As some of you will understand gardening has been way down on my priority list this spring … but one day a couple of weeks ago when dear Wonky was visiting us she spotted some tomato seedlings in a pot of dahlias which had been near to the pots of tomatoes on the terrace last year, so she potted them up … they’re doing well … they’re either from the GW last year’s freebies, or they might be from Sungold … whatever they are they’ll probably be the only toms I grow this year, so I’ll be thankful for small mercies 🙏
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
@B3 I tried it once with a Sainbury's Italian sweet version, but they never germinated. Maybe I do something wrong with getting tomato seeds. I will have a look at this. I mean, there are million of seedlings in the compost area where the one or other tomatoes goes in Autumn. One wonders why not wait until they appear on their own?
Many thanks, @Dovefromabove for your picture. Maybe I have too high expectation?
I took a quick picture this morning.
However, this is what I was used to: (the nly pictures I found are from 2020)
March 2020
5 May 2020: The came into the raised bed at the end of April and were almost a meter high.
Many thanks for all the links and tips. I will have a look tomorrow morning at the websites.
@Allotment Boy many thanks for sharing this news. Maybe I'm lucky and find a place with good tomatoes on sale. Last week, when we visited Buscot Park, they had tomato plants as high as I'm used to and I wish I had bought 2 of them.
I know we seem to say it every year but it's been a funny old season so far this year. Yours and Doves for that matter are way ahead of mine , I have only just pricked them on, so I wouldn't panic. Plants have a habit of catching up when conditions are more favourable.
I think your seedlings from this year look a lot healthier than those in the photo from 2020 which have weak stems and are in flower in March. I think that's too early.
This years by contrast have a shorter internode distance which will build sturdier stems. When you next transplant them sink them quite deep so that the seed leaves (the very 1st set of leaves) are just on the surface of the compost. The bit of stem buried under the compost will then send out feeder roots.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
@Pete.8 2020 was the only year when I sow them in January. I never did it again. The stage in March 2020 is normally reached in April. It makes a huge difference planting not too early. But were we live, the tomatoes can move into the greenhouse mid March.
Just shows the difference - not worth sowing them earlier than mid March here, because they couldn't even go in a greenhouse before around mid May to be sure of night time temps being consistent enough. The biggest problem with sowing too early is lack of light. Far more of a problem than lack of warmth, although that's also a factor. I agree with @Pete.8 re the photos. Mine haven't even germinated as the bag of compost I bought is useless. I've just sown more in my own mix of old compost and grit/Perlite. They should be up in a week or two.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm not a tomato expert but I have a fair idea what healthy plant looks like. This year's look sturdy and healthy. The others looked a bit weedy to me.
LOL @B3 my tomatoes always grow as they want. I start taking off the new shoots at the beginning of July. I never stick to the 4 or 5 branches rule. I noticed over the years doing it that way it stabilises them if we have wind/storm. If they are not “crowded”, they get damaged by the heavy winds. Result of this wild growth are around 30 kg tomatoes.
In 2020, I asked my Spanish friend what her brother does when tomatoes are leggy and he told me that they need to go into the greenhouse. You remember 2020, summer started on 25 April and this gave the tomatoes what they needed and the harvest was great. But 2020 was the exception. I always sow them around the 22nd of February.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I mean, there are million of seedlings in the compost area where the one or other tomatoes goes in Autumn. One wonders why not wait until they appear on their own?
Many thanks, @Dovefromabove for your picture. Maybe I have too high expectation?
I took a quick picture this morning.
However, this is what I was used to: (the nly pictures I found are from 2020)
March 2020
5 May 2020: The came into the raised bed at the end of April and were almost a meter high.
Many thanks for all the links and tips. I will have a look tomorrow morning at the websites.
@Allotment Boy many thanks for sharing this news. Maybe I'm lucky and find a place with good tomatoes on sale. Last week, when we visited Buscot Park, they had tomato plants as high as I'm used to and I wish I had bought 2 of them.
I ♥ my garden.
This years by contrast have a shorter internode distance which will build sturdier stems.
When you next transplant them sink them quite deep so that the seed leaves (the very 1st set of leaves) are just on the surface of the compost. The bit of stem buried under the compost will then send out feeder roots.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I ♥ my garden.
The biggest problem with sowing too early is lack of light. Far more of a problem than lack of warmth, although that's also a factor. I agree with @Pete.8 re the photos.
Mine haven't even germinated as the bag of compost I bought is useless. I've just sown more in my own mix of old compost and grit/Perlite. They should be up in a week or two.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
But 2020 was the exception. I always sow them around the 22nd of February.
I ♥ my garden.
I tried them last year, and was a little disappointed by the lack of flavour, sadly