Growing some early tomatoes 2020

[quanglewangle]

Sowed them on four days ago and the first seedling popped up today.

I have germination envy

[veggiechicken]

Early tomatoes sown - a day later than I said but I wanted to warm the compost up yesterday before sowing (that's my excuse ).



4 seeds of each one, 2 in each module, 12 varieties. Hoping for 1 of each to grow to maturity.

Bajaja
Gartenperle
Hahm Gelbe
Little Sun F1
Minibel
Red Robin
Rambling Red Stripe
Three Cheeses High
Tiny Tim
Totem F1
Vilma
Yellow Pygmy

[mcdood]

I have 1 red alert seedling which is 1 more than I thought I'd have.

[quanglewangle]

Today Mandarin and Gardener's Delight seedlings poked up their little heads. That's 9 days in the propagator with compost temperature running at about 15�C

[veggiechicken]

I've moved mine out of the prop to the bedroom window sill today. Not all germinated but I'm still hopeful of the some more popping up.

[FromYorkshiretoBucks]

I’ve got some SAN Mazarno I want to get growing. Would you say these are ok for a January grow or maybe a little later?

[veggiechicken]

San Marzano is a cordon tomato - it grows tall. Where will you grow the plants. If its a heated GH maybe,

[mrbadexample]

San Marzano is a cordon tomato - it grows tall. Where will you grow the plants. If its a heated GH maybe,

Hmmm...I've not read all of this thread. Are there varieties you really shouldn't be bothering with at this time of year?

[veggiechicken]

I sow bush toms that will be of a size to keep on the windowsill until the weather warms up. A vine tomato would be more difficult to control in the space so I sow them in a month or so.

[FromYorkshiretoBucks]

Thanks everyone, will wait on the SM. I’ve got some cherry tomato varieties in my seed box, so I will have a look and see if there are any bush varieties.

If not, has anyone got any recommendations?

[veggiechicken]

I recommend the ones I'm growing -see #38. The only one that's new to me is Hahm Gelbe, otherwise, I sow these every year at this time.

[Mamzie]

Right, I can make myself wait no more... Gonna have a look through my seeds and sow a few for the window like suggested here.

Many years ago I used to grow indoors as had no garden, but this house has no windows directly facing the path of the sun. Will be interesting to see how they cope.

[FBI]

I've got Shirley and Gardener's Delight seed left over from last year - might venture a few tomorrow. The other day, though, I fell down the Premier Seeds rabbit hole and now I have some Mortgage Lifter, supposedly huuuuge :-) Might try a few of them, too.

[FBI]

Those varieties may get very leggy before they can safely be put in the greenhouse? Have you got any bush tomatoes? They wouldn't run out of window space so quickly.

I suspect you're right although I could get them out into the GH fairly early down here on my South-facing slope in North Devon. I'm going to start the 'proper' ones at a sensible time; these are just a few experimental sowings to see what I can get away with. And if they take but are leggy, I'll just bury them a bit :-)

Dave

[FBI]

As it was I only put 5 Mortgage Lifter in; turned out I had lost the Shirley and GD seeds! The ML are now on a windowsill. Plenty in the packet, a handful lost won't hurt if it comes to it.

It's pretty mild down here and I have a GH with an unencumbered yet windless of a south-facing slope which is worth an extra degree or two especially as spring marches on. I saw my first primulas and crocuses today down here and I gather they'd been around for a few days.