Early Tomato Sowing and Growing thread - poll added please vote

[teamladd]

If you've got loads of plants then you should still be fine as you could afford to pinch out the growing tip and then the flowers that you already have will set and the energy of the plant will go into the fruit. I have a lot of plants so the ourside ones I have pinched out, they all have 2 - 3 trusses and since pinching out have really come on and are now the fruit is already a good size so should ripen easily.

well I know what im doing tonight, pinching out the top. I have about 4 trusses on each of my plants!

[Cosmo and Dibs]

My toms are now around 3ft high. Can I start pinching out the tops to prevent them getting higher, or do they need to be taller?

[zazen999]

Cosmo.....how many trusses of flowers/toms have you got on those?

Are they outdoors or in a greenhouse?

[smallblueplanet]

I always thought that tomatoes were 'pinched out' so that there'd be enough time left for their fruit to ripen? Isn't there plenty of time left atm?

[ardroil]

i had my first lot of toms for tea last night with salad, [ planted on the 27th dec ] and wow what a difference to the shop bought ones, they were sooooo tasty and juicy, i am so chuffed and so was my husband, he loved them ......

[ohbeary]

Oh woe is me, my toms are a) inthe ground and not very tall but flowering, b) in large pots 1/2 sunk in ground flowering and tall, no fruit apparent yet but all side shoots removed religiously, just nipped out to cull a couple I spotted through the window! 3 plants in a 15ltr hanging basket flowers iminent! gonna let em hangdown!. Hmmm must try starting em in December.

[tamsin]

Here's an update on mine, they've grown loads and are still producing tons of flowers. We've had a couple of dozen toms off them already. The toms are quite hidden but it doesn't seem to be stopping them ripening.

[maytreefrannie]

The poll doesn't cover all the answer options - mine is >>>>>>

No, it didn't work this season, the December sown plants died off somewhere along the way, but I plan to try them again this December.

I presume that's what the poll is about?

I have other tomato plants, sown in spring, all flowering and some fruiting (still green but reddening) - and so far, I've picked two little really-red tomatoes. Awesome!

[zazen999]

I presume that's what the poll is about?

Well, it is to see whether it is worth doing an early tomato thread again, so I've added your option

[maytreefrannie]

thanks a million, Zazen, I've just voted.

[Alice]

I got great early crops of tomatoes and have more or less harvested everything (freezer load of toms and passata) before blight sets in - and it will.
Not an easy journey but I will do some early planting again next year, maybe not just as many plants.

[susieq100]

I think it will be even better next year as I bought a greenhouse in May of this year and so was able to move my plants in there eventually. I have not bought tomatoes for 6-7 weeks although I did not do my staggered plantings quite right and am going to have a couple of weeks without ripe fruit (aargghh!), it has been brilliant.

[bramble]

Gosh Alice, your tomatoes must have been really early. I am having some for the last ten days or so but the bulk of them are only now thrning.
What variety did you grow this year?

[maytreefrannie]

I have lots of little green tomatoes on the Tumbling Toms outside - I've taken off the old, yellow leaves and they look great, like little canopies over the pots.

The Lidl-bought Conchita F1 plants are producing fruit, two have ripened, others still getting there.

The saved seed cordons are (Sungold) are showing lots of fruits, so it's a matter of waiting and hoping for some sunshine.

[tamsin]

I've been picking loads. The tumbling toms have been great though the Feb sown ones are miles better than the January one.