Dolmio Tomato Growing Seeds - progress reporting thread

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the MNers who are growing tomato plants from seed courtsey of Dolmio (well at least they are hoping to ). The project is designed to highlight the fact that 100% of Dolmio tomatoes are grown outdoors in the sun (not in greenhouses). For more info on Dolmio please click here

If you are a tomato grower and part of this project please add your updates below - we'd love to know about the plants at each stage - from humble seedlings to the fully grown fruit! Do let us know how, if at all, your children are getting involved as well. If you are not so succesful don't worry please also let us know here. If you need any advice please ask and if you can offer advice please do so!

Details for sending in photos is on the email sent.

Everyone who takes part in this project and who adds their feedback and sends in at least one photo will be entered into a prize draw to win one of two £200 John Lewis vouchers and a Dolmio hamper (to be mailed out in September).

Thanks and best of luck
MNHQ

I've killed them - or they've been abducted by aliens.

Two days ago I moved my lovely little seedlings out to the greenhouse. The bench was already full, so I put them on the floor. DD3 and I went outside last night to water them, and they have completely gone. The tray was completely empty, apart from compost and vermiculite.

I've no idea what happened - the other tomatoes in the greenhouse are thriving.

Mustdash, that is really odd. Was the greenhouse closed up?

I still haven't got around to repotting mine. Thanks to DS's school I also have a sunflower and a pumpkin to repot too!

MNHQ any news on the photos yet? I'd love to see how other people are getting on.

Mice may have stolen them, mustdash. They are little sods for doing that.

Just sent a photo in of DS1 with his sole tomato plant. It's teeny tiny compared with it's 3 week older cousins, which also have flower buds on them. Hopefully it will mature in time to get something off it!

Mine are doing really well, I have just come back from a holiday so the tomatoes have had the same sort of benign neglect approach the children get and it seems to work on both!

I have about 30 seedlings, all about 5inches or so tall. Will pot them on this weekend I think into individual pots and have got the grow bags ready for them to move to the garden when bigger.

Mine have been in pots on the kitchen windowsill, since we planted the seeds, waiting for the weather to be good enough to put them outside. (Which my Mum says firmly, is Not Before The End Of May!)

The seedlings look fine, but everything I grow seems to succumb to some dreadful pest, usually whitefly. I have got pots of Marigolds all round to try and discourage the whitefly.

And I'm crossing my fingers too, obviously.

Ours are still doing ok. Not outside yet, it's been really windy this week and I'm not really sure if they should go out yet

Dd1 did enjoy showing them off to her nana and granda (they've been visiting for a couple of days)

Have also sent off my first photo, of my 6yo proudly displaying a pot of seedlings, taken today in the garden.

Ahhh. woo you say?

I am resolutely non-woo, perhaps that is where I have been going wrong.

Am open to any woo suggestions for staving off whitefly attack. I will do anything within reason, so no dancing naked round the garden by moonlight.

Have just realised that 6yo is wearing Boden shorts in the photo I sent

I sent my first photos in today of when the seedlings were tiny. I repotted them today but they're all droopy because we were away for a few days. I hope they get some life back into them.

Jules this will slay them.
If I danced about naked, I would kill all my plants and the neighbours too.

BRILLIANT, thank you.

Also like the look of SLUG DEATH, currently DH goes out with torch and does a nightly massacre

I hadn't thought about mice. We have cats, so none in the house, but the greenhouse is far far away, so a possibility. The others are on steel shelves, so would be really hard for mice to get.

Little buggers.

My seedlings have all been potted on now so fingers crossed this sunshine speeds them up

I've started to repot mine.
I went to Asda and got some smartprice washing up bowls and smartprice trays. I've made holes in the bowls and they make great planters!
A couple of the seedlings looked rather droopy when I first planted them, but they are standing up and happy now

I know I'm way behind everyone else , but I finally have tiny little seedlings. Hurrah.

I figure I'll end up making a batch of green tomato chutney with these toms, as they're not likely to have time to get big and full of ripe toms with the short Scottish 'Summer'. Good thing I like chutney really.

Planted a bit late, so waiting for seedlings to emerge. DD (21m) enjoyed helping fill the pots with compost and has been very good watering them. Fingers crossed all goes well.

We were busy tonight, replanted our 3 seedlings and they're now in nice new pots on the windowsill.

Sent 2 photos, but realised put my username on the email - please dont print my username with the boys photo as it would give me away!!

How big are they when you repot them? I think we've got to that stage now!

Depends how big the original pots are, MadameBoo.

If you can see lots of roots in the holes at the bottom of the pot, then it's time to repot. If you can just see the odd bit of root, check one - it there's a big wound up root ball, then definitely repot it - if the roots are only just reaching the edges of the pot, then it's fine for a little longer.

Thanks lovelies :)

I have killed them- they finally grew after four weeks and I watered then a couple of days ago and killed them!