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Tomatoes
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 9:53 am
by peacocks
A freeby packet of tomatoes resulted in almost 100% germination. I thought I'd try a couple of plants restricted to one truss to see if they are ready quicker. Anyone tried this and does it work?
Re: Tomatoes
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:19 am
by PLUMPUDDING
Not sure if they will be any earlier, but they should be bigger.
Re: Tomatoes
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 12:32 pm
by richard p
ive just planted some of my "spare" plants with the same idea.
Re: Tomatoes
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 12:45 pm
by oldherbaceous
Dear Peacocks, i haven't ever stopped tomatoes at one truss before, but i have stopped outdoor ones at three trusses and late sown indoor ones at three trusses and it certainly does make the tomatoes swell quicker so ripening sooner.
So i would have thought one truss will make quite lot of difference.
You might find the plant trying to make sidshoots as quick as you are pinching them out though.
Re: Tomatoes
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 12:55 pm
by Primrose
I think if you want early tomatoes, I wonder if it's better to grow a few tumbling varieties. The first flowers have already appeared on one of mine whereas all my other varieties, mostly sown at the same time, are still only a few inches high.
Re: Tomatoes
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 5:40 pm
by alan refail
Peacocks
If the seeds were free and you have lots of spare plants, then experiment and you can tell us the answer
Re: Tomatoes
Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 11:13 pm
by Larkshall
Why is it that the "Shirley" Tomato seeds are so expensive yet when I went to a local garden centre the plants were the same price as any other Tomato plants.
I bought one plant (99p) and am taking cuttings (sideshoots) off it, I expect to get about a dozen or more plants this way. I did it successfully last year and they were only about a week later than the original plant. I also bought two "Sungold" which I shall do in the same way.
Re: Tomatoes
Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 10:16 am
by Primrose
Larkshall, this is an interesting way to get free plants. I guess it probably works most effectively if you can buy the plants from a garden centre very early in the season and have a warmish greenhouse in which to raise them so that it doesn't matter if side shoots taken from the top of the plants crop quite late . If Shirley is an F1 variety, I presume there would be no difference in the size or flavour of the fruit raised from plants in this way whereas saved seed might produce a slightly different result ?