Training tomato plants

If you follow the advice  here you will have one straight stem.

You could probably allow your plants to grow higher than we do, with your good summers

Excellent advice and link, thank you very much.  You've put my mind at rest  . 

Pauline

Hi Kristen,

Thanks very much for your advice, it really is appreciated. 

If I was in UK I would follow it but being here in Bulgaria it's impossible, unless I want to drive over 100 kms to see if "Mr. Bricolase" has some plant pots for sale.

I'm, afraid it's a case of getting them started and then out in the garden to take their chances.  It seems to work for the locals so why not me?

My problem was them looking such a mess, even though we had loads of tomatoes from them.

I'll pass your advice on to my son who is still in UK and trying to raise a few tomatoes himself.

Thanks again.

Pauline   

Hi Tam,

I tend to buy coffee machine beakers for both veg and flowers as well as saving margarine tubs, yoghurt cartons etc.  I must admit I never thought of using ordinary plastic bags though.  Thank you for that. 

Compost is a problem this year, as in none is available and to make your own is frowned upon as it attracts snakes, apparently.

It's all new to me out here, but I'm getting there.  The soil, although pretty heavy, mixed with sand from the local river is acceptable and help from people from this site is invaluable:)

Pauline

It is fairly easy to discover whether you have 'tree' tomatoes or bush ones.

Wait until they start to show buds.  If the stem goes on growing above the flower truss  you have a 'tree'.  If it stops but there are shoots below it is a bush.

De shoot the 'trees'.  But never take a shoot off until you can see the 'trunk' is growing away.

Gillie