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What shall i do with this tomato plant?
rhiannoncartwright
Posts: 4
in Fruit & veg
Hi all,
I was wondering what to do with this tomato plant? I bought it as part of a kit to grow with my little boy. We bought it late in the season as it was reduced. Now i have no idea what to do with it.
its growing in a bag about 12 inches in diameter. There is also basil growing in there as well.
Is there any chance of this actually giving me tomatoes this late in the year? if so what can i do to make this happen?
Thanks,
Rhiannon.
0
Posts
hhmm.
You might get some fruit this year if it's under cover,( greenhouse, porch etc ) it's hard to tell from the photo.
If it's outside, you might want to bring it somewhere bright and a bit warmer for a while.
Judging by the wet table it's on - I'd guess it's outside Hosta...
Either that, or you need your roof fixed Rhiannon
If there aren't any flowers or fruits on it yet, I think it could be tricky - even if you get it undercover. Running out of itme now unfortunately. On the plus side - it looks nice and healthy!
Mine are poor this year. The weather's been dire at the important times. Too cold at night for the last 4 or 6 weeks, and they are undercover.
Last edited: 05 September 2016 12:48:09
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Ha yeah it is outside, the roofs okay!
Thanks for the reply's!
So if i did bring it inside, to give it one last chance, is there anything else i could to do? bigger pot? shall i take the basil out? my other half mention about cutting the shorter stems underneath?
Last edited: 05 September 2016 13:00:08
tsk @ you guys.
It might have been on a bench in a greenhouse which has just been hosed down???
nah its outside...been there all this time.... i didn't want to move it cause it seemed to like it there ... haha!
Tee hee Hosta
Is it one of those bush or tumbling types Rhiannon? Should have asked that before
Normal practice is to remove lower foliage on the cordon/indeterminate type tomatoes, and also the little sideshoots which appear at the junction between the main stem and the defined branches as the plant grows. If yours is the other type - bush - the care is different I think. I've only ever grown the first type.
I'm not sure there's a lot you can do, other than carry on as you are, but providing a bit more warmth. If there are no flowers though - you don't get any fruit. Tomatoes have a 'shelf life' - there's a limited amount of time for them to do their thing.
If the basil's happy enough just leave it there, but if you can get it out, you could pot it up on it's own and you'll probably get more out of it before the cold weather kills it off.
It's all part of the learning process anyway - perhaps you could get a couple of plants in spring, and have another go, or buy some seeds and start from scratch. I'm sure you'd be more successful if you have plants at the right time. You'll get plenty of help here anyway
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Tomatoes are actually perennials (albeit frost tender) so, in theory if you have enough light and warmth it should still fruit (i.e grow it as a houseplant). Having said that I'd be surprised if you got anything that didn't taste rancid! I can't see any flowers on it; if there are any you could remove all but one truss and hope for the best.
Otherwise I might be more inclined to remove the tomato plant altogether and just grow the basil indoors (if it is basil).
If you haven't had any fruit by now, its not likely to happen. I have already cut down one plant that has finished producing tomatoes........its the end of the season. Yours looks like a really healthy plant so start early next year if you are growing from seed (March indoors) and plant up into something a little larger without anything else to fight over the nutrients and you should get a good crop.