How are you toms doing?

[esbo]

I don't have any tomatoes on most of my plants but on a couple of them they a fairly big baby tomato, about the size of a grape perhaps, they also look to be a bit ribbed, like the beefsteak type of tomato.

I am not 100% sure what they are, they are labelled plum, but I do tend to get things mixed up.
I had a similar thing last year with a ribbed effect, I never planted any beefsteak types so I think maybe some of the seed I bought had some stray seeds in.

But they main point is they are well ahead of all the other plants which I can't see any tomatoes on at all, just flowers. They were all planted about the same time so is it the case that some varieties start producing tomatoes much earlier? If so which ones?

I did plant some Marmande tomatoes it seem and they are a beefsteak variety so they could be them, but do the beefsteak variety produce tomatoes quicker?

[Bigmallly]

Tomatoes?........Tomatoes?..........I'd be happy if they'd grow big enough to get flowers.......

[roitelet]

Marmand tomatoes are one of the early ones. Mine have set fruit along with Cherry, Gardeners delight and Bloody butcher. Still waiting for the Brandywine and St Pierre to set.

[gardendancer]

I have just eaten my first Marmande -they have developed way before my gardners delight

[Penellype]

Tomatoes (taken today)


From left to right - Totem (in flower) sown in April, Shirley sown in January, 2 Shirley plants grown from sideshoots from last year's plants, 2 of last year's Shirley plants which have been cut down and grown over winter from sideshoots sprouting from the base, and on the right, one of 2 Shirley sideshoots which were rooted in water over winter (which are growing far too tall before producing any flowers). All of these are in 6 or 7 inch pots of compost from gro-bags and are fed with tomorite about once a fortnight. The oldest plants have been producing small numbers of tomatoes all winter. I am quite surprised that the new plants have beaten the side shoots to producing their first red fruit. The window faces west.

My other tomatoes (Sungold, Chocolate Cherry, Bajaja and Tumbling Tom) were all sown in April and are in growhouses outside, all of them starting to produce flower buds, except Sungold which has a couple of flowers open.

It sounds as though the ones you have with wrinkles in them are Marmande - I grew them a while ago and they do that a lot.

[solway cropper]

Tomatoes are like every other type of fruit/veg. in that different varieties mature at different times. I have thirteen varieties growing this year (went overboard a bit!) and some have fruit on the second truss while others are just coming into flower.

The nice thing is that you get a crop over a long season and a wonderful rainbow of colours:-)

[esbo]

Tomatoes (taken today)
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From left to right - Totem (in flower) sown in April, Shirley sown in January, 2 Shirley plants grown from sideshoots from last year's plants, 2 of last year's Shirley plants which have been cut down and grown over winter from sideshoots sprouting from the base, and on the right, one of 2 Shirley sideshoots which were rooted in water over winter (which are growing far too tall before producing any flowers). All of these are in 6 or 7 inch pots of compost from gro-bags and are fed with tomorite about once a fortnight. The oldest plants have been producing small numbers of tomatoes all winter. I am quite surprised that the new plants have beaten the side shoots to producing their first red fruit. The window faces west.

My other tomatoes (Sungold, Chocolate Cherry, Bajaja and Tumbling Tom) were all sown in April and are in growhouses outside, all of them starting to produce flower buds, except Sungold which has a couple of flowers open.

It sounds as though the ones you have with wrinkles in them are Marmande - I grew them a while ago and they do that a lot.

They could well be I definitely have an open seed packet but I can't guarantee what germinated, I got some mixed up and put some stupid label on them such as 'new tomatos' when I ended up with several new varieties. One is definitely labeled plum but as I said my labling is unreliable and I don't think plum toms ever have a ribbed effect, in fact I am sure of it I remember them from last year. Although I did somehow get a beefsteak variety even though I never bought such seeds.

I seem to remember the beefsteak one from last year were planted late but did develop tomatoes much quicker than I expected.

Think this is Marmande the new seed I got.


This one looks just like what I had last year, lots of ribs, looks deformed.



The top one developed first I think so it might be bit more mature, but they look like
different varieties for sure, I remember last year the one which was very striped also seemed
to have a cluster of toms close together such you could not be sure if it was one fruit or two.

They are definitely no plumb toms which is good as I seemed to have too many plants labelled plumb, way more than I wanted.
Don't think I have any more plants like that but it looks like I will be able to harvest seeds of both varieties which is nice, saves buying them, some of the seeds can be pretty expensive, which seem a rip off, ie about £4, you could buy several pounds of tomatoes for that and you only a small number of seeds in those packs.

I think I have about 7 different variates plated now.

[George.m]

i have a few marmande plants outside, they allready have tomatoes on a couple inch across, biggest tomato in my gh at the moment is the size of a pea

[gardening_gal]

Tomatoes?........Tomatoes?..........I'd be happy if they'd grow big enough to get flowers.......

Move over bm, I'm sitting on your bench with you. Want a sarnie?

My toms are not doing a heck of a lot right now. They did look like they were starting to get flowers but then I planted them in growbags that I added farmyard manure to and I think I messed up doing that as the manure would increase the foliage and not the fruiting?

I've been giving them a high potash feed since but I think all my faffing about has confused them so they're just sitting quiet now doing nowt.

[esbo]

Can I just add I have not really given mine much in the way of anything.
There is no sign of any fruit on the rest of the plants, well over a dozen of them so
it is not what they are being fed it is the variety that is key to early fruiting.

So most of mine are sitting around doing nowt too although there are quite a few
flowers here and there, so it's not the faffing or lack of faffing that is responsible, it's
normal for most varieties not to be fruiting yet. I took loads of photo last year and was going to compare
but unfortunately I can't find any of early fruiting.

[esbo]

Actually I just popped out to have a look and I discovered an Alicante tom, very small the size of a hundred and thousands, but had to look hard to find it as it was obscured by the 'hat', also found another one the size of a pea on an unlabelled plant so no idea what that one is yet.
They were all planted mid-March so that's just over 80 days since planting, or in the 12th week.

[4390evans]

I've got no tomatoes yet the plant has grew canny in the lean to I've got one in and one out and neither has not even got a sign of a flower on yet. fingers crossed though

[esbo]

I've got no tomatoes yet the plant has grew canny in the lean to I've got one in and one out and neither has not even got a sign of a flower on yet. fingers crossed though

How long since planting? If you plants were leaning it suggests there were on a window sill or similar straining to get tot he light, so less sun will slow them down, I planted my biggest plants out mid May or a week earlier so they have been getting a lot more sun. I suspect you didn't plant them until April?
Prior to planting out mine were on a window sill so nice and warm which helps I guess, might be better than an unheated green house, but then you do get more sun in a greenhouse.

[Bigmallly]

I think it's a "Lean To" greenhouse...........I may be wrong, it has been known.............

[Vince G]

All our toms are in the polytunnel. Had our first 3 cherries (Apero) at the weekend. Black Russians are setting a lot of fruit, Giuliettas are flowering but the Fantasio are a bit behind as I had to start from scratch when the seedlings mysteriously died - think it was the fungus gnats.

In case anyone is interested, Aperos, Fantasios and Giuliettas are almost totally blight resistant. In 2012 I (stupidly) grew my spuds on the plot right outside the polytunnel door and the toms didn't stat to get blight until well into September, and only then a few patches here and there.

Gave the big plants their first haircut today to improve the airflow a bit because as usual I grew way too many and one side of the poly is a tomato jungle!