Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: borderowl on November 12, 2011, 21:51

Title: early tomatoes
Post by: borderowl on November 12, 2011, 21:51
Hi folks, I've been growing tomatoes for 3 seasons now in a greenhouse, trouble is they don't ripen till Sept. Are there any tomato plants that are earlier to ripen so as to go with my summer salad crop? I hate having to buy tomatoes in the summer!
Title: Re: early tomatoes
Post by: shokkyy on November 12, 2011, 21:58
Cherries will ripen long before then. Even in this year's horrible summer, I was picking Gartenperle outdoor in hanging baskets at the beginning of July.
Title: Re: early tomatoes
Post by: mumofstig on November 12, 2011, 22:10
Bearing in mind your location, I think you'd need some heat earlier in the season if you want early tomatoes.
You could try some of the Russian/Ukrainian varieties that are supposed to ripen earlier.

A few of the catalogues show days from planting to ripening times to show you which varieties are quicker to ripen.
That doesn't mean they'll taste good though  :nowink:
Title: Re: early tomatoes
Post by: goose on November 13, 2011, 06:44
Im not sure what the packet says about ripening times, however, i found my Sungold were the first to ripen and kept going until about a week ago!  they would be lovely to go with your salad crops too.....delicous :)
Title: Re: early tomatoes
Post by: sunshineband on November 13, 2011, 09:36
Sungold were first for us too  :D

That far north I think you'll need to start the seed in plenty of time and grow a couple of plant on in bigger pots indoors to get an early crop -- saves heating a whole green house  ;)
Title: Re: early tomatoes
Post by: JayG on November 13, 2011, 10:21
Can't let Red Alert be left off the list - I've grown them for several years and they have never failed to be the first to produce. This year they were put out into a cold frame (later uncovered) 2 weeks later than the other varieties in the greenhouse, and despite the less than ideal weather they were still the first to produce ripe toms (early August, previous years early July.)

Check them out on the web; they are almost without exception described as one of the earliest tomatoes available.  :)
Title: Re: early tomatoes
Post by: Poolcue on November 13, 2011, 14:01
This year I have grown Koralik which is a ukrainian cherry tomato.In the greenhouse I ate my first one in early July