Italophile

What veg to grow in my partially shaded greenhouse?

It's not the lack of sunlight that's stopping your toms ripening, Squeaky. Temperature is the key to ripening, not direct sunlight. That's why they'll ripen inside on a kitchen bench. Maybe you need to try earlier varieties.

outdoor tomato planting

Super Marmande are a medium-to-large beefsteak variety. In optimum conditions - full sun a minimum of 6 hours a day, temps in at least the mid-20s - they're going to take up to 80 days from planting out to maturity.

As Bob says, wait till you get decent overnight temps. If the overnight temps fall into single figures, the plant just won't develop. Ideally, you'd want at least 15C overnight for them to develop properly.

Lavender seeds won't germinate

Lavender seeds are stubborn germinators at the best of times. They also don't remain viable as long as some other seeds. Did they come with a plant-by date?

Ever seen anything like this before?

What's the variety, Andras? Indeterminates do it. Unusual for determinates.

What to grow in pots?

Well, they're a veg in the same way that a tomato is called a veg. And, yes, they're very happy in pots, especially the determinate varieties.

What to grow in pots?

You're right about the difference between determinates and indeterminates, zoomer. All determinates will happily grow in pots of around 30cm+.

Indeterminates are also happy in pots providing there's sufficient room for root development. You wouldn't want any less than 35cm. They need stakes up to 6' from the surface so the deeper the pot the better in order to get the stake buried deeply and stable.

You can grow any tom outdoors providing there's enough sun and warmth. All toms, regardless of type or variety, have exactly the same needs.

Jasmine problem

I'd agree. Ours here in central Italy is only just starting to get going and we've had decent weather for three or four weeks now.

tomatoes

Toms roots should never be constantly damp/moist/wet.

tomatoes

They'll be absolutely fine for three days, forgetmenot. Toms are very sturdy plants, even when young. There's a widespread tendency to mollycoddle them with overwatering and overfeeding and they just don't need it.

I remember your problem with your forgetful son from last year. For the two weeks in June you might need either to get him to keep an eye on them under threat of severe punishment or even ask a neighbour.

advice: tomato leaf spots

Heather, still not easy to see. Seems the site is having problems dealing with images. Anyway, it's a closer look and, yes, it could be a magnesium deficiency.

Have you been feeding the plant? Tomato fertiliser is usually high in potassium which can interfere with the plant absorbing magnesium. If you have been feeding it, stop for a while. Good old Epsom Salts is the best source of a dose of magnesium. Before you water next time, sprinkle a couple of tsps of ES onto the soil, scratch it in gently, then water well. If things improve, that was the problem. And I'd leave off fertilising it for a while.