Tomato plant newbie

[Cheeseand2veg]

Please be kind and don't laugh at my ignorance but can you give me tips for growing tomotoes from a grow bag? I've never done it before but have a new sunny patio (south west facing) that I thought would be a good spot for them. Do I plant the seeds outside from the beginning or should I do it indoors first? How do I know when you move them out if so?? How often do I water? How do I keep them from being eaten by pests?I've got literally no clue! Thank you

Start them indoors but I'd wait till mid Apr before sowing. Tomato plants are frost sensitive so don't plant the seedlings out until all danger of frost is gone...usually end of May in most of England. Once planted in the grow bag they need a support to grow up unless you grow a bush variety. A bamboo cane is ideal. Never let them dry out so in high summer they need watering 2 or even 3 times a day. Feed once a day with tomorite or similar. Pest wise white fly can be an issue and also red spider mite but outside on a patio they rarely cause a major issue. If they are a tall growing variety like alicante etc you need to pinch out all side shoots as the plants grow. Be careful not to pinch out the flower clusters though. If you leave the side shoots the plants get too big and unwieldy and don't fruit well. Once they are 6 feet high in Aug pinch out the main growing point by which time you will have around 6 to 8 bunches developing. The above sounds complicated but really tomato plants are dead easy to grow...and fresh tomatoes are far better than shop bought ones!!! Good luck and report back!

I agree with Sparky, although I’ve already started my seeds off indoors. Planning to keep them indoors until after all the frosts have passed (probably end April). Seeds need to be warm in order to germinate, and so if you’ve not got your heating on much, wait until it’s warmer before starting!

Just to second what @Sparkybloke has said there, I am an absolute novice and have very mixed results with everything apart from tomatoes! I find them the easiest thing to grow with the biggest return and you get used to doing all the little bits, pinching out etc., just as and when you see it needs done.

I had the most enormous ones last year they were nearly 7ft! Definately get bamboo chains. They do need a lot of water if sunny facing.

Don’t be greedy and put in more than recommended no of plants - better a few plants with lots of fruit than the other.

The roots might get a bit hot in a bag on the patio - perhaps find a way to shade them.

I second all the other comments...if.you sow from seed they are big enough to be sown individually. Usually sow two seeds to a pot and only keep the strongest. You will get loads of seedlings from a packet so give em away to friends and neighbours😊

There are two types, “indeterminate “ which just carry on growing upwards, so you need canes, and “determinate” which grow bushy and outwards and don’t need staking

Or sow twice as many as you need and store the rest of the seeds in a cool dark place without fluctuating temperatures, then sow them next year.

This is so so helpful! Thank you ever so much for taking the time to help me with something I know many people think is basic.