Tomato sown in December?

[janeyo]

Has anyone done this? I have just been reading about it in Dec GYO.
Wondered if to try it.

janeyo

[pigletwillie]

Not that early, I start mine in February for planting into an unheated tunnel in late April. I delayed this year by 2 weeks as last year i had loads of flowering tomatoes but nowhere reasonably frost free to plant them.

[Alison]

Don't plant mine until April as I've not got the space to put them anywhere!

[zazen999]

I sowed a few on 8th Jan, and one took off so it was looked after, and planted outdoors in May [no greenhouse] and my first red tomato came off 8th June. Aurora was the variety [not F1].

I'm going to do the same this year, in the hope that by March I'll have a greenhouse to put it in for the duration.

[Two_Sheds]

Yes, I saw that article.
It's all very well getting them to germinate, but you've got to have somewhere to keep the resulting plants frost free.

[Alice]

I'm going to try Janeyo. I've got seeds for Sub Arctic Plenty which I believe were bred to perform in poor light conditions. I've got a heated conservatory so I'll try a couple there. Nothing to loose but a couple of seeds.

[Two_Sheds]

Good luck Alice. Flummery and I (among others) grew them this year - results not great. Mine actually ripened AFTER all my other varieties. You might be right to be starting them off early

[BrideXIII]

well i think in that case i will go for it, i have freed up the greenhouse, although it is unheated, for the onion experiment at new year, may as well try a few toms at the same time, tis only a few seeds, and i have millions.

[Alice]

I know they're not great tomatoes Two Sheds, but I get itchy planting fingers and frustrated if I've no babies to look after, so I might as well give them a go while I'm waiting to get on with the good stuff.

[bobleponge]

I tried cherry toms and artic's last year, all went into pots on boxing day. Worked well, think I had first red toms in about May. Lost a few to frost, but early toms were great.

[janeyo]

I will have a go - it's decided! Let's chose a date to sow them and then we can do a little comparison later on.

janeyo

[BrideXIII]

well we have, zazen has, an onion thingy going new years day, we could add the toms to it easily, combine threads and compare results.

maybe a new years day sticky, then we can add what we have insanely decided to plant, and report back.

[zazen999]

Right. I've checked optimum sowing days.

Tomato day will be the 27th December, on a fruit day [we need all the help we can get so lets stick to the moon days if possible].
Onion day will be the 29th, on a root day.

If anyone can't make those days, then just log in and sow when you can.

We're wanting photos, so that everyone can see how people grow stuff, and esp when the seedlings start coming up.

Wahoo...this is much better than Christmas.

[BrideXIII]

Right. I've checked optimum sowing days.

Tomato day will be the 27th December, on a fruit day [we need all the help we can get so lets stick to the moon days if possible].
Onion day will be the 29th, on a root day.

If anyone can't make those days, then just log in and sow when you can.

We're wanting photos, so that everyone can see how people grow stuff, and esp when the seedlings start coming up.

Wahoo...this is much better than Christmas.

sounds good to me, new moon 27th just right for planting anything, 29th falls in that too.

perhaps we can ask seahorse nicely to do us a sticky nearer the date ?

[gridgardener]

Last year I Seed started on dec 15.
I planted outside in the ground in wall o water Feb 16.