help needed with my tomatoes

[toms-galore]

hi this is my first year of growing my own veg and i have alot of different varieties of tomatoes but not sure how to look after them..i have a buffalo beefsteak plant which is abou 2.5 ft tall and the 1st flowers are starting to die off but im not sure how many trusses i should let grow before i stop it at the top
also i have gardens delight ,marmande,shirley,tumbling tom, and 100s and 1000s

the GD seem to of got very tall in their pots some are taller than others and it was suggested to me that they have bolted! which i havent a clue what this means so any help is greatly appreciated as me and my 7 year old son are very keen to grow our own but are struggling with not much experience

thanks kassie

[womble]

Where are you keeping them? They sound too tall. But it would be better if we could see a photo.

Tomatoes don't bolt, which means going to flower/seed.

[toms-galore]

theyve been kept in my plastic greenhouse and it has been getting quite hot in there ( not this last week obviously) they are all in great condition , leaves look fab on them im just a bit worried about how to care for them and if im doing things right....the beefsteak is looking good too although the leaves seem to be a bit crinkled ( if that makes sense) curling up around the edges

[SarzWix]

If they've gotten very tall and thin, it usually means they're not getting enough light (and it's known as the plants getting 'leggy'), the solution is to pot them into the next size up of pot, but put the root ball straight onto the bottom of the pot then fill up with compost around it, so that some of the stem is buried. The pant will grow new roots out of the stem and become a little sturdier. Then they will need better light so that it doesn't do it again. Whereabouts are you in the country? It might be warm enough for them to be outside in the daytime and back in at night, which will give them all the light they need

[toms-galore]

thanks sarah im in shropshire i did think about putting them out but its been really windy here the last few days and didnt want them getting knocked about by the wind..i will definately be potting them on later as they were on a shelf under some other plants so wouldn't have got the same amount of light as the others
do i need to stake gardeners delight or do i just let them grow?

thanks for your help

[SarzWix]

Um, I think they need a cane... I haven't grown them for quite a few years, so I can't just remember Hopefully someone else will come along that does know

[teakdesk]

Gardener's Delight do grow tall as young plants - and very big as older plants. They need to be well staked. Normally grown as a cordon (Indeterminate) in the greenhouse (I grow as a bush if outside) so remove side shoots. Stop after 6 to 8 trusses have formed.

Buffalo Beefsteak is, I think, a Determinate type which means it is a bush and does not need side shoots removing or the trusses stopping - just leave it. Check the seed packet.

Also check your other seed packets to see if they are Indeterminate (cordon, vining) or determinate (bush).

[lyndap]

Toms-galore im in shropshire to and although been really windy toms are out in their buckets and have been fine.Mine had gone abit leggy but planted deep and they are doing fine and starting to flower.