Outdoor Tomatoes - in grow bags or open ground?

[Dorothy rouse]

Do you mean these? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pack-Planter...rds=tomato+bag

If so, I would think one plant per bag. I always use gro-bag compost which is formulated for tomatoes, rather than multipurpose.

Sungold is quite tall, and would need staking - you may be better with a bush variety on a balcony.

Yes that's the kind of thing,Wilkinsons, ok, so not Sungold, I didn't realise they were tall, I'll look for a smaller bush variety. It is fairly a fairly sheltered balcony.

[Kristen]

I used to grow in pots - they would have been about 12" diameter, so around 15L I guess. Often had to water 2 or 3 times a day ... switched to growing in the greenhouse soil, now water once ever 2 or 3 days, much less trouble, and less chance of split fruit. Also, the plant has more cropping height - its starting from soil level (and I plant deep) so that probably gains me at least a truss before the plant hits the roof.

[Scarlet]

I often use pots for my surplus toms and for the toms I grow in my porch, just by my kitchen door which saves me the walk up to the veg plot or GH for the odd sandwich fillet when Im in a rush! But the constant watering is a bind and the yield is much smaller. I'd go for open ground every time.

[mothhawk]

I see no reason why a 35L pot shouldn't work for you, however I'm not familiar with growing Sharon. I was growing bush cherry toms in circa 15L pots. Whilst they did very well, they needed multiple waterings per day and were limited to 5 or 6 trusses per plant. They were also fed every 10 days or so.

Last year I made some self-watering pots for my outdoor toms using this youtube guide. They were very easy to make (although i didn't have any mesh pond pots, so used ordinary small plastic plant pots), and I only had to fill the reservoir once every three days or so. The toms all produced lots of fruit.

eta: One other thing I did different was I filled the small plant pot with coarse gravel so the compost didn't wash into the reservoir.

[Potstubsdustbins]

#16

Try the original Tumbler, not the Tumbler tom variety. 1 plant per morrisons bucket or maybe a hanging basket.

Tons of lovely fruit.

Potty

[Tomato Head]

I grow in flower buckets stood in a gravel tray. I generally water from the top once a day (unless it's been raining a lot) and I've never had split toms or blossom end rot. I don't have anything to compare them too though as I don't have space to grow in the ground.

[Snailfox]

I would always plant in the ground, given the choice. Too much hassle watering otherwise.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

I am another advocate of the Mosser's flower bucket. We don't get them free here - but you can normally get a kindly store assistant to save you some. I normally pay £1 for 10. They come in 2 sizes and the smaller ones get used for Chillis.

I already had loads from over the last few years, but procured another 100 for this year for my Toms/Peppers/Chillis/Aubergines/Cucumbers.

This year I am growing a few more outdoor bush varieties that I hope will do well in the buckets (Maskokta/Orkado/Pearl and a few others). I plan on standing these on the patio against the south facing wall. I am here most days so watering is not a problem. If I wasn't I wouldn't.

[alldigging]

I put mine in ground that had tons of muck put on.
They did really well. I also mulched round them with comfrey. Very little watering required cos they're in the ground.

[IndigoElectron]

There's an interesting article in this month's Gardener's World magazine. They tested four different ways of growing tomatoes, and decided that ring culture in the ground was the best (for yield and ease of watering).

[TrialAndError]

I grow mine in grow bags rather than open soil. I have large pots with cut out bottoms on top of the grow bags to add more height and reduce watering. I also cut holes in the bottom of the bags and the roots do seem to grow through those into the soil. I've never had much luck growing toms in open ground.

[Bigmallly]

Sharon are quite vigorous cordon toms

Sorry to break off the theme of this thread but what is a sharon tomato as I cannot find any info on them. I can find a sharon plant but not a tom.

[Bill HH]

Sorry to break off the theme of this thread but what is a sharon tomato as I cannot find any info on them. I can find a sharon plant but not a tom.

Can't get much past you BM, after i wrote that I thought "Hang on I meant Shirley" then as other people had taken up the sharon I thought i better leave well alone.

I always confuse the names, have to keep running to the seed packet to confirm the right one lol. I think in the distant past I had a girlfriend called Sharon and she was tall with heavy trusses.

[veggiechicken]

Shirley you meant Surely, Bill

[Bigmallly]

Sharon, Shirley, Tom................What's in a a name?