tomato trauma!

[kathyd]

Hi
I've been completely clueless, planted 3 bush and 3 vine tomatoes, wrote names on pieces of paper and... mmm. 5 came through, the paper's disappeared and I have no idea which is which.

I've potted all up, and they're all doing very well. And they all look exactly the same!

How do I tell the difference?? If I'm doomed to fail on that score, am I better leaving them alone or pinching sideshoots out?

Thx
Kathy

[DigChop]

Hi Kathyd,
Unfortunately no advice to offer, only sympathy. I've lost the labels for twenty tomato plants comprising four or five varieties. As a novice to all of this, I've decided to pinch only the lower sideshoots out of all of the plants for now, and plan to amend this practice after the first tomatoes reveal the variety. Better advice would be gratefully adopted.

I also managed to lose the labels between the peppers and chilli plants, and I can't tell the difference between them. However the lack of need for pinching out (I believe) means I shouldn't need to treat them any differently.

I think I'll not write the names of plants in biro on scraps of thin card next year.
DigChop

[VirginVegGrower]

Buy plant labels from Wilkos - you are now where we have been before

[kathyd]

lol, we make a right pair don't we . Teach us to be more organised next year maybe

[kathyd]

Buy plant labels from Wilkos - you are now where we have been before

This sounds vaguely Startrek VirginVegGrower...

[VirginVegGrower]

Beam me up alottie!

[teakdesk]

I think I learnt this from Zazen and am only repeating what I think she said as I rarely grow determinate types.

An indeterminate (vine) type will form flowers halfway between the leaves (some people call leaves branches but that is incorrect; the whole bit is a leaf formed of lots of leaflets). If an "armpit" is left to grow it will be like a complete new vine with leaves as normal and flowers halfway between the leaves.

A determinate (bush) type will form flowers on the main stem like the indeterminate but not in the same position on the "armpits". Flowers will form at the ends of the "armpits" rather than halfway between the leaves.


So if you leave all armpits on initially you should be able to tell which is which.




.

[kathyd]

Thanks Teakdesk, I'll keep an eye on their armpits then . That's a really useful tip.

[Flummery]

Keep your eye on your armpits? Wasn't there a Music Hall song, "Keep your hand on your Ha'penny."? But deary, I'm much older than you!