[rogertb]

Morning chaps, my first time growing toms in my greenhouse and given the weather I thought they'd be better so some advice please ... I think one of the varieties was 'Orlando' another was 'beef' - the pots are 13" ... is this too small ? I water daily and feed once a week, the g/house has an auto vent and I half open the door in warm weather, I've added some shade netting. I'm concerned about the yield and size or am I expecting too much ? so for next year I would like some suggestions please (an image shows a trickle feed that I installed for my hols but didn't use).

[AnneB]

I don't know the Orlando variety, and 'beef' could be anything.    You don't say when you sowed the tomatoes and planted them out, so it's difficult to know how far advanced they ought to be.   The pictures show they are looking good to me.

I grow mine in a variety of containers:  directly in the soil in the polytunnel for cordon tomatoes,  outside directly in the soil for bush varieties,  and a few of both in containers outside.   Pots larger than yours, I haven't tried in 13" ones, but I would have thought OK.   Mine are only now setting their second truss and none ripe yet, but I didn't put mine out until first week in June, polytunnel ones couple of weeks earlier, so I think your toms are fine.

Beefsteak varieties tend to produce only a few much larger tomatoes.  Generally speaking, the larger the tomato, the fewer you get.   Likewise, the smaller the tomato, the greater the number produced.

[rogertb]

Thanks Anne, maybe I should stop worrying, as I said, my first year and I was expecting bigger fruits ... I'll try and be more patient and next year I'll keep a diary as I don't remember when they went in !

Though another thing, the few ripe ones have had thick skin ... relevant ?

Good of you to take the time.

Roger

[AnneB]

The thick skin might just be the variety.   I find variety makes a lot of difference especially to taste and I spend ages choosing which ones to grow every year.  Tomatoes used for paste or sauce, such as Roma, are often thicker skinned.   Other causes are under watering and high temperature, but from what you say about watering daily and shading I wouldn't have thought that applied to your toms.

Also when did you start feeding once a week?  If it was before the first truss had set, it is probably over doing it and might account for the thick skin.

Beware of over watering too, or your tomatoes may become watery tasting.   I water my polytunnel ones and my outdoor container ones every other day, those in the soil outdoors around 3 times a week if it hasn't rained.    Yours are in smaller pots in the greenhouse, so daily is probably about right, but don't overdo it.

[rogertb]

Thanks again Anne, I (for once followed the instructions) and started feeding after the 1st truss, so hopefully that was Ok, maybe it is the variety, I saw a "poll" somewhere on this site - I'll have a look at that.

Roger

[DD.]

Try as I might, I can find no reference to a variety called "Orlando". Don't suppose you still have the packet. As AnneB says "beef" could be any beefsteak variety.

[rogertb]

I'm really annoyed with myself, I can't find any seed packets and I didn't use a diary to note planting dates, note to self ... get organised next year !

Thanks Roger

[Headgardener22]

Your toms look OK to me. As said, need to know when you sowed/planted to be able to say whether they should be ripe yet. I can't find any reference to Orlando either so don't know what they are.

I find Beefsteak tomatoes are much later than other varieties and I don't expect them to be ripening until mid/late August. Mine cherry tomatoes are just starting to come.

Thick skins can be caused by hot temperatures in the greenhouse. With the weather we're having, I'm struggling to keep the temperature down in the greenhouse, above mid 30'sC, the plants are stressed and they take it out on the fruit. I'm expecting that I won't get as many as usual this year because the flowers are not setting because its too hot.

[rogertb]

OK after some digging (excuse pun) I think the toms are: "Tomato 'Orkado' F1 Hybrid" and "Tomato Beefmaster F1" - the beef are meant to be: "... extra large tomatoes upto 500g (1lb) each ".

I probably sowed them in Feb in a heated propagator and put them in the greenhouse quite early, maybe April/May (I took a chance on the weather staying good, I'm on the south coast).

I think one of my problems is watering and judging the amount and also I'm struggling with controlling the temperature of the sun, whilst I have an auto vent on the greenhouse and leave the door half open when it's hot it probably gets pretty hot in there !

[DD.]

Most of the descriptions on the net of Orkada say that it is an outdoor variety, so it may be a little warm in the greenhouse.

Ventilation-wise, I've had all the windows and doors on my greenhouses wide open for the last few weeks, even at night.

[rogertb]

I'll concentrate more next year, as a friend (who was a photocopier repair man) once said "I wish people would RTFM" ... ie read the manual !