Un-equal tomato progress.

[peter]

The tomatoes I ground planted in the greenhouse look a bit tall and etiolated, no flowers.
The ones I potted and have not yet growbagged are stocky and have lots of flowers.

I know the ones in pots are very confined, 3" pots, stood in a holeless tray for a sort of hydroponic effect.

So why no flowers on the ground?

[Jenny Green]

One thing that makes plant grow tall and thin is lack of adequate light. Are the ones in the ground in a shadier position? This would also explain the lack of flowers.

[Garlic_Guy]

The ones I potted and have not yet growbagged are stocky and have lots of flowers.

I can't help with the actual question, but isn't it time to put the ones above in growbags if you're going to?

Mind you, it would be worth checking if doing this will divert growth to the roots & away from fruit (though if you can keep them going long enough, that would be an advantage).

Finally, is there likely to be more fertilizer around the ones in the ground? I had a lot of lush green growth from tomatoes last year but very few flowers. I'd made the mistake of feeding them before fruit had set.

Johnboy will know.

[bigpepperplant]

i'd think the ones in the pots are confined and so under stress, which would cause them to flower more (to set fruit to perpetuate the species before the die etc etc). The ones in the ground won't be confined so will be putting more energy into growing upwards. I should think they'll start to flower soon enough, though, agree the spindliness could be caused by not enough light.

[Allan]

You don't give any clues about light conditions or planting medium for the ground plants e.g. have they been planted in neat FYM or similar?
Allan

[peter]

Light conditions.
8x12 greenhouse aligned n-s with a seven foot hedge to the east, a hazel bush to the north, a four foot high perennial bed to the south end and open to the west with an apple tree some distance away to the south-west. Some pictures on my blog of it under construction.

Ground conditions.
Was my vegatable plot some years ago, then became a lawn. Turf skimmed off and then soil dug over.

Prime Suspect in my view.
Soil, as I did not dig anything into it and it is starting to look very clayey after watering.

Life is a learning process.
The original question was because the pots and ground plants are three foot apart in the same greenhouse.

I think at the end of the year I will subtract a few barrowloads from the beds and substitute some regular horse doings in chopped cannabis.

[Allan]

Make it old manure, or better homemade compost if possible. It's too easy to overdo the nitrates and get sappy growth, better that they rely on managed feeding.
Allan

[Johnboy]

Hi Peter,
I suspect that with a 7' hedge to the east it means that the very important early light level is below par and the plants rise to seek light. I cannot explain the lack of flowers as that could be any number of factors including the variety.
I think what is mis-understood by a lot of gardeners is this "do not feed until the first truss has set" and they confuse this and interpret it as Tomatoes do not need any fertilizer until the first truss has set. Tomatoes need normal nutritional levels for the well being of the plant and the "feeding" bit refers to the concentrated feeding that should not begin before the first truss has set.
My Greenhouse is only a couple of seasons old as I simply grew in my large tunnels and it was not ideal
but they are largely unused since my retirement. Prior to constructing the GH I double dug the area and used very well composted FYM put this manure at three levels and I grow my Tomatoes direct into the ground and they do exceedingly well. I am not bothered in an enormous crop just Tomatoes fresh from the vine. I am growing Gardeners Delight and Ailsa Craig this year and they have all set 5 trusses and now I do not take any more side shoots out I just let them form a kind of jungle in the roof of the GH. This will provide me with masses of small tomatoes for months and months to come.
I feed my crop with concentrated Comfrey and also use Comfrey leaves laid on the ground as a weed excluder rather than a mulch. I never water the foliage of Tomatoes and direct any watering direct to the base of the plant.

[peter]

Johnboy and Allan, It has just been one of those years I think for me.
Lots of stress and problems meant I have thrown myself into my gardening to compensate and perhaps tried to do too much in too little time.
Silly thing is I cannot stand tomatoes, they are the wife's predeliction.
The peppers, more to my taste, have diddy peppers formed, but the plants, while nice and glossy dark green are still less than a foot tall.
The catch-crop lettuce has bolted enough to be pulled this weekend and I will scratch in some growmore when I do it.
JB you are probably right about the hedge, but I was limited in where I could put the house, the only better place would have been nearer the house the middle of the lawn and that would have put it eight foot from the hedge instead of two feet.
At least the house is up, usable and cost under £200 to obtain, base, errect and auto-vent.
Jusr the electricity and water to lay on now!