The Bush Tomato Thread 2012 and beyond

[zazen999]

One of the things that I have discovered whilst gardening in schools, is that tomatoes tend to ripen during the time when no students are about - and they also tend to go bananas when there is nobody there to pinch out the sideshoots [armpits].

So, last year I tried a few different techniques which worked amazingly well.

Firstly, I sowed very early, so that some tomatoes were ready before the end of July.

Secondly, I sowed some late, so that they were just coming into ripeness at the start of September.

Also, as mentioned on another thread, I put some vine toms in the ground and just let them do what they wanted to do - which was to ramble - and got a fantastic crop.

Another thing I did was to grow a fair amount of bush tomatoes, again with an early and a late sowing, mainly as one school was merging with another and it meant I could take the bush toms from one school to another during the hols; without the problem of stakes getting in the way. And the students could pick toms when they returned as well as before they went on hols. This worked extremely well and is a method that I will be using again, just for the breeze of growing them.

So, I've been asking people for any bush tomatoes and thanks to a few gems [Frosty Freckle, Poly and Jeannine amongst others] I now have a small collection that I have yet to grow, plus some from last year and some from my saved toms this year.

So - does anyone want to join me in growing more bush tomatoes, share their experiences, and their frame and support mechanisms, and just generally join in with growing bush tomatoes? Vines always seem to get the glory and the bushes seem to get overlooked. I think they need a thread on here all of their own, to encourage people to try them more often.

For my part, I will be sowing a handful on 22nd December.

And I mean a handful; just 3 seeds of 3 varieties; with a view to growing just one plant indoors and the rest going out into the greenhouse [unheated] as soon as it reaches 2 inches tall; and after a week of hardening off. I will be trying to get my schools to do this as well, just to see how they can extend their seasons.

[chris]

Have you had success before sowing that early and then moving into an unheated greenhouse? I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this thread

[Potstubsdustbins]

I have grown F1 Tumbler in hanging baskets for a number of years now and always had great success. To the extent that I am cutting down to two plants this year as they will provide plenty of fruit and leave me two baskets for more strawberries.

Tumbler went off the scene for a couple of years and I tried several other varieties including Tumbling Tom both red and yellow, Red Alert and Garden Pearl. In my opinion none gave as good a crop nor had as good a taste as F1 Tumbler.

Look forward to the results of your Dec sowing.

Colin

[veggiechicken]

Which varieties will you be sowing?

[zazen999]

Have you had success before sowing that early and then moving into an unheated greenhouse? I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this thread

Usually start in Jan but as you know, I'm a bit mean and all mine go out into the unheated greenhouse as soon as they were a few inches tall. And yes, I am still picking from those plants sown early this year, in my courtyard.

[zazen999]

Which varieties will you be sowing?

Mine will all be heritage varieties, and about 12 from Canada that Jeannine sent to me. The list will follow once I've gathered them all up in one place.

[Jeanied]

I've just been searching around for bush tomato seeds and they are not that easily available! Real seeds seem to have 5 or so varieties but I have never heard of any of them.

[horticultural_hobbit]

I tried growing toms early this year. Some Wilkos minibell, that are a bush Tom. Mine died a death on the window sill having got too leggy. I will be trying again next year, and might stick them in the lotment-now that I have one- with everything else. The toms very rarely go green, and have to be put onto the window sill once harvested. That and the damned blight!

[zazen999]

I've just been searching around for bush tomato seeds and they are not that easily available! Real seeds seem to have 5 or so varieties but I have never heard of any of them.

You've sent me loads of things over the last year J - let me send you a selection.

[Jeanied]

Oh my how kind Zaz! I have just looked in my seed stash and I have found a packet of Balconi Red - I can't believe what I paid for 20 seeds!

[chris]

I've failed when putting them so small into a cold greenhouse. I may sow double the amount this time and stick half in the greenhouse and see how they do.

[zazen999]

How did they fail? Mine do go purple, but soon kick on once it warms up.

I do pop a net over them though, and my greenhouse is sheltered so gets the sun.

[chris]

Ah, perhaps I could try fleece.. They go purple, and then just give up - just don't grow.

I'm still harvesting toms weekly from the greenhouse, which is great - but outside, that'd be ace

[Ananke]

I'll join in

I remember trying some from Real Seed in my first year growing but I don't remember what happened, I know I didn't get any toms (I really need to keep a diary) I think maybe i killed them.

I haven't ordered my Tom seeds yet so i'll get one or two bush varieties when I do.

[binley100]

I want to play too ...........I have Roma and cost .fiorentino and maybe one or two others that are bush toms ........*goes off to inspect tom seeds ....