Italophile

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.

Sugar snaps are ready, but the beds are not!

I've had dwarf varieties grow to 4' or more so that explains the lankiness. They'll be shallow-rooted so you could put them in containers. But they'll need support.

Sugar snaps are ready, but the beds are not!

lindsay, are they a dwarf variety or climbers?

advice: tomato leaf spots

Heather, there seems to be a problem with the size of photos uploaded to this site. Can you take much closer shots of those leaves? From what I can see, it looks like a fungal disease problem.

Leggy mint - help!

Mizzli, it's good advice about the warmth rising. Temps in the mid-20sC outside can translate to high-30sC inside those plastic greenhouses even well ventilated.

tomatoes

Put it this way, toms will grow outdoors with daytime temps of roughly 17C+ in full sun for at least 6-8 hours a day. They will still survive happily outdoors at lower daytime temps but will take a lot longer. The ideal is mid-20sC and higher. Again, in full sun for at least 6-8 hours a day. Overnight temps for outdoor toms need to be at least 15C to develop properly. Toms actually do a lot of their growing overnight. Again, they will cope with less, but take a lot longer.

I don't know when you're going away but, till you do, leave them out all day (protected if there's rain.) Barring any sudden massive drops in temperature, every couple of days add a couple of hours to their stay outside. It's called "hardening off", getting them gradually acclimatised to the new conditions.

Potatoes? Some English friends brought me over two first early varieties and a second early variety. We've had rain and warmth and the plants are climbing out of the ground.