[Jae Dawn]

Hi,

  I have tried for 5 years now to grow tomatoes.  I can grow them but getting them to fruit and rippen before the cold sets in is another matter all together.  I have seeds from my grandfather which I brought over with me from the states and have to say they never seem to get anywhere fast.  Last year I tried Plum and black tomatoe and did get a few of them but they tasted worse then the store sells. 

  This year I purchased off Ebay Black from Tula.  And thought I would have a go but with all the failure I thought maybe I should try another one as well.  Can anyone recommend a type that would be a largish tomatoe with that old fashioned type tomatoe flavor that would fruit a bit quicker?  Think I finally figured out how to trim the shoots off last years did fruit but they just didnt ripen very fast took almost 12 weeks to stop being green. 

  I can grow a dern good tomatoe bush with NO fruit on it that is for sure!     

[gardener247]

sub artic plenty was developed by the US army when they were on a mission in some cold place greenland i thing... but anyway they can handle the cold and will give an earlier crop, cherry toms are faster sutton's "100's and 1000" are small buy you'll get a HUGE CROP from them

[DD.]

Tell us where you are, Jae, it may have some bearing in the answer.

[Lardman]

You're going to need a greenhouse really.  All the varieties you mention have a long season so you'll struggle in the poor summers we have had recently.

Taste is a personal thing - but you'd do better trying some of the smaller F1 cherry toms, at least then you'll get some return. Personally I've found the sunbaby to give the best balance of flavour / production I've grown it outdoors on a sheltered patio for the last 3 years without too much problem.

[Jae Dawn]

  Well I am in Southend on Sea area so it is suppose to be the warmest and dryest area of the UK and I do put in a ton of effort to make sure the plants are very well watered but maybe that is my issue and I am great with cherry tomatoes have no issue with growing them in fact able to do several baskets of them and they have gotten me through the last 5 years of tomatoless  vines.  What I really would like is to grow a BIG juicy tomatoe at least bigger then a cherry 

[DD.]

Are you growing inside or out?

Here in the Midlands, I grew some cracking Brandywine toms outdoors last year.

[Jay The Digger]

While nothing is ever guaranteed, your chances will hugely improve if they are grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel.  Tomatoes love the warm, and especially at their early stages, benefit from the full sunlight available.

My checklist on growing a good crop is:

A large and established root structure
Regular feeding & watering
Regular (and sometimes quite brutal) pinching out
A warm (but not moist) atmosphere

Failure to fruit can usually be attributed to cold, a poor nutrient uptake, lack of pollinators and or lack of sunlight.  The first and last are taken care of by planting in a well sited greenhouse or polytunnel.  Lack of nutrients can either be caused by failure to feed, a small root system, or lack of pinching out, which causes the plant to concentrate of foliage.  Tomatoes don't need much to pollinate them.  A good shake of the stem usually does it.

If the flowers fail to set, try spraying with seaweed or even just a water mister.

I hope this helps....

 

[Jae Dawn]

  I have started the plants from seeds and kept them inside then potted them in a grow bag and they get very green and lush and lots of flowers with beginnings of tomatoes but then they get med/big but stay green 's and a very few will get pinkish and few yet get partially red but you can tell they really need to stay out in the sun a few more weeks but by then it is Sept. haha

  Was thinking of getting a cover kind of thing noticed in Wilkinson and they had a tall plastic zip bag for tomatoes for the grow bag style ... maybe I should go back and get a couple wonder if that would work. 

  I will definately plant a basket of your sunbaby Lardman and see if that works.  Thanks for the ideas will definately do some cherry tomatoes again this year!

[Lardman]

  I will definately plant a basket of your sunbaby Lardman and see if that works. 

Sunbaby is a cordon - grow it like a "normal" vine.

I tried a "tomato growhouse" thing from Argos years back and its not worth the space it takes up.

[DavidT]

Jae, you need to grow an outdoor variety such as Moneymaker, but you have to remember, tomatoes need warmth to ripen.

[janette]

how about putting a large plastic bag supported by sticks over each plant then you could put a banana skin or a ripe tomatoe in to give off the gases that help ripening .

[cooperman]

1) use a UK variety which works in our climate (plenty to choose from)
2) start off early indoors
3) if growing outside grow in full sun, keep well watered and FED
4) guarenteed results if you grow in a greenhouse/polytunnel

I grow outside on my allotment (with variable results) and in a greenhouse (always a good crop)  I grow all sorts of varieties from cherry up to beef with good results.....

[andtiggertoo]

useful thread Jae.

I also want to grow good tasting tomatoes without a greenhouse.

Cooperman, you advise starting off early indoors, how early should we start ?

Thanks

[GrannieAnnie]

Adding to what DD said about the Brandywines.  I grow yellow brandywine sometimes, and I think I read tht it was developed in the US and is good in drought conditions!  So it may do well in Sunny Southend!!!

PM me your address Jae, and I'll send you a few seeds.  You can try them before buying!!

[DD.]

useful thread Jae.

I also want to grow good tasting tomatoes without a greenhouse.

Cooperman, you advise starting off early indoors, how early should we start ?

Thanks

If you're growing without a greenhouse - do NOT start them of too early. You cannot put them outside until May at the earliest, so if started now, you're faced with keeping them for 3 months indoors, which is not easy.

Here's one of mine, grown outside from seed sown in April last year.