If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Today it’s reverted! So I’ve reverted. To fleece wearing. And the tomato plants are back indoors, back under the bay window, huddled together like Blackpool B&B ‘ers, wondering where their holiday went !
Yes it’s cold … and wet. So different from last week.
Last week….. for starters, an auspicious week. The 6th week. And since becoming a tomato grower, all of 6 weeks ago, I can’t count the number of times (!) I have counted 6 to 8 weeks off on my fingers. Either forwards from the 16th March or backwards from the weekend of the 9/10 of May. Checking and rechecking that I have got it right. That being the weekend I think it’s ok to plant tomato plants outside in southern England. At that stage if I had only grasped one thing about growing tomatoes it was to sow your tomato seeds no earlier than 6-8 weeks ahead of the date you can plant them outside.
And last week it was all looking so promising. A couple of weeks of Hardening off in the sunshine during the day and back into the house overnight to avoid the drops in temperature and the plants would be ready in good time and hopefully in robust health, ready for planting out.
All I can say, looking at today’s weather, is that it’s a good job there’s another 2 weeks to go for things to look up – or in fact look back would be fine – to weather like last week.
Last week the plants from the seeds sown on the 16th and 31st March were out all day on the sunniest days, slightly less if it was colder at the start or end of day.
I also potted them on to 12.7cm/5” pots filled with John Innes No.2 Potting on compost. This is now the final size pot until the move to their outside growing position.
Re compost I never know how much compost I will need, so made a note of the fact that a 30 litre bag filled 12 pots. 12 pots also took me just over an hour. I have no idea if this is average or slow?
I have tried to keep the Hardening off process going today by putting an electric fan on, to blow in the general directions of the plants. I’d read this is effective in toughening them for conditions outside. Maybe. But I’m afraid that the experiment had to be stopped. I got too cold!
It’s not just the temperature that has been iffy today. It’s also been the amount of rain. The advice I’ve been given on watering tomatoes is not to let them get too wet. Today was nothing surely – if not too wet – for tomatoes and growers alike!
If you haven’t got a greenhouse – have you been putting your tomatoes out to harden off yet? And what’s the lowest day temperature that you would put them out in? And if it was warmer but heavy rain was forecast what would your approach be ?
Photos of Black Cherry Tomatoes at 6 weeks (sown 16 March 09).
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m still keeping my tommy army snug and warm in the house, along with their chilli allies. No going out here yet, in spite of the warm interlude between the onslaughts of weather. The greenhouse is hosting some rocket and lettuce, but we’ve got some cold nights to come, I think. All right for you southerners, I reckon, the current cold snap notwithstanding. However, I seem to be catching you up on the growth front, if your pix are anything to go by; wonderful how that happens! The first flowers are out on the nursery tumbling toms and they are now in their hanging baskets, out in the greenhouse, along with one lonely but sturdy Gardener’s Delight, in a pot. Hope yet.
First flowers out ! I am green with envy !
That’s what I am anxiously waiting for signs of ! Forget cellophane wrapped showy flowers. Small and yellow – but on my tomato plants – would make my day ! And then of course pollen ….the list goes on !
Hi
Have planted 6 F1′s in the house since mid March. Put them out 2 weeks covered with poly bags. (also strawberry’s).
Just started to flower. All are fine and strong bar 1 which is slightly limp and less vegitation.
I have noticed slight browining under the leaves but health not affected.
I feel the initial care in the house upto a strong thick stem helped as the weather has gone below 15 deg.
Hello. Thank you for getting in touch . It’s great to hear how other people’s tomatoes are progressing. Although your tomatoes were sown around the same time as mine yours are ahead in starting to flower. I wonder if that is linked to being outside for longer? Also have been wondering if mine are a bit leggy from being indoors where light can be variable. What did you use as your main light source when your plants were indoors ? Would be great to hear more of your intial care tips.
Many Thanks. Sally.
Hi Sally
Thanks for your response – I dont think I have any special tips but I have listed below my experience
1. Good Seed F1 resistant type
2. The light was all natural on my Kitchen window sill (I have a South facing garden, thats a great bonus as the light was strong and natural).
3. All the seeds were individually placed in a 3″ pots (pots having been dipped in a domestos filled bucket and rinsed very well).
4. Fresh steralised compost mix (for Tomatoes).Seed dropped on top and very lightly covered with say 2mm of compost. A daily mist of luke warm water (about 10ml worth will take several minutes each in super fine format)
5. Got a simple PH and Water Soil meter from Wilkinsons for £3.99 to make sure the soil was damp but not soaked so it does not stick when pressed, rather it still feels loose. I feel the idea is to make the plant work for water rather than take it for granted. Once every two days a direct root water 80 ml. PH must be neutral or 2 points below. I found the young shoots just went into overdrive and super healthy.
6. A good super fine mist of diluted weak tomatoe growing solution sprayed from 12″ away after that. This I find helps to broaden the leaves and canopy vegitation (but only in the initial stage upto 6″ / 8″ as later they will take too much away from the fruit therefore I dont mind if the leaves thin and curl slightly).
7. Every 2 days turn the pots 180 degrees so that the stem bends back to the light. Again and again will make the stems extremely thick. This makes the plant seem dwarfish but its ok as good quality will result as opposed to quantity and thats whats important. If you need to prune, the plant seems to be more hardy, being a “stocky little fellow” rather than being shocked.
8. The temp. indoors, for me is always 22 – 25 deg since mid march – never below.
9.Only when they are nice and sturdy did I transplant to thick 50ltr growing bags (3 per bag). The compostl from the growing bag and pot were the same and only 1 repot
Im not realy good at gardening and only started recently. I dont know if I am doing anything special but I have used this method for all my growing – bar direct to soil crops from bulbs such as onions. Some of the great gardners I know say that creating strong young plants is the key as the rest is standard aftercare . I guess its understandable – I was told that Pepsi Max/diet Pepsi and diet Coke make good insect / pesticides for some reason but without the chemical worry. I will try that this summer as pests are still not the main worry yet – rather the climate and let you know the result.
I have many pictures, if you wish I can email them.
I hope there was some information of use for you.
Regards Briggs
Thank you for such a helpful response. As well as good technical advice you reminded me that Wilkinsons ( UK) is a great source of good value gardening stuff so I popped in today and got some twine and more plant tags.
Am intrigued by Pepsi and Coke as ‘organic ‘ solutions !
Hi guys,
I tried a different technique. I went out to the shops in London and bought tomatoes that I like to eat. Ended up with eight varieties. I enjoyed the fruit and saved some seeds.
They took a little longer to germinate than the packet seeds but eventually the little buggers popped up (some oddly with 3 leaves already??).
I found that placing them on the floor in 3″ pots in a tray did the business. I have underfloor heating and the room gets lots of light. Strangely, they did an awful lot of growing during the night.
I’m after strong plants so I sow them deep and add more compost as the leaves get further away from the surface.
Small as they are, they have had to go out ‘neck deep’ in growbags in a PVC greenhouse as I am off on holiday for 6 weeks. They seem to have taken to it really well with the formation of leaves 3 & 4 and a maturing look to the stalk in just two days! Have left instructions with me Dad to feed and water whilst I’m away.
I hope to come back to some nice looking plants. How big do you reckon they will get in that time?
Hello
Thank you for finding some time in amongst packing to stop by. I love the idea of the underfloor heating acting like a heated bench or heated propagator base. It sounds like you’ve found a really good place to start them in.
It would be great if you came back to some flowers or even some tomatoes that have got underway !
Have a good holiday !