Trials on tomatoes in 2006

[GardenFan]

I swear by John Inns seed compost with permiculate to lighten the texture and improve drainage. I use John Inns no 1,2,3 as I pot up and also add a little fish\bone\blood to the mix. If you have enough of your own homemade compost, leaf mould or mushroom compost (if you can source it) you can make your own seed mix. If your using multi purpose then I would add permiculate and fish\bone\blood to improve its texture and nuritents. I really noticed the difference for the better when using John Inns seed compost over general purpose, so if you can afford it I would recommend using this.

[nick the grief]

It really easy to mix your own as well GF,

7 parts loam
3 parts peat ( or substitute)
2 parts sharp sand

Then you mix in 2ozs of JI Base fertiliser to the bushel for JI1, 4 for JI2. 6 for JI3. So what you can do is mix all the peat& loam etc & keep it in a bin & just mix in the fertiliser whaen you need it.

JI seed is slightly different in proportion & the size of the "lumps" in it & they use a differnet formulae for the base fertiliser.

It's a lot more forgiving as GF says when it come to watering etc. & it hold the nutrients better, downside is the weight, especially in tubs thay you want to move & hanging baskets.

[Amanda1]

Thanks for those suggestions, another visit to the garden centre.....

[Nicos]

Amanda- have you got a local allotment society? Their products are much cheaper. I know it's fun nipping into the garden centres, but if you are like me, you'll also come out with a boot full of plants,new gardening gloves....bird feed...the odd birthday card... If you compare the prices of what you actually need ,you will be shocked. We are using vermiculite for the first time this year and it's about 5 times the price at the local garden centre.Becomes annoying eventually. Still like garden centres v much but I do feel cheated at times. Best to get to know what your local allotment society sells (will be v limited) and try and support them too. win win situation.

[Amanda1]

Thanks Nicos, I am a member of Lambeth Horticultural Society but don't have an allotment. The prices there don't seem any cheaper than B&Q although I do like the banter I have with the people who work there. The main thing I buy from there is well rotted horse manure as I still haven't taken the trip to the local stables to start rotting my own down. I moved into my place just over a year ago and I hate to think how much I've spent on my garden (much more than inside!) and when I move I'll have to leave it all behind.

[Tigger]

I make two types of passata.

I put cooking tomatoes (Roma, San Marzano and another nameless Italian one I brought back from Italy (strange - I know) through my passata machine which removes skins and (most of the) seeds. Then I heat these and bottle them as if they were jam, sterilise them as per Piglet's instructions or freeze them. I don't add salt as we don't use salt, but I might add some herbs or black pepper and mark the labels accordingly.

For the rest - whether they are eaters, supersize, cookers, red cherries or the little yellow ones - I put them in a roasting tin with a little olive oil. Then I bake them 'til soft, blitz them in a food processor and bottle in hot jars as though they were jam. I often add onions, herbs, garlic, black pepper - all or any of these - to the rosting procedure, so they get blitzed too.

I don't know how you can have too many tomatoes. Last year I had 122 plants and took tomatoes to work to give to colleagues every day from the beginning of May until the end of November. I made at least 100 jars of passata. This year I'm planning on having in excess of 180 plants with fruit from the end of April until Christmas, plus passata, plus chutneys and hopefully spicey green tomato chutney, which is husband's favourite.

[Tigger]

Cucumbers - I grew them for the first time last year and was amazed at how wonderful they tasted. Nothing like the things we buy in a supermarket. Had friends at work fighting over them and cutting them into quarters to get a share! Got lots of plants going for this year ( can't confess how many.....) and am also going to try some outdoor ones too.

Going to include gherkins as well - why not?!

[pigletwillie]

Tigger, my first tomatoes are now just coming into flower. They are the Romas and San Marzano with I think the Rio grande not far behind.

We aim to bottle enough for the rest of the year as well and as the garlic crop looks good that willl be roasted and added as well, like you with peppers, onions and perhaps basil.

[bramble]

Hi Pigletwillie, When did you sow your tomatoes. It must have been very early if they are beginning to flower already. Do you have them in a heated greenhouse? Would be interested to know how to have them start so early.
Thanks.

[pigletwillie]

I sowed the first batch at the begining of February, in 4" pots on the kitchen window sill. These were then pricked out into 2" pots kept in a greenhouse heated to 12 degrees C. The plants were then planted into pots (12 to a standard seed tray) and have rampaged away. They are now just springing up their first flower trusses and should be showing fruit before the end of April.

The last batch are just bein potted on now and are about 4 weeks behind the first lot.

They need to be kept at a minimum of 10 degrees but if you have the temperature set to high you just end up with leggy plants, hence mine are at 12 degrees. They are about 12-14 inches tall and are nice, stocky plants.

[Amanda1]

What size pot will I need for the tomato plant's final pot? I have 1 litre, 2 litre and 10 litre polypots. Will I need something in between or will 2 litre be big enough?

[nick the grief]

The 10 ltr should be OK Amanda, just trying to think what mine are ... nope can't think. Anyway 10 ltr is about 2 gallons so thinking of the size of the bucket in the greenhouse that should be OK.

[hils]

Hils,

You can use any type you wish.

Geordie help.

planted upside down tom in bucket as you suggested but the rascal has now decided to grow upwards. Any suggestions to stop it growing back into the bottom of the bucket?

[blackkitty]

I've got about twenty plants, last year this amount kept us and several neighbours in tomatoes for months. I'm hoping to have a go at Hugh Fearnley Whittingstalls tomato ketchup this year.

[bramble]

Nick, do I really need 10 ltr pots or can 5 ltr do as i think thats what i usually use. Advice please.