[Trillium]

Since I have loads of bottled toms on the shelf, I promised myself not to grow any paste tomatoes this year and to limit the eating ones. I must be deaf or something because I now have a whack of various pastes out in the garden, 6 cherry tom plants, 6 eating toms, and 4 blue toms. Easily 36 plants out there Good thing my son showed up yesterday with almost a hundred mason jars he got at some thrift stores, mostly quarts. Good thing bottled toms will keep for many, many years.

[pigguns]

Ooh advice thread    since all you tom experts are in one place!  Help please.

I can't grow toms, but I have 6 on the go  (again!) , yellow pear/italian/roma,  what sort of soil/feeding coz I always mess it up.  I've got home clay with a warm concrete fence faces south, or silt on the lottie (not very sheltered) but I could always snaffle some soil for a pot at home ?

[Growster...]

Since I have loads of bottled toms on the shelf, I promised myself not to grow any paste tomatoes this year and to limit the eating ones. I must be deaf or something because I now have a whack of various pastes out in the garden, 6 cherry tom plants, 6 eating toms, and 4 blue toms. Easily 36 plants out there Good thing my son showed up yesterday with almost a hundred mason jars he got at some thrift stores, mostly quarts. Good thing bottled toms will keep for many, many years.

Trills, that means you're not growing enough now!

For 100 or so of those jars to mysteriously appear in front of your son's eyes and for him to remember your several hundred in the garage, you can possibly finish up with 50 gallons of the stuff!

That's enough for a small village for a year!

[Growster...]

Ooh advice thread    since all you tom experts are in one place!  Help please.

I can't grow toms, but I have 6 on the go  (again!) , yellow pear/italian/roma,  what sort of soil/feeding coz I always mess it up.  I've got home clay with a warm concrete fence faces south, or silt on the lottie (not very sheltered) but I could always snaffle some soil for a pot at home ?

Pigguns, as I'm first up here, the best link is to John's advice really!

http://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable/tomato/index.php

My advice is to use growbags if you're not sure of what sort of medium to grow them in, or if you have six big pots, then half allotment soil mixed with half ordinary seed compost should be fine!

I think that as you have a mixture of bush toms and cordon toms, you'll need to stake them somehow to keep them off the ground , but 'Roma' bush quite heavily, whereas I think 'Yellow pear', can be grown as cordons, i.e.pinching out the little side shoots at the join between leaves and stem, until you have about four or five trusses up a cane!

I have several times grown 'Roma' as cordons in a greenhouse, and they did pretty well, but of course, they were a smaller crop as they weren't allowed to take off in all directions!

Start feeding them with Tomorite when the first truss has set.

(Reading this again, John's probably said all you need to know...;0)

[Sweetpea C]

Maybe we should organise a virtual wine sloshing, tomato eating singing event. I'm game! 

[sunshineband]

I have managed to reduce my own plants down to a mere 25 now, having given away at least that number to family and friends now

Only have five that will have to 'go somewhere' that are as yet homeless. That doesn't seem so bad next to 56 now, does it?

[Growster...]

Maybe we should organise a virtual wine sloshing, tomato eating singing event. I'm game! 

Ha ha ha, Sweets!

I reckon you're second from the left in this clip...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/chile/9877400/Thousands-take-part-in-Chiles-tomato-fight.html

In fact I'm sure it's you..;0)

[GrannieAnnie]

You're not the only ones.  I've reduced my tomato numbers to 60 this year.  But about 4years ago I grew around 200!

As well as us and the dog eating as many as we did and supplying friends and family.  I still had 80lbs chopped and frozen in the big freezer in garage.

A month passed without me needing to go to that freezer, but when I did it was to find it broken down and everything swimming about in a load of water 

[Growster...]

I have managed to reduce my own plants down to a mere 25 now, having given away at least that number to family and friends now

Only have five that will have to 'go somewhere' that are as yet homeless. That doesn't seem so bad next to 56 now, does it?

Like me, you're taking all this frenzy very seriously, KC!

I reckon you could go out and buy a few dozen as well, then we could get a 'fest' going as Sweets considers above..;0)

[mumofstig]

soon, between us we could have one of these 
h23yvEuoMOk
or maybe one of these   
Lvfvx1looLk

[Trillium]

Why waste tomatoes throwing them about when you can EAT them!!    The eating/sampling festival is much more in my line.

As for my bottled toms, they're in my basement cold cellar for better storage conditions (it's like a fridge in there).

[Growster...]

soon, between us we could have one of these 
h23yvEuoMOk
or maybe one of these   
Lvfvx1looLk

Mums, that is an amazing link to the California mob - thank you so much; I wanna go there...;0)

The other one just makes me think of all that vitamin C getting poked around as it should be! Marvellous!

You and I could do both - when you have the time..;0)

[Growster...]

Why waste tomatoes throwing them about when you can EAT them!!    The eating/sampling festival is much more in my line.

As for my bottled toms, they're in my basement cold cellar for better storage conditions (it's like a fridge in there).

Yeah, but with a bottle or two of wine, your cellar could become a haven for tom-lovers, Trills..;0)

Flights being booked as we speak! Mums is coming with me!

(er - can you tell Mrs Growster that I was - er - just down the patch for three days..;0)

[mumofstig]

Yeah, but with a bottle or two of wine, your cellar could become a haven for tom-lovers, Trills..;0)

Flights being booked as we speak! Mums is coming with me!

(er - can you tell Mrs Growster that I was - er - just down the patch for three days..;0)

Mmm good idea, but somehow I doubt Mrs G would believe that excuse 

[pigguns]

Thanks much Mr Growster sir for your tom tips, most kind. I will purchase you a round at that virtual wine tasting being suggested