Grow Your Own Magazine

i was watering my tomatoes in the hanging baskets this morning and noticed the 1st real tomato it was about finger nail size. i will post a pic soon.

It's exciting when this happens, I noticed one about a week ago and it's growing along nicely.

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Doh!

Soooo jealous!!
Only just planted my toms outside today!!!
Cant wait until mine appear.

Wow, I`ve just put mine in the greenhouse in growbags - I haven`t even got one flower yet!

got a few flowers on my tumbling tom that are outside in a tub,also buds on my brandy wine and marmande yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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joanne culyer

I've got some flowers on my yellow sunbaby, and just noticed today some buds on the tumbling tom. yay!

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Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.

I'm still a little confused as to what happens once the buds appear? I've got some flower type buds and one of them is opening and one of them is not. mine are in pots in the south(ish) facing conservatory and growing ok as a plant, but I dont know what to expect, so can't tell if it's all going according to plan.

syanide

I've only got as far as a couple of flowers on one of my tomato plants. Which tomatoes are you growing?

I'm doing Gardeners Delight, Sun baby and MoneyMaker. They're all showing flowers, but I'm not sure what to expect next, so i won't know if it's going wrong!

Do i just leave them be as they are or do i need to do anything to help them along?

thanks

syanide

From your flowers, you will get baby tomatoes appear so you just sit back and watch as nothing to do, as such. The small fruit will quickly grow and start to take shape.

Here's a photo of a couple from my crop from the season just finished. These were about 20mm in diam from memory.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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http://junctionvillage.blogspot.com/

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
- Mark Twain

garten perle i have 2 to each hanging basket

but will that be the case from the flowers that have failed to open fully? one petal did open, but now it looks like it's given up and the closed flower bud looks like it's drying up.

I've been trying to keep things moist in their by spraying with water.

Ok - silly question time - are you leaving the greenhouse open so that insects can come in and fertilise the plants?

I don't generally need to mist the toms - insect polination doesn't always need moist conditions.

Now runner beans you should mist.....

no, not always, but I have been doing for the last few days. I thought they were self pollinationg and so didn't need insects? Maybe I was wrong...

So is it enough to just leave their door open and let the insects do the work? The flowers haven't opened yet, so I don't understand what the insects can do?

thanks, confused syanide

(ps - just found this article... "Self Pollinating" Tomato Mythology which was very interesting.)

Interesting article.

I bag my flowers, but still get seed in my fruit.

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http://junctionvillage.blogspot.com/

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
- Mark Twain

I didn't understand a word you said there!! Sorry...can you please explain?

:-(

syanide Hi!

My dearest grandad used to take me into his greenhouse every Sunday, and we would gently grasp the stem of the tomato plants and SHAKE the plant, to distribute the flower pollen a little.

I do that myself now, for absolutely I have no idea why?

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With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

http://hollycottagegarden.blogspot.com

Updated Sunday 13th:
POCKET ROCKET...

to aid the pollenation process. While a tomato is self pollenating, what that means is that it's all done from within the same flower (male and female jobs). Read the article in my previous post as it's very enlightening!!!

syanide

Hi Syanide - Sorry to confuse you with my bagging comment in my earlier posting. I grow numerous varieties of tomatoes in close proximity to each other and so I know the tomatoes I want to save seed from stay pure, I bag the flower trusses prior to the flowers opening. Once the bag goes on, I mark the flower truss with a ribbon so I know which tomatoes to save for seed. Here is a photo of a truss with a bag on it.

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__________________
http://junctionvillage.blogspot.com/

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
- Mark Twain

I have got few baby tomatoes last week, and still am excited. Was trying to drag the OH in the room used as conservatory to show my first ever tomato, to which I got reply of "you tell me about that tomato, when it's grown and you've got cheddar sandwich ready", :-)

Ok, it's beginning to take shape...I hope. Some of the flowers on the gardeners delight have disappeared and I can see a tiny green ball where the flower used to be....the only worrying thing is, it resembles the picture in Hessayon's 'Veg and Herb Expert' book as a "Dry Set"...

Am I being paranoid? I know there's nothing i can do for these flowers, but I can try and make sure the next lot are ok...

On the other hand, I appreciate that the tomatoes have to start at some point, so there is always going to be a period when they are this size.

hat being said, how long should i wait to see them take a more recognisable shape? Is it days or weeks? I'm referring to Gardeners Delight (but I also have Sun Baby and Money Maker).

Cheers.

syanide

you need to feed once a week with tomatoe feed, it should take a few weeks for them to swell and turn red x

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joanne culyer

Cheers, I will be more patient!

thanks

syanide