Tomatoes, why do I bother?

[womble]

So, I've been a good boy, I've been bringing the tomatoes in every night, in the last week it's been down to -3 or -4 in the greenhouse, so mine have been tucked up in the porch.

Just been getting the GH ready for planting the toms and what do I find?

A massive clump of self sown tomatoes, 2 inches high, looking happy and contented.

No worries about frost, no scorched leaves. The greenhouse hasn't even been watered for months!

[ninjajane]

frustrating, but think of it as a bonus

[rustylady]

Why is it that self-sown seeds always seem to do better than the ones we nurture.

[COMPOST CORNER]

Natural selection?
Maybe these are just the really tough seeds.

[Incy]

Nice one. My toms that self seeded last october are now ripening their first toms

[Flummery]

Depends what you grew last year as to whether they'll be any good. I had strong seedlings from an F1 (NOT Sungold! - tropical Ruby) which I allowed to grow on. Small, tasteless and nasty. If you had open pollinated types though, they'll be good to go, as they say.

[womble]

I'm not growing them, they're all deaded now, my tomatoes grown by me, are a beautiful 12 inches of luscious greenness and I have high hopes for them.
Just in case the self seeded ones are better than the ones I've poured all my love and attention onto, they had to go!

[Flummery]

Now I would have grown one or two on in case they WERE better!

[womble]

No space in greenhouse. I've done the whole "grow self seeded stuff" before and it's always turned out a waste of space.