Tomatoes

[kittykat8]

I am growing a few different tomatoes, Sungold, black cherry, shirley, alacantie, moneymaker and a few others including italian plum tomatoes, which ones need to have the shoots picked out.

thank you
marion

[Biscombe]

I'm pretty sure all of the above are inderterminate (check the plum some are determinate (bush) so you need to take out the side shoots. For more plants stick the shoots in some compost then you get free plants!!

[Nicos]

For more plants stick the shoots in some compost then you get free plants!!

Tell us more Biscome!!!
Would you expect one truss or more off these???

[Flummery]

It usually says on the packet. Most need sideshooting to get the best crop but the packet will tell you if you can grow as a bush. (unless someone gave you the seeds! - Or unless you are FAR more tidy than me and have thrown the packet away!) I'm growing sungold this year - take the side shoots off these. I also think the same applies to alicante, shirley and moneymaker.

Make sure you only remove shoots which are tucked well into the join between a leaf and the main stem. If it's coming from a bare bit of stem half way up it's going to have flowers and fruit on it so don't take that out!

Flum

[Cutecumber]

Although they don't stop like a tumbler, do they?

I have seen semi-indeterminate as a description - more like a beef tomato plant? It might grow in every direction it can... as long as it can!
My San Marzano (plum) plants are the strongest and most vigorous of all my plants this year. I can't wait!

[Cutecumber]

Oh, and the potting up side-shoots thing works ok.

Find a good side shoot - leave one to about three inches, perhaps - then cut it off cleanly. Plant it in a moist pot of compost and remember to cover it to keep in the moisture (put a stick in the pot, taller than the tomato, put over a plastic bag and secure round the pot with an elastic band). It will wilt, but within a couple of weeks, if kept warm and sheltered (not in full sun) it should root successfully.

It's a good technique if...

you experiment with just one or two plants then want to get a few more when it's too late to sow

someone asks if you have any spare plants ... you can say "er... yes... give me a couple of weeks"

you want to grow plants for a school fete or other event that you didn't plan for earlier

My experience is that the plants grow strongly and bear fruit - they will be getting going later than the original plants, however, so the growing season will be shorter. I have never tried to push them into lots of trusses.

[tomtom87]

Hello All,

I grew toms (and chilli & sweet peppers too) last year for the first time - just 3 plants from Homebase, with quite good results.

So, this year I have gone for it a bit, bought a green house and grown several varieties from seed (Rosada, Sungold, Gardners Delight & Ailsa Craig).

I now have about 40 plants going strong and, as a newbie, I have lots of questions I would appreciate some help with...

1) Some of these (in particular the Sungold) are getting quite sizeable now (about 5/6" in 4" pots) and have started to form shoots in the joins that will need pinching out. Is it too early to start pinching these out or should I wait until I put them into growbags in the greenhouse?

2) I have been a bit overprotective of them and still bring them in at night even though I am fairly sure they wil be OK in the greenhouse even if we have a cold night or two. Will I be OK to leave them in the greenhouse now or should I continue to bring them in?

3) The roots of some plants are starting to grow out of the bottom of the pots, is this OK? Am I OK to leave them in 4" pots until the first buds arrive and then put them into growbags or are they outgrowing their pots already?

Thanks in advance.

[has-bean]

My first year too tomtom ahave a similar number of plants. All the local codgers say is ok to leave em in unheated greenhouse now and i even have the window open in roof. Depends a lot on where you are vthough. I am in South devon where my dad in Newcastle hasnt let his see outside yet

[smallblueplanet]

You can always leave them in the greenhouse with some fleece at the ready to cover them with, just in case - we do.

Think ours are in 4/5" pots with a flower or two on some, lots thinking about it. So pinch out your side-shoots as soon as you can do it without damaging the plant (1st checking they're not a bush variety of course!).

[Alice]

Hello Tomtom and welcome to the Vine. I'm not a tomato expert but if the weather stays mild as it is now you would be allright to leave your tomatoes in the greenhouse. At that size it would be easy to put fleece over them if we got a cold night.
Something you might like to consider is whether to grow them in growbags or 12" pots. I grow mine in 12" pots as I find them easier to water. I find grow bags a hit or a miss in that respect. I use the compost from the growbags to fill the pots.
As for the side shoots, you might as well remove them now if they are not bush tomatoes. There's no point in growing them to remove them later.
Hope you enjoy the Vine and will keep us posted with how your gardening is going.

[tomtom87]

Thanks all.

Famous last words but I am in the South and I can't believe we are likely to have a cold enough night to threaten them now...surely! I don't have any fleece yet however so I might just leave it a couple of weeks.

I was planning on using those extra large Tomorite grow bags and having only two plants per bag as a way of increasing yields, will I not get less if I put them in pots as they have less compost to grow in? Does the amount of compost they live in make any difference if you are feeding them weekly anyway?

12" pots would certainly maximise the number of plants I could put in the greenhouse so it would be of benefit.