Talkback: Growing tomatoes outdoors - Talkback

25/08/2010 at 17:20

I'd agree, I did mine in potato bags outdoors but I think they would have done better in the ground. I had alot of watering to do even if it had rained all night, the bags would dry out by lunch time. I'm getting a steady crop of gardeners delight and cherry toms (It was a lottery what seedlings got to grow as my 2 year old son took all my labels off when they were tiny seedlings! Next year they are going in the flower bed in a sunny spot.

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25/08/2010 at 17:46

After the disastrous blight which affected both potatoes and tomatoes last year, I decided to put most of my tomato plants in big pots lining my unused drive. Great crops from all of them - the medium being half and half garden soil and J.I. 3 with a little horticultural grit for extra drainage. My "Tomato Terrace looks good as well and the freezer is filling up. It's Murphy's Law of course that we had no blight and the potatoes which were confined to the back garden are all giving great crops.

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25/08/2010 at 17:49

I always plant mine in the borders, it's so much easier than messing about with growbags and pots. I know some people who place growbags on their soil borders, to grow vegetables in??????

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25/08/2010 at 18:44

blighted last 2 yeras so no go this, got prob with Acer defoliated. gutted so still think blight spores in our area toms hit by blight even in green house 2 years back.

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26/08/2010 at 04:48

we've tried tumbler for 1st time this year, good early crop but not as sweet as old fav gardeners delight also had stalwart money makers both inside and out with both decent cropping .

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26/08/2010 at 06:25

I grew Rosa (plum tom variety) from seed this year transplanted to a border and have had great growth and numbers but NOTHING is ripe yet. Weather is getting cooler and wet-looks like I need a recipe for green tomato chutney :-(

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26/08/2010 at 08:18

Hardly any of our tomatoes are ripe yet, but we've just returned from holiday to find a fine crop of cucumbers in the garden. I can hear those sandwiches calling.

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26/08/2010 at 11:11

I had blight on my toms inside and out 2 yrs ago and decided I would only grow them in the greenhouse. I didn't want to plant them in the soil because of the blight so I planted them in tall pots with the bottom cut out into grow bags that way they have plenty of soil. My toms are only now turning red because the first lot of seeds I sowed didn't germinate, I think it may have been the very hot weather we had in Spring? Hopefully we will have some more sunny days throughout September, if not I too will be looking at green tomato chutney recipes. I am also growing sweet peppers in the greenhouse, but we only like them red. They grow huge and green and some have dark patches, but before turning red they rot. Please can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

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26/08/2010 at 21:11

Can I recommend Tomatoberry, small uniform, perfectly formed baby tomatoes with delicious sweet flavour. Marmande excellent but not ripe yet even doing well outside, due to a glut of plants as all of the seeds I planted germinated but I made the mistake of growing these in front of courgette and squash who are both fighting to see some sunlight (when we get some!). Cucumbers have been plentiful, plants looked a bit sorry for themselves last week but a good feed and they've bounced back with about 20 flowers so hopefully plenty of fruits to come.

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27/08/2010 at 08:16

I agree, I have been growing tomatoes for the four years I have had a garden and this year has been the best for me too. I grow tumbling Tom in a hanging basket and have tried Money maker this year. These I have grown in pots on my patio,both types have done really well.

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27/08/2010 at 12:57

I am loving my tomato crop. I grew garden pearl and alicante in the garden and they have done really well. grew some more alicante inside and they ahve not produced as much tomatoes as the ones' outside. I will never grow them inside again.

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27/08/2010 at 20:14

for the first time i have grown toms in upside down pots as seen on friday show i could not beleave how many toms ihave but there not very big but alot. i will be trying them again next year yours mary howie

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27/08/2010 at 20:17

hi - i have 3 gardeners delights and 3 yellow tomatos growing all in big containers. They are over 6ft in height each! and all laaden with lots of green tomatoes. Only now are some of them turning red. But worried they are taking their time. Also why do some red tomatoes split?

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27/08/2010 at 20:36

hi i have grown tomatoe minibel the seeds were free in the g w mag i have had and still haveing a good crop i have grown them in pots first time i have grown tomatoes.

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27/08/2010 at 21:11

I too grew too many tomatoes in my green house and have also had a fantastic crop.My only problem has been elusive caterpillars who like taking a bite out of my tomatoes than spitting it out before moving on to the next one. The only ones they have not touched are a delicious cherry one called Lidi.Next year the window and door will have netting over them when open!

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28/08/2010 at 08:03

I've grown upsidedown Tumbling Tom. The basket when filled was recomendeded to hang from support that coud take 35Kg; so hung from tree branch. It had a reservoir. The plant has many VERY wee toms, but the self watering has not worked at all well. The compost moves with root formation and differnt levels of moisture so the capilliary strip was not always in contact. I would not use again nor recomend to a friend.

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28/08/2010 at 18:11

I too have a very heavy crop of "Plum" tomatoes planted in a long wide planter. This is the bext crop I have ever grown on my patio - plants and toms very healthy looking. They are a good size but won't seem to ripen. They are still green after weeks of care, watering and feeding. Any ideas how to ripen them? I'm not really a chutney lover!

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28/08/2010 at 19:23

i had many tomatoes splitting last year, and the only different thing this year, which i haven't had any splits, is last year, i watered the plant itself, this time i placed huge saucer type trays (which i got from the garden centre) underneath and watered them daily, so the plant drew on the water when it required it, success, my fav. are sun gold, small orange but beautiful and plentiful

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29/08/2010 at 10:55

Do you have to grow tomatoes in a conservatory/green house or can you grow them outside?

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29/08/2010 at 10:56

I said the above comment because in past growing them outside hasn't worked. :(