Growing Outside Toms in the North

[amandaandherveg]

I've not attempted toms outside as we're obviously quite far North but I was interested to hear how successful grapes were in other Northern areas.

Have you tried them and how did they do for you?

[greendean]

hi amanda

try this thread

i was going to get rid of my tom seeds because i could not grow them in greenhouse this year but these kind peeps showed my an alternative

hope it helps
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...oes_28127.html

[amandaandherveg]

Oh GD, the link is excellent, thanks. I have a few of the varieties that Alice has tried and she's not too far from me - will make a good experiment.

[gojiberry]

Wish I could grow tomatoes outdoors, but due to blight is usually a waste of time. I have a homemade greenhouse but it gets very little sun so reduces the crops in there. But I get enough to feed the family and make a bit of chutney.

Ian

[coreopsis]

I'm going to give it a go this year as I haven't got the greenhouse either.I'm going to place them in sunny,south-west facing spot(sheltered from the wind) and see how it goes.The only thing I'm not sure about is-will they be better in the ground or containers?

[StephenH]

This month's mag. (June) has an article about growing veg. in the North. One of its recommendations is not to bother with outdoor toms!

[coreopsis]

Depends what you consider "the North".Although some magazine stuff is useful,I'll stick to "seeing is believing",otherwise I'd had just heather growing in the garden

[stooriefit]

Stepen H
Give over with the negativity man.
If you ever have the chance to come to Scotland, go visit Port Logan Garden,(SW Scotland) or Inverewe Garden (NW Scotland )to name just two.
These gardens are growing TROPICAL plants outside and are world famous.
Jock

[Incy]

Also being further north has the added benefit of longer hours of daylight

[coreopsis]

Can confirm Inverewe Gardens and longer daylight(it's never completely dark here in the summer nights)

[snohare]

My experience here is solely two years of growing outdoors toms, but I can see why GYO says what it does. Even in an ultra-sheltered walled garden in an urban heat island, my toms last year never did ripen; not even Sub Arctic Plenty. (They were the only ones not to produce fruit, in fact.)
I had tomatoes, they just didn't get enough heat to grow and ripen. There might be longer evenings, but that doesn't amount to thermal energy, which let's face it is what tomatoes really love. Don't forget, a longer evening with a clear sky is also more time for solar insolation, whereby the soil and air cool rapidly. That's why we also have longer frost seasons.
I reckon if you can grow them on indoors to give them a good headstart, or have a good summer and do everything else right, then you can grow outdoors tomatoes at our latitude. Failing that, use a greenhouse. But comparing Inverewe Gardens, with a huge amount of added thermal energy coming from the North Atlantic Drift going past its door, to Auchenblae with its sea fogs on what would otherwise be lovely sunny days, is like comparing chalk and cheese. Exceptions to the rule don't prove the rule invariably wrong.
As usual, it's try it and see !

[Alice]

My tomatoes are outside now Amanda and covered in big green fruit. They are Red Alert and Sub Arctic plenty. Tigerella, Ilde and Red Cherry are just starting to set fruit. They were planted later. I'll post a piccy later. I think you saw my tomatoes from last year.

I grow them against the south wall of the house which gets very hot.
I'm not too far from you so I think with care you should manage.

[Hermit]

I grew f1 totem outside last year with no probolem. Im in Barnsley

[tiachica]

Well... I am growing a green and a purple variety, which apparently are supposed to do well in colder regions. Will see....

[Alice]

Here's some of the tomatoes I have outside now - Red Alert and Sub Arctic Plenty.