Why can't I grow Toms?

[noviceveggrower]

Hi. Was just wondering if it was just me or does anyone else have this problem.
All my other seeds grow but the tomatoes seem half hearted even at this early stage. Last year they were in two minds to carry on growing when I put them in my blow away greenhouse and they got tipped and ruined.
I then bought some tomato plants from local garden place on two lived and I had two very , very small toms off them.
I kept them watered and nipped out the side shoots etc but still no luck.
So advice on what I am doing drastically wrong please.
Just don't ask me about my carrots either that's another non growing topic.

[WendyC]

Tomatoes do like a bit of warmth and can sulk a bit if they don't get their own way. Last Spring was so cold, for such a long time that perhaps they just lost the will to live. Are you growing from seed this year or buying in a few plants? Either way I would wait until you can be sure of growing them on without a check, i.e when it's quite warm.
What compost did you use? They don't like sitting with roots in cold wet compost so don't over water them. Also gradually increase the size of pot you are potting them into, rather than suddenly into their final pot. How big was the final pot?
You say you nipped out the side shoots, but were they cordon varieties. If they were bush types you are pinching out the fruiting stems. Other than watering, did you feed them at all?
Where did you site them? The sunnier the better.
Can't think of much else, last year was slow to start but you should have been able to get a reasonable crop eventually. Have another go!

[Mikey]

I would ask two questions, as you actually got 2 tomatoes I would assume they got plenty of sunshine and a certain level of warmth, but;

1, What did you plant them in?, did they have enough room to grow fully without their roots being restricted. A good rich compost and a generous pot size is key. I personally plant mine into the earth inside my greenhouse. This get improved every year, with home made compost, potash, and mulched with multipurpose to keep the moisture in.
2, Watering and Feeding?, did you water and feed them at regular intervals. Its important to water the roots not the plant, so pop a plant pot into the earth alongside each plant and fill this when you water. Feed at least once a week with a tomato feed when they start to fruit as the plants will very quickly remove the nutrients from a growbag and multipurpose compost and the leaves will start to yellow and the plants are more prone to disease.

[Alison]

As already said, we need to know more details (we're quite nosey here ). I'd also add that, although people do, it really is too early yet for toms, sit on your hands for another month and the longer length of the days will really help although it does sound like you have other things that aren't working - my guess is that the plants aren't getting enough light or food but more details will help.

[Bren In Pots]

I would ask two questions, as you actually got 2 tomatoes I would assume they got plenty of sunshine and a certain level of warmth, but;
.

Before I had my GH I used to grow a couple of tomato plants on the kitchen window sill in flower buckets, I got a decent crop of them.

[Mikey]

Before I had my GH I used to grow a couple of tomato plants on the kitchen window sill in flower buckets, I got a decent crop of them.

I guess they were bush forming rather than cordons?, if not you must have big windows!!

[Bren In Pots]

Mikey the window is nearly 5ft tall so the cordon toms did fine, here's a truss I entered in the vine comp a few years ago.

[noviceveggrower]

Hi. Thanks for the advice everyone. The toms were started off in the bathroom, nice, warm and sunny. Then moved to a greenhouse. The soil used was the stuff for seedlings and then moved them on to compost. I moved them about 3 times not rushing them, if you can rush a tomato, giving them plenty of room. Then they died.
The ones I had to but were put in fairly big tubs that you'd put a shrub in. Well watered and on a decking area so water would drain out and not be water logged. Did give them a few doses of tomato fertiliser stuff.
Haven't started any yet. Going to start end of March here I think possibly into April.
Here's a question why has that tomato liquid stuff got a strawberry on? If so why can you use on strawberries?

[WendyC]

Tomato feed is basically a high potash feed to promote fruiting so is suitable for anything that fruits, including strawberries.

[Mikey]

How long after you moved them out of the house was it before they died? and how early in the season was it?

I have tomato seedlings just coming through now, I generally look to have them in the greenhouse soil by the beginning of April but that will all be dependent on overnight temperatures. The year before last they were in the ground in March but, last year was very cold upto and into April so they didn't go out until May, and were a good 18" tall by this time.

Its not the daytime temperature I'm worried about its the overnight temp, if its still in or around freezing its too soon, overnight temps around 6-10 degrees and I'm good to go.

[alldigging]

Hi. Thanks for the advice everyone. The toms were started off in the bathroom, nice, warm and sunny. Then moved to a greenhouse.

They'd have been slowed by the temperature difference.

You can't put them out in a greenhouse until the night time temperature is at least 10'c. Not without heating it anyway!

[Scarlet]

Is your "green house" a plastic blow away? I only use those for growing on seedlings and the occasional chilli plant. In the summer its very difficult to grow anything in them, ventilation is a problem and they get cooked by they heat.