[jools68]

Hi,im looking for advise for a good outdoor tomatoes to grow on the allotment,minimum fuss if possible,i usually grow them in the greenhouse but with working hrs erratic at times in summer  it gets harder to tend them 
Thanks x

[Growster...]

Jools, the benefit of toms grown on your allotment is indeed less hassle and watering to! We grow the 'uglier' brutes like Marmande down there, and we're planning a few Sungold, as they will come on stream a bit later than greenhouse ones, and also some Shirley.

If we eventually get any Crimson Crush seeds, (supposed to be blight resistant), we'll pop a few there as well.

I've been banned from growing more than fifty plants this year by Mrs Growster, which is a bit of a swiz, but we did have a huge glut last year! I like to start a lot of plants to get a crop early, in case blight comes along and wipes us out later!

[jools68]

Thanks Growster,ive ordered Marmande also i seen sub artic? tom seeds so i will give them a try too,i need to ban myself  from buying seeds 
We dont eat loads of toms but they come in handy for salsas yum 
Dobies are selling crimson crush seed but they are £3.49 for 15 seeds..... O dear ive bought them  ,i will send you half as i wont grow 15 plants 

[Kleftiwallah]

I've grown 'Brandywine' (my favoutite big beefy tom') outside with great sucess.  Cheers,Tony.

[mumofstig]

Black Sea Man does well outside for me, as long as the blight doesn't come too early 

[Headgardener22]

I would check with your neighbouring plot holders if there is blight about before you go ahead.

I have tried over the last five years to grow tomatoes at the allotment without success. They always get blight before they ripen. I grew Crimson Crush last year and, whilst the plants didn't get blight they were affected by the cold and wind and the green tomatoes that I picked got blight before they ripened.

I'm thinking of building a "temporary greenhouse" at the allotment to try and keep the rain off them to see if that helps.

[jools68]

Cheers Tony, There in the basket 
Thanks,i read they have amazing flavour?but will have to source Black sea man elsewhere mumofstig the supplier im ordering with hasnt got them x
I was going to ask today while up the plot but nobody was around Headgardener22,its my 3rd yr there this yr i should know blight info but ive never chatted about toms,not had potato blight the last 2yrs thou,this plot im digging now i have had covered since last april,does tom blight stay in the soil?ive so much to learn! Thanks julie 

[sunshineband]

I grew Sub Arctic Plenty two years ago snd felt it lacked flavour. Marmande had been good as well as purple plum and Sungold outside

[Headgardener22]

Tomato Blight and Potato Blight are the same thing and overwinters in living plant material (such as old potato tubers). If you've grown maincrop potatoes without blight then you will possibly be ok.(I say possibly because blight is unpredictable).

[juvenal]

I grow Shirley and Gardener's Delight on the allotment, after raising the plants from seed. No failures over several years. Tigerella grow very well in large pots on the plot as well.

[jools68]

Sunshineband,i have removed them from my basket!,no point growing anything tasteless  thank you,i will keep the Marmande and Brandywine 
Hi juvenal,i like Tigrella i grew them a few yr back and got a good yield  but grown in the greenhouse along with cour de blue which didnt do as well but that may of been due to lack of sun it was a later developer as i remember,i was thinking of some outdoor cherry type too but these i will keep in the garden potted or in large basket,the times ive had split skins because im stuck in work on a late shift and pots dry or are watered irregular 

[BabbyAnn]

I'm thinking of building a "temporary greenhouse" at the allotment to try and keep the rain off them to see if that helps.

a plot near mine has the iron frame for a massive polytunnel (about 5 metres wide and easily 20 or more metres long) and in summer the tenant puts a partial cover over the top (the side are left open so it's not completely enclosed) where he grows his tomatoes and beautiful show flowers the size of footballs.

Hi,im looking for advise for a good outdoor tomatoes to grow on the allotment,minimum fuss if possible,i usually grow them in the greenhouse but with working hrs erratic at times in summer  it gets harder to tend them 
Thanks x

for greenhouse, it might be worth setting up an automatic watering system 

A couple of years ago I grew lots of different tomatoes on the plot and luckily had the perfect summer for it - a real mix of types, shapes and colours to see which were worth growing again when compared with others.  To try and avoid late blight, I found early maturing tomatoes did better - the earliest to ripen on my plot was Bl oody Butcher, followed by Glacier, Stupice and First in the Field but Sub Arctic was not as early as described.  For years I've tried to grow Marmande in the greenhouse and been disappointed but on the plot, they were amazing as were Black Russian.  The most reliable tomatoes were Roma and good old Moneymaker - they did really well and were very productive.  All the beefsteak type grew well but ... many of the fruit on later trusses had been burrowed in by something, and those fruits that were late ripening eventually succumbed to blight (my plot is at the bottom of a hill and if anyone higher up has blight or infestation of pests, they always seem to make their way down to mine  ) 

[juvenal]

Just testing how to insert pictures with a shot ofShirley, one of my favourite outdoor tomatoes..

[jools68]

Ive sown some crimson crush first,they are in the propagator,fingers crossed..i feel its too early but i have more seed if i fail them,i need 10 propagators the amount of seeds for garden & allotment 

[DD.]

i need 10 propagators the amount of seeds for garden & allotment 

Try polythene bags. Much cheaper and just as effective. I've been growing tomatoes for 50 years and never owned a propagator!