Tomato growing diary 2016

[maverick451]

Thought it would be a nice idea to have a thread dedicated to tomato growing to see our progress and compare notes through the season.

Please feel free to post, the more replies and especially pictures the better

This is where I am at the moment, been very busy looking up varieties and buying seeds

In my greenhouse im doing my own little cherry tomato trial, outside in one area im going to be comparing normal size tomatoes and in another area beefsteak varieties

[Bigmallly]

I'm only growing one variety in a caged tunnel, Orkado which have just been sown so may be subject to change if they don't germinate...............

[Ryleh]

I've done my initial sowing of toms which consists of:
Black Icicle - VSP
Indigo Rose
Black Krim - VSP
Black Sea Man - VSP
White Queen - VSP
Maskotka
Gartenperle
Golden Sunrise
Ildi
Big Daddy

So thats 10 varieties planted so far and I'm not even half way through my planned tom sowing yet. I'm expecting to use this year to try out a lot of varieties and cut back to favourites for next year.

My current plan is to put about half a dozen plants in the polytunnel, 2-3 in a blow away, some (currently thinking 4-6) in hanging baskets and the rest will be planted in raised beds outside.

I'll add some photos when there's something worth photographing, at the moment there are only some rather uninteresting looking pots

[Thelma Sanders]

Do you mean you've planted them?
Or have you just sown them? I'm only just beginning to think about sowing them lol

[Ryleh]

Yeah sown them, should have been clearer

[Lumpy]

I resisted the urge to start sowing mine this morning as I decided it was too early.......................I will be off in a mo to get the seeds all out again.......

Seeds for this year are -

Latah
Tumbling Tom
Princeps Borghese
Tigerella - ta mag
Totem
Balconi Yellow
Glacier
Red Alert
Losetto

All but one are bush and a couple of them are supposed to be more cold tolerant - we will see

[maverick451]

I resisted the urge to start sowing mine this morning as I decided it was too early.......................I will be off in a mo to get the seeds all out again.......

Last year I sowed mine of the 11th February and to be honest found it a real pain keeping them warm at night from end of march onwards, Ive decided this year to resist and sow them end of Feb

[Jungle Jane]

I haven't sowed any yet,I've got these varieties this year,probably start a couple at the end of February.
Ailsa Craig
Balcony Red
Gardeners Delight
Garden Pearl
Red Alert
Shirley
Sungold
Sweet Million
Sweet 'N' Neat
Tigerella.

[Scoot]

I sowed 12 varieties on the 1st February. They were - Gardeners delight, Money Maker, Black Opal, Pink Charmer, Sungold, Red Pear, Yellow Pear, Cream Sausage, Roma VF, Tigerella, Golden Sunrise and Maskotka.

None of them have germinated yet but it shouldn't be long. I'll photograph them once a few of them have popped up.

[Lisasbolt]

I am growing far too many, i think about 40+ varieties, will have about 150 plants at the end probably more luckily the freezer and shelves are getting very empty and far too many mouths to give them away to.

[Thelma Sanders]

At least this thread has made me decide which to actually grow from the many varieties I have - thanks to the tom seed swap especially

For sauce, 4 Kibits and 4 Cornue des Andes - growing side by side - to see which is most productive for growing in future

Jaune Flamme, Black Cherry, Blush, Riesentraube, Nectar Rose and Carlton in the greenhouses and on the plot I'm trying Crimson Crush overwintered as cuttings, plus Grushkova, Raspberry Oxheart, Stonor's Most Prolific and Black Sea Man.

Plus a few Shirley in the garden .................. err that's rather a lot!

Oh well - in for a penny in for a ..............................tomato salad

[Penellype]

My plan is:
January
2 Shirley sown 11th Jan, to be grown on the sitting room windowsill

These will also hopefully provide sideshoots to grow on for more plants

February
2 each of Balconi red and yellow, sown 3rd Feb but not yet germinated, to be grown on the spare room windowsill.

March
4 Shirley to go on the sitting room windowsill

April
1 Belle (beefsteak) to go in the greenhouse
4 Ferline to go outside
2 Garden Pearl to go in pots outside or possibly a hanging basket
4 Legend to go outside and in the greenhouse
4 Mountain Magic to go outside
3 Roma to go in the greenhouse
6 Sungold to go outside
(hopefully plenty of Shirley sideshoots to go on the windowsill, outside and in the greenhouse)

Final positions have not yet been finalized!

[seasprout]

Tomato sowings

I made my first sowings today,

I've gone for

Purple Ribbed Calabash(Beefsteak).
Suncherry Premium F1. ( Garden Which top Cherry type).
Sungold F1.
White Beauty (From the Organic seed Catalogue).
Abraham Lincoln (from USA).
Ferris Wheel (from USA).
Mountain Magic f1 (T&M's supposed wonder tomato).


Two more tomorrow, and last week I sowed Tomato Vilma f1, which is a pot plant type tomato.

[Scarlet]

I haven't sowed any yet,I've got these varieties this year,probably start a couple at the end of February.
Ailsa Craig
Balcony Red
Gardeners Delight
Garden Pearl
Red Alert
Shirley
Sungold
Sweet Million
Sweet 'N' Neat
Tigerella.

They are all red, you should try a black Tom - black cherry or Black Russian or...

[veggiechicken]

First 6 tomatoes of 2016 sown 13th January
First 5 from the Tomato Seed Circle and the 6th (Pendulina) from the VSP

Rambling Red Stripe
Alaskan Fancy
Latah
Matina
Sandpoint
Pendulina

2 seeds of each
These have all germinated and their true leaves are showing. Now on the bedroom windowsill.

Sown 25th January

Yellow Pear
Red Siberian
Gardener's Delight
Grushovka
White Cherry
Tumbling Tom

All germinated and keeping the others company on the windowsill

Sown 1st February - 4 seeds of each
Oregon Spring )
Legend ) Both Parthenocarpic so don't need pollination.
Mountain Princess

These have also germinated and on the windowsill with the others.

Which ones to sow next - that is the question