Okay So I cheated and bought a few plug plants.. :S

[Irish-Veg]

So they were in the garden centre for like €1.50 each and I was like I could always see them as a "backup" in case my other 30 plants dont do to well, so I bought a €10 worth 3/4 different varieties, apart from the being in pots that are too small for them,
I got a few 'Gardener's delight' a 'shirley', a 'tumbler' and a 'sunbaby'.

They look okay bar the "sunbaby" there were only 3 left anf I wanted to try one since they were so cheap, Im attatching photos of the leaves, they look slightly yellow/mottled, it was the best of the 3, they were outside btw on a tiered trolley, doubt they are hardened off to an overnight level though because the hurricane/monsoon like weather we are having atm.

I cant deny I'm jealous of how big they are in comparison to mine, thats probably becauuse I started late though,

what is your experience of these varietes?

Im potting them on later today, should I give them a feed? I have an organic tomato as well as an general organic seaweed tonic?

also since they were not raised organically, if I from here on raise/feed them organically like my other plants, will the amount of chemicals in the final product be reduced?

and btw these plants have finally made it clear what the sideshoots are :P

Sorry if im aksing alot of questions, gardening has become my new obsession

[Matt94]

Ok to answer you first question - I think your toms have a little wind burn, it's nothing to worry about, they will pick up soon! To answer your second question gardeners delight is a trusted variety and a favourite of many gardeners they produce lots of toms, but don't have the best Tom flavour, Shirley again is a favourite variety similar to moneymaker, but have more flavour, tumbler again nothing much to say widely grown and productive, now last but definitely not least, my favourite tomato sun baby in my opinion very similar in taste to sun gold, productive and worth their weight in gold.

Don't give them any tomato feed until you see your first flower turn into a Tom, if you feed them now all you will get is very large Tom plants with no toms on them, if your Tom leafs get worse give them some Epsom salts dissolved in water, say 1tspn to a watering can!

[Zenithtb]

OMGz. Not to say anything useful, but here they're like 25c / 20p!

[Irish-Veg]

Thank you

ahh english price are so mch cheaper

[Nicos]

Plug plants are not cheating!!!!!
Some of us don't have enough space to have trays and trays of seeds/seedlings under cover for weeks on end!

It's what suits your lifestyle!

We buy plug plants,sow seeds in trays and sow direct into the soil....I don't consider I'm cheating!!

[bearded bloke]

Spot on Nicos

[Irish-Veg]

Im sorry if i offfende anyone in someway by saying cheating, I think i meant it felt kinda cheating myself as I had wanted to raise everything 100% organically and these ones will have been exposed to some minimal amount of non-organic substances, thats all but having got them I agree it makes sense in so many ways if time/space isnt there

[Potstubsdustbins]

You will have to try a lot harder than that to offend anyone here.

I'm an expert 'at offending that is' and even I struggle.

Potty

[Zenithtb]

Ps; I am not in England...

//No one noticed nor cared//

[veggiechicken]

I didn't like to say anything about how cheap everything is in Spain...........

[SarzWix]

I noticed that you weren't in England - no way could we buy a tomato plant for 20p here!

And I agree with the others - those plants will recover with a bit of TLC, and I often succumb to buying plug plants in the garden centre, nowt wrong with that

[BUFFS]

I noticed that you weren't in England - no way could we buy a tomato plant for 20p here!

And I agree with the others - those plants will recover with a bit of TLC, and I often succumb to buying plug plants in the garden centre, nowt wrong with that

especially as self sown seeds just dont seem to be growing with this poor weather,especially peppers/chillies,its what works for you..good luck with them..

[shona_b]

Looks like I may have to resort to buying some french bean plants at this rate - none from 4 sets of seeds have germinated now last resort I am trying them on kitchen towel first. Never usually have any issues with french beans.......we have a plant bring and buy at the allotment next weekend so I am really hoping someone has had better success and is bringing some in!

[chickbob]

Me too...

Me too and I felt bad cheating (only as I always grow from seed and have soooo many packs of seeds!), but after last year so disheartened and everlasting winter this yr I've bought tomatoes and chilli plants and been given more by friends. Hopefully we'll get a fab summer, bountiful crops and will get my mojo back for next year...have just got around to sowing some beans and squash tho...and of course if the bought plants crop magnificently I'll take full credit hee hee. We gardeners have todo what we have to do!

[Irish-Veg]

That is true, One of the tomato plants, of the "tumblr" variety is just developing a flowrer head!! Ikm so excited lol
little yellow petals are now beginning to be visibile, do i have to start feeding now?
I have it on my patio during the day and bring it in at night, its in a converted fruit basket/hamper type thing

Also the "sunbaby" that had a few suss leaves, the bottom stalk/truss? has bascially withered to nothing but there is a healty sideshoot coming from it, is it worth letting the sideshoot grow or just wasting energy (im assuming sideshoots wont produce fruit or do they??)