Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: barbarella on June 19, 2013, 09:49
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I have grown Roma tomatoes for making tomato sauce for a few years now but this year and last year I particularly noticed that it was difficult to get them to grow more than a couple of feet an they seem determined to sprout new growth at the bottom instead. I know they are semi-determinate but they seem 'determined' to grow into a bush. Has anyone else had experience of this - should I let them get on with it and stop pinching out the sideshoots? They are in the greenhouse by the way.
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I thought Roma are a bush tomato. I never take the sideshoots out, but they do like a big spread. They took up loads of room in my PT last year.
This year I am not sure if I have any roma as some of my labels washed off, so, apart from one Inca, they will all be treated as cordons! ;)
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If you have plenty of room for airflow and some further support if needed, I can't see the harm. :)
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I have grown Roma for years as a bush variety, but stop the leader at about 3ft because sometimes they just keep growing.
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:D They are a bush tomato and will keep trying to grow that way. But I do always take off the very bottom 2 suckers or whatever I've got so the airflow is better at the bottom of the plant, and I do thin out a few suckers here and there for the same reason. The rest I let grow so I get a good cropping per plant. In fact, I always have to stake mine to keep the weight upright and away from pesky mice who also love toms.
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I'm growing Roma again in the unheated greenhouse and I've got one plant that's particularly stocky and low growing. I've given it support but it's determinedly keeping a low profile so far :D I've only removed the side shoots between the branches. It looks healthy enough so I'm not worrying about it. I shall just have to stoop down to its level to hopefully pick all the fruits :)