[sharky]

Hello,

When do tomatoes start to fruit?
Mine have had flowers on for a while but are yet to start fruiting.

[gobs]

Depends, I remember a year when they did not start to ripen for anybody here and whatever variety in or out till August. :shock:  

I know, it''s not fruit starting, just reminded me, they started flowering in the heat and sun of recent, but it got cold, they will set off again, once they got pollinated, a lot of insects are not out in the rainy, etc.

[sharky]

My chilies got flowers on them and started fruiting straight away, there are some rather large fruits on them already! I expected the toms to be as quick I must say.   :oops:

[peterjf]

hi , when you see little yellow flowers forming on the trusses , thats the tomatoes , the tomatoes are at the back of the flowers, also dont forget to pinch out the little growths that appearbetween the fruiting yellowstems and the main plant stem ,

[DD.]

dont forget to pinch out the little growths that appearbetween the fruiting yellowstems and the main plant stem ,

That depends very much on the variety. If you have bush (determinate) varieties, you leave well alone.

[gobs]

My chilies got flowers on them and started fruiting straight away, there are some rather large fruits on them already! I expected the toms to be as quick I must say.   :oops:

A lot of peppers and chile are self-pollinating, yes, there is quite a time difference usually.

[sharky]

dont forget to pinch out the little growths that appearbetween the fruiting yellowstems and the main plant stem ,

That depends very much on the variety. If you have bush (determinate) varietues, you leave well alone.

OK well I have just discovered that the variety of tomato that I have grown (garden pearl) is some kind of cherry tomato suitable for hanging baskets/containers that forms a cascading plant - everything I don't want in a tomato plant really..   :roll:

Tomato Garden Pearl

Av 40 Seeds
Specially Bred for HANGING BASKETS and CONTAINERS. A perfect patio plant variety. Garden Pearl is a completely determinate bush tomato with cherry type fruits. This exceptional high yielding variety has a self branching compact habit; the heavily laden side shoots will literally cascade over the edge of the containers and baskets providing an abundance of fruit throughout summer.

So I assume I don't prune them at all?
I have staked them with garden canes, is this OK?
Has anyone grown garden pear tomatoes and know what they are like?

As it is my first year of growing my own, I simply grew what I had, I will call it my 'experimental' year!

[Lardman]

So I assume I don't prune them at all?

Nope leave them be.

I have staked them with garden canes, is this OK?

I tried it last year and it doesn't cause a problem but its a PITA as they sprawl everywhere - far too much work. I tried both hanging baskets and a pot on the edge of a table. The pot produced far better.

Has anyone grown garden pear tomatoes and know what they are like?

They're nice enough - a little sweet for my liking and not really suitable for a cheese sandwich but great for munching straight off the plant while pottering. Not sure if its a little late to start from seed but this time of year people dispose of surplus plants very cheaply.

As it is my first year of growing my own, I simply grew what I had, I will call it my 'experimental' year!

Whatever you're growing they will taste SOOOOO much better than those hard and tasteless wax balls the shops sell ... (Spit). :evil:

[sharky]

So I assume I don't prune them at all?

Nope leave them be.

I have staked them with garden canes, is this OK?

I tried it last year and it doesn't cause a problem but its a PITA as they sprawl everywhere - far too much work. I tried both hanging baskets and a pot on the edge of a table. The pot produced far better.

Has anyone grown garden pear tomatoes and know what they are like?

They're nice enough - a little sweet for my liking and not really suitable for a cheese sandwich but great for munching straight off the plant while pottering. Not sure if its a little late to start from seed but this time of year people dispose of surplus plants very cheaply.

As it is my first year of growing my own, I simply grew what I had, I will call it my 'experimental' year!

Whatever you're growing they will taste SOOOOO much better than those hard and tasteless wax balls the shops sell ... (Spit). :evil:

I like sweet!  
Thanks for reply.

[DD.]

I've grown Garden Pearl, as implied by Lardman, very few made it into the house.

Got a few looks from neighbours though, as to why we had these round red things in the hanging basket at the front of the house, when they'd got lobelia & geraniums!