Couple of veg questions please.

[4390evans]

What do you reckon of my tomato seedlings? the pack says sow in jan but this is my 3rd attempt and they look a bit spindly. Should I scrap em and start again later this month or are these a keeper. They are standing a bit better since I took this pic 3 days ago.


Next question is, I've got some red barren onion bulbs left over but the spaces I usually put my onions is very full. I've got the left side of the garden left that only gets light from about 5-6pm its open and I've added sand last year for drainage etc but I'm wondering if this would be a OK spot for onions to grow?

Thanks guys.

[veggiechicken]

You could try replanting the tomatoes, individually in pots. You need enough depth of soil to have it right up to under the leaves.
There's still time to sow more, if this doesn't work.
Could you plant the onions in buckets and keep them in the sun?

[Guest]

In regards to toms, if you have the seeds to start again then do it. It is to much warmth and not enough light. If you don't have enough seed then when you plant them on plant them so the soil level is up to the first leaves.

In regards to the onions I wouldn't recommend it but if you have no where else to put them then at least give it a try. Every so often we get a nice surprise from the doomed

[Potstubsdustbins]

Taking in to account where you live well North of me you have started them to early.

I would try what VC has said purely because you can lose nothing.

However be prepared to have to reset at the end of the last week of this month, they may still go leggy, I know mine do, but to a much lesser extent which makes potting on deeply much easier.

The pic's will give you a good idea what we mean by potting deeply you will see I even remove some of the lower leaves to get the plant right down into the new pot.

[4390evans]

3 years running I have had trouble with tomatoes, I think they just dont like me haha
I'll repot and re-sow some at the end of the month fingers crossed i might get loads and be able to give some away

[Potstubsdustbins]

Given a little help tom's are like weeds, as the year progress's come back at us with more questions.

This year you will have some toms. First question what variety are they?

[4390evans]

they are tiger striped and red pear.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I have grown both, the tiger did quite well but the red pear was not what I would call very productive.

[beeterforit]

RE onion sets
I always plant them 2 inches apart then when they are tall enough take out every other 1 and use as spring onions

[Kristen]

The "problem" with planting deep is that the plant, in the main, only has the soil under its roots to grow down into. So you are restricting the amount of useful compost it has available.

In practice roots will grow upwards, and they will grow from the stem too (but that takes time to happen), so planting deep is a compromise compared to preventing the seedlings becoming leggy in the first place.

When I pot-up leggy seedlings I leave them longer than normal first, to grow more roots, and then when I plant then into deep dibber-holes I try to arrange the roots so that they come back up the hole - i.e. the hole is too narrow for all the roots to just drop straight in and down to the bottom. My hope is that by causing some of the roots to be arranged vertically towards the top of the pot that they will "inhabit" the whole of the compost more quickly than if all the root was at the bottom and had to grow upwards (which is not it natural first choice)

[Penellype]

I've grown onions in deep shade before now (and some of this year's crop are in a rather shady area). They will grow but the bulbs will be much smaller.

[Philthy]

You could also lay the tomato seedlings on their sides when you pot them up (as long as the leaves are proud of the compost). They're flexible when they're at this stage, and the shoot will continue growing upwards. The theory of deep planting still applies, but you don't need deep pots to achieve it.

[Potstubsdustbins]

When re-potting tomatoes at this stage side roots from the stem above the existing roots and be useful in around about 7 days.

Even off cuts of tomatoes or armpits kept in water will grow roots remarkably quickly to the extent they are ready for potting up in about 7 days. Cumbers will do the same.

The first two pic's are Tumbler, ready for potting up after a week in the milk bottle. The second two are cumbers the root system after a week in the milk bottle and the plant a week after potting on.

[Kristen]

Even off cuts of tomatoes or armpits kept in water will grow roots remarkably quickly to the extent they are ready for potting up in about 7 days. Cumbers will do the same.

I'm a fan of that for increasing stock, but its a long down the production cycle before the original plant is big enough to have side shoots.

For folk short of space / only having a few seeds, starting just a few off early in the year will provide armpit-cuttings by end of March?? (maybe April) which won't be far behind plants raised from seed sown at the beginning of March

Perhaps provide a service to local garden centres removing side shoots from Cordon tomatoes that they have for sale, but who don't have enough time to prune them properly?

[TrysHard]

I started my toms of early about a month ago and they are leggy - I am hoping now the daytime time temps are better especially inside the GH - a spell in the greenhouse each day will sort them out.