Is it OK to grow tomatoes outside? Advice please!

[wild]

Hey folks,

Newbie gardener here. Hopefully it's okay to put a question about tomatoes in the Veg section, I noticed many others had done so.

It's my first year growing tomatoes, and I've got about 25 - 30 healthy tomato plants growing well. At present they're about 10 - 20cm tall and growing fast. I can't for the life of me remember which variety they are, I will update in that morning when I've got the packet from the greenhouse.

My greenhouse is full as it is, and won't be able to house all these tomato plants as they continue to grow.

These are my options: I have a huge garden, so could do a veg patch for them. Alternatively, I also have several large containers which I could put some in and grow them against a sheltered wall. Is it OK for tomatoes to grow outside? I'm in Devon. Usually I've seen people grow them inside greenhouses/ polytunnels/ conservatories.

I also understand that I'll need some kind of support frames for them?

[Bigmallly]

There are some varieties that can be grown outside, depends what you've got. All of my Toms are grown outdoors to a certain extent as they are in an old polytunnel that has a netted roof. I lost every plant to blight last year so beware.

[roitelet]

Just give them some sort of protection from the rain. It is wet on the leaves that encourages blight.

[maverick451]

Its fine to grow them outside but it is harder work

Put them in the sunniest spot you have, if the wall you have is south facing then that would be superb.

Spraying them with aspirin with help against blight

Feed tomatoes ASPIRIN say scientists to fight disease and boost yield | Daily Mail Online

[wild]

Just give them some sort of protection from the rain. It is wet on the leaves that encourages blight.

Do you do this? What kind of system do you use to keep 'em dry?

[Penellype]

Most tomatoes will be fine outside, the general rule being the bigger the fruit the less likely you are to succeed because big fruit take longer to ripen than small ones. Some varieties are hardier than others however, but this is not much help if you do not know what you have got. If you have bought a packet of seeds with 30 seeds in it they are likely to be one of the more common varieties such as gardeners delight, moneymaker etc. These should be fine outside.

The first thing you need to know are whether they are bush or cordon varieties. The packet should tell you. Bush varieties are less tall and need less attention but they may still need support. Cordon varieties need the sideshoots pinching out otherwise you will have an unruly mass of stems and less fruit. They will need tying to a cane or some other support.

Tomatoes grow well in pots but need plenty of water and feeding. In my experience soil grown plants grow better and are easier to support and less likely to blow over.

Blight is a problem later in the season and likes warm, humid conditions. I would be reluctant to try to shelter the plants against rain, but water the soil, not the leaves (unless you are spraying with aspirin , which is a good idea). A greenhouse has some protection against blight because there are only limited entrances for the spores, although greenhouse tomatoes can still get it. Outdoors you want as much airflow as possible (as long as it is not a cold draught or a gale!) and if you try to cover them up you trap moist warm air and reduce ventilation. The first time I ever got blight was shortly after I had covered my plants with fleece.

If all of your neighbours only grow indoor tomatoes blight may be the reason, but it varies from year to year depending on the weather, so it is certainly worth a try outdoors.

[roitelet]

Lots of the French do it. It is a frame with plastic over the top and a little way down the sides to stop the rain falling directly on the leaves. Or it is a tube of perforated plastic that covers the plant and is fixed to the cane that you use to support the plant. I have used them but they are a pain as you have to remove them every time you need to side shoot or pick the fruit, the first method is better.

Straight poles the height of the plant when fully grown, with a pitched roof or curved made of plastic tube and the plastic fixed very firmly den to about half the height of the poles.

Hope that helps.