Misinformation

devonbarmygardener · « **Reply #15 on:** April 15, 2012, 07:36 »

My home grown toms are only 2 inches high but are looking good.
I sowed mine at the end of February.

I bought 3 larger plants because I felt it was too late to sow anymore seed, despite the packets saying sow March/April.
I bought them mainly because I thought I was late sowing them anyway and last year they didn't ripen so well (figured it was the late planting) however, I'd also shaded half my greenhouse so thats coming off this year!

Emma

bazh · « **Reply #16 on:** April 15, 2012, 07:45 »

Quote from: viettaclark on April 14, 2012, 23:52

I only have window sills and a shelving unit in the french window and have 60+ tom plants to grow for outside as well as cucumbers, courgettes, beans etc.
In past years I have started earlier but I'd rather make sure I've got stocky plants than go for an earlier crop. They germinate quicker and there's more light for them.
Last year I grew 64 tom plants and although it was a lousy Summer I got a good crop although I had to ripen on windowsills because blight hit in September. I think there are still two bags of toms and a couple of jars of oven dried in olive oil in the freezer that I'm eking out till the first Sungolds!!

If your growing 60+ plants I don't blame you for sowing in one go, I only sow 6 seeds of each variety at each sowing and am looking for the 3 strongest plants. Toms are a faff and I hate faff lol.

NN2Blue · « **Reply #17 on:** April 15, 2012, 07:55 »

Quote from: New shoot on April 15, 2012, 07:25

I can hardy keep up at work with the customers demanding runner beans, cucumbers and tomatoes. I've got 'protect from frost & low temperature' signs all over the place and always tell people it is way too early to put them all out, but some folk are intent on getting going.

If I had a pound for every time I've had this conversation in the last few weeks, I'd be a millionaire

Customer looking bemused at frost sign - is it too early for these to go out then ?

NS - yes Sir/Madam - if they get frosted or get too cold, they will not survive.

Customer - so they can only go out after the last frost?

NS - Yes afraid so

Customer - so when will that be exactly ?

I'm good, but not that good

Classic! Made me laugh out loud. Last May we hadn't had a frost for about six weeks; the last having been sometime in March. The very day my neighbour planted his toms and beans we had a severe air frost for a couple of hours - when the BBC forecast that frost would be "Confined to the North" and it reached the South Coast!

LilacSandy · « **Reply #18 on:** April 15, 2012, 12:16 »

That's the frost that clobbered all my runners, had to start all over again and had a poor crop

1st of June for any tender plants for me this year.

Aunt Sally · « **Reply #19 on:** April 15, 2012, 14:04 »

My toms are about 2" tall and still in their propergator as the weather has turned so cold recently that I'm not sure they would survive at night in the unheated greenhouse.

May have to sow some more at an insurance policy.

In my gardening experience it can be a waste of time and money on seeds and compost to sow things too early. As others have said - they tend to catch up if sown later.

NN2Blue · « **Reply #20 on:** April 15, 2012, 14:06 »

Quote from: LilacSandy on April 15, 2012, 12:16

That's the frost that clobbered all my runners, had to start all over again and had a poor crop 1st of June for any tender plants for me this year.

That frost was very strange; it only hit selected plants, the ones most exposed to the wind. I did lose the majority of my runners, but not all, and some sweetcorn, but not all and a mass burning of the spuds. When I went over to the allotment the following morning in warm sunshine I actually thought the spuds had wilted until it dawned on me what actually had happened.

I'm targeting second or third week in May for tenders (maybe

)

LilacSandy · « **Reply #21 on:** April 15, 2012, 16:57 »

Hit my potatoes too but they were more sheltered and recovered.

Just seen the long range weather forecast. Defo the 1st of June for me.

mumofstig · « **Reply #22 on:** April 15, 2012, 17:33 »

Quote from: LilacSandy on April 15, 2012, 16:57

Just seen the long range weather forecast. Defo the 1st of June for me.

the long range doesn't make pleasant reading does it

Mrs Bee · « **Reply #23 on:** April 15, 2012, 17:44 »

Have just potted on my toms into bigger pots as they are about 4 inches high.

Don't have a green house.

OH took one look at all the mushroom boxes with the plants and sighed I'd better go and put some more plastic sheeting in the living room

It is beginning to look like Kew Gardens. Still it is lovely when they do go out for good. The living room looks bigger

viettaclark · « **Reply #24 on:** April 15, 2012, 22:25 »

Just a quick line to make you grimace/laugh.....
I was weeding round the strawbs which I mulched with my own compost a couple of weeks ago and there were dozens of tomato seedlings in clumps happily growing away!!
They had survived the heat from the compost bin and now the freezing conditions outside. Tough little blighters!
And some folks have trouble with germination?
(Reminder to self....don't put toms in the compost.....

)

Misinformation

devonbarmygardener

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bazh

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NN2Blue

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LilacSandy

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Aunt Sally

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NN2Blue

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LilacSandy

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mumofstig

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Mrs Bee

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viettaclark

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