Planting tomatoes

[moggssue]

Following on a bit from the growbag thread (didnt want to hijack!) - those with the space, do you plant your tomatoes in the open ground, or do you still use pots/growbags? I dont remember seeing too many mentions last year of toms in the ground, and thats how I was thinking of doing them on my lottie?

[Chiana]

Last year was my first year growing, and as I didn't have my allotment ready, all my tomatoes ended up in pots down the end of my garden. The good thing about this was that when all the tomatoes at the allotment got blight before they had a chance to ripen, mine gave a good crop until blight started in October.
So I've decided this year to keep one of each variety (in pots again) for my garden, just to be sure.

[Flummery]

Mine grow in the soil in my greenhouse. I change the soil every other year (one side each year) to prevent diseases building up. Unfortunately you do import slugs and snails so these need a bit of ...what's the opposite of TLC?

[moggssue]

Thats a thought - I dont know what was grown on the site last year, or whether it had blight. Hmmm, maybe I should stick to growbags on the soil just in case?

[veg4681]

I daren't grow my tomatoes on the ground but that's just me, paranoid . You could still put the pots on the ground so that they get some moisture but if it's too windy, could pot be a problem esp. with them vine ones? Also is it possible to move potted plants away to somewhere safe if you fear blight's on the way? With pots, you can always stick copper tape around the pot to stop the slugs climbing up. Hopefully someone will come up with better answers.

[SarzWix]

I've grown some in the ground, but it was at home in an ex-flower border not on the lottie. They did ok, but I think they spent a lot of time growing roots (as they had so much more room) and forgot to get going with the fruit production!

[Flummery]

When we had a lottie but no greenhouse I used to grow most of my toms outside. Obviously I didn't buy seed specified as greenhouse varieties but they always did well. I would put one or two of each variety into a big pots and keep them in the conservatory at home. Earlier crops from this, but not necessarily better. If I had the space I'd grow them outside in the ground again.

[veg4681]

I would put one or two of each variety into a big pots and keep them in the conservatory at home. Earlier crops from this, but not necessarily better.

What do you mean by better, tastier and bigger crops? I remember Moggsue was saying that her courgettes in pots didn't produce as much as in the ground. Although I don't like courgettes in pot as I find them MASSIVE plant but I hadn't thought that tomotoes might suffer from lesser crops too in a pot...is that the case?

[Flummery]

I don't think the crops in the pot were smaller. Nor were they worse or better - just earlier. You need to be more careful with feeding and watering in a pot. Don't think I mentioned tastier or bigger crops in terms of whether they were in a pot or not. (?)

[Cutecumber]

Some plants, such as tomatoes, don't seem to mind being restricted in a pot. As long as you feed and water adequately, the crop seems to be good. Of course, outdoors you should have to water and feed less... and that's a significant plus point.

Courgettes need much more space and are much bigger feeders - my experience is that in the ground they produce up to three times as much as when restricted.

Back to Sue's original question - you need to consider how windy/ sheltered your plot is if you are considering outdoor pot-grown tomatoes. Due to lack of space I grow some tomatoes outdoor in very large containers (2 or 3 plants in a 70 litre pot). They fall over regularly in the wind. I load up the pots with bricks, I lean them against things... but they go over.

If you have the choice, plant them in the ground. It really is a lot easier for you and the plants.

Growing in containers won't stop them getting blight as the vast majority of infection comes from spores blown in on the wind.

[bramble]

I have grown tomatoes in the open ground every year (as well as in my greenhouse) I have always got a bumper crop except the year just gone out when all my outdoor toms were stricken with early blight. If you are growing into the open ground the one piece of advice i would offer is- leave plenty of space between the plants. When you are planting out and the plants are small you might be tempted to plant them closer together than the recommended spacing, but when they grow on a bit you realise they definitely need all the space they can get.l
I have had excellent results from planting into the open ground and would thoroughly recommend it.

[Two_Sheds]

I put my Alicante in the ground on the (windy, wet) lottie. I thought they weren't doing much, but I got 10 jars of green tomato chutney out of them

[moggssue]

Thanks folks - plenty of food for thought there! I think I will try toms in the open ground on the lottie (under the heading of 'you never know until you try') but also keep a couple at home in pots as last year, and see what happens.

[Alison]

Mine are in grow bags with rings in the greenhouse and in the open ground outside - last year the Red Alert were fab outside so will be doing some more this year.