety are they?  Surely most people remove side shoots,I can't see by the pictures,but tomatoes need strong canes to support them.
  • tomhumftomhumf Posts: 65
    edited April 2021
    Never seen tomatoes growing with two shoots at base, would be interested in variety too
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