My tomato experiment

[greasyfire]

Hi guys
I am doing a tomato experiment where i have bought shop tomatoes as fruit i have removed the seeds, and taken the gell away from them. I have then put them in my homemade propagator{food container} and now the seeds have little roots coming out. I now have chucked the seeds onto a big pot of sand, soil and stone mix.

I am planning to get the stongest seedling out of the bunch because they would be competing for water and light. After that, around march i will put a third outside, a third inside and a third in a unheated greenhouse. After this when they have fruited around may, im not sure. I will do this again.

I will then try to keep two or three tomatoes alive trhough the winter, because i heard they are a heavier cropper in there second year.Is this true?

So any hints or advice on my exsperiment will be very helpfull.

[King Carrot]

Shop bought Toms are probably F1 and you could get some interesting results quite unlike the Tom you bought, - good luck with it let us know how it goes. As for keeping them alive another year through next winter, if its anything like this

This Winter I decided to overwinter 2 Peppers in the unheated greenhouse -after a couple of very mild winters it seemed like a good idea at the time

[zazen999]

I have some tomatoes overwintering taken from cuttings from some of the strongest ones; I have picked off 2 new flower stalks this weekend as I don't want them flowering too soon. They were in the greenhouse until Nov and then came indoors and I want them to pretty much sit there until March, and then they will be repotted into larger pots given a jolly good feed and will be hardened off into the greenhouse.

[greasyfire]

I never knew you could grow tomatoes from cuttings. That will be something i will add to my exsperiment then.

[zazen999]

I never knew you could grow tomatoes from cuttings. That will be something i will add to my exsperiment then.

Many of us put the 'armpits' that are nipped out of vine tomatoes into compost and get a second flush of fruit; as these are the same 'age' as the parent they form flowers and fruit quite quickly.

[Snadger]

Many of us put the 'armpits' that are nipped out of vine tomatoes into compost and get a second flush of fruit; as these are the same 'age' as the parent they form flowers and fruit quite quickly.

Their is a variety of yellow tomato that has been kept going by cuttings for years by a bunch of blokes at the allotments. As you say Zaz, when it gets near to the end of the season a load of cuttings are taken and some manage to survive the winter either under growlites or in a warm greenhouse.

[Two_Sheds]

around march i will put a third outside.

I'd make that May.
We still get very cold nights in March and April.

[greasyfire]

So two sheds if it was int an unheated greenhouse would it still be ok?

[Two_Sheds]

So two sheds if it was int an unheated greenhouse would it still be ok?

Possibly: you really need to take night-time temps with a thermometer, and decide for yourself. They need a constant temp of *about* 18C

How to grow tomatoes - tomato growing tips and easy to follow instructions with pictures