Someone talk to me ( a novice!) about tomato plants!!

[andyrobo237]

Right - we bought some cherry tomato seeds as part of a kids gardening set. Now we have about 20 plants - some larger than the others in peat pots with home grown compost.

I water them daily and feed with tomato feed every saturday.

They live on the windowsill in the conservatory which gets really warm when the sun is out.

I have bought two long troughs to put them in and will go and buy some proper compost at the weekend.

When should I put them in the bigger trough - now or when they get a bit bigger?

Are they alright in the heat? They get light through the blinds in the conservatory as they are usualy closed. I have put them outside tonight to get some rain on them!

DD cant wait until they get some flowers and then fruit on them!

Put them in before they get too big, they will grow quickly to fill the new pot. They like heat as long as well watered. Just watch for too much humidity as can encourage disease. If you want a more organnic feed, seaweed feed is organically approved and just as effective as the tomato feeds.

I might be wrong - but I thought that you shouldnt use tomato feed until the flowers appear?? Anyone?

I think that's right. If you feed them too early, you're likely to get lots of green growth but not necessarily any more tomatoes. I'd wait until the baby tomatoes are visible.

I agree - cut back on the food - only once the first flowers (or possibly even fruit?) appear

Depending on the size of the troughs, you know 20 is too many, right? Better few strong plants than lots of weedy ones.

Do you know what variety they were? Some tomato plants benefit from side shoots being removed (the 'extra' shots that grown above the leaf node), whilst others can be left to get bushy.

Once planted out, they'll want LOTS of water & sun (I"m assuming they're not going in a green house) & however tempting, don't let each plant grown more than 4/5 trusses of fruit.

Happy tomato eating

I think with 20 you ought to give about 2/3rds of them away - you'll be able to put 3 or 4 in each trough, and the others in 14 inch pots. Don't go too mental with the feeding,and never until the flowers are fading. I've always used the feed at half strength, every other watering ie: once a day when they get going, if you overdo it the tomatoes will taste minging, in fact, i'd not bother with feeding cherry toms unless the leaves start looking sickly. if you've got them in a greenhouse, make sure you water them religiously, enough to make the compost stick to your finger, twice a day and be prepared to damp the floor down if it gets unbearably hot. As long as you get the watering right you should be heartily sick of tomatoes by august

Wow thanks MN people - I feel like I know what I should be doing now - but how do I tell DD who is 6 that she has to wait until August for some tomatoes!!! That is an eternity to her!

I will take all your comments on board!!

And BTW I dont even like tomoatoes!!!

We have grown two sweetcorn plants as well, but the lettuce plants have diet

you'll get tomtoes before august - thats when you'll have had so many you'll be sick of the sight of em!