tumbling toms

[vicki lorraine]

as a newbie i am unsure how many plants to put in an 18" basket.
I have grown my own from seed and have lots of plants but want to put them into baskets.
Has any grapes done this before and how many did you plant in a basket?

[Slug]

I suppose it may depend on the variety, but when I grew F1 Tomato Tumbler and put 1 in a pot, they were fantastic.

The next year , to save space, I tried 2 in eachpot and it caused each plant to produce less.

Depending on the variety, I think I'd be inclined to leave 1 in a pot and see how it goes.

[rustylady]

I've not had much success with tomatoes in hanging baskets - it's too windy here and they suffer. However, in the greenhouse I grow one plant per 10" pot and they do well. Provided you have a sheltered spot for your baskets, I think you could grow 2 or 3 per 18" basket. Are you putting anything else in the baskets?

[JennieAtkinson]

Hi Vicki
I have grown tumbling toms in baskets for two years now. The first year I used 18" baskets (in the polytunnel) and I think planted two in each plus a few nasturtiums. They didn't do very well as I didn't know about putting a small dish in the bottom of the basket to stop the water running out (found that out on the Grapevine) and worse I actually couldn't lift the baskets up and down, so had to get a step ladder out to check if they were doing ok. As this meant a walk up the garden to the workshop it didn't get done very often.

So... last year I got smaller baskets and put one in each basket, alot easier to handle and had a small crop, but I didn't get much of a tomato crop from anything last year. What I did do, again on a Grape's advice, was to also plant a couple of plants upside down, hanging down from the basket, and thsee did the best. Quite quirky looking but great for picking.

Hope this gives you a few ideas - as I say all learnt from other Grapes!

[mrskp]

i'm actually thinking of unplanting my gartenperles in baskets and replanting the topsy turvey way, just to see what happens.

[Alice]

I don't grow anything in hanging baskets Vicki as my garden is too hot and sunny - what a complaint in Scotland ! Last year I grew my tumbling toms in 12" pots and they did well. I don't think I could have grown in anything smaller. If your good at looking after hanging baskets maybe you could get 2 in there - but they did grow quite big and needed a lot of watering. Good luck with the project and keep us informed so that we can learn as we go.

[Jules2]

Hi Vicki, I'm growing mine in 4ft long window boxes which are about 9" deep and 9" wide. I have put in 4 per box (1 per foot). I did this last year and got a great crop. I would probably plant 2 in an 18" hanging basket.

[Paulottie]

Vicki, I think I agree with Jules, the big thing is to keep them constantly damp. Put a resevoir in the bottom (marge pot or plant-pot stand) and maybe some of those gel crystals if you have some. This should stop skin splitting/toughness. I had one growing by the back door last year and really enjoyed them.

[Two_Sheds]

I grew Golden Grapes in a basket last year, in partial shade (sun afternoon only) they were fine, but I should have watered more. I put a saucer in bottom of basket to conserve water, line basket with plastic bag too, and swell gel

[vicki lorraine]

Great tips everyone. Thanks.
have got crystals and dishes to put in the bottom. Will locate a shadier part of the plot i think.
Will try 2 in a basket and see how i get on.
Will keep you all informed.
thanks again.