Growing some early tomatoes 2020

[quanglewangle]

When did you pick your first tomato?
How healthy were they?

About 2nd week of July. Healthy and vigorous. I overcrowded them though - rookie error, apparently.
Aubergines a week eariler.

[mcdood]

Red Alert chitting (hopefully), I only had 4 left and they're old.

[Zonmatron]

I'm itching to sow things so might get very ambitious and get some cherry toms going.

I've grown some before in my flat, and last year had some huge ones given to me but had some problems with ripening, so I'm going for a multiple variety and size approach in the hope something grows well.

I've ordered some latah seeds and my hand might slip if they've arrived in the post today.

Edit: got home from work, caved in and planted 2x yellow delight. Now waiting impatiently for something to sprout, out of limited airing cupboard space!

[Babru]

Can't really start them indoors. Chez quanglewangle is something of a hobbit hole - a Cornish miner's cottage with 500mm thick granite walls and small windows.

We first grew tomatoes last year in our then-new greenhouse and they survived from a late January sowing.

Wow quangle, shows the difference between Cornwall and Edinburgh. I've had -3.5 overnight in my greenhouse a couple of times already this winter. I'm fearing for my overwintering geraniums and suchlike, never mind tomatoes. Cornwall sounds great!

[quanglewangle]

Cornwall sounds great!

Yup. There's a house for sale a few doors down....

Mind you, the beach can be an awful distraction when the garden needs tending. And, as mrs quanglewangle reminds me it's a three day round trip to go shopping/go out in London.

[mcdood]

And, as mrs quanglewangle reminds me it's a three day round trip to go shopping/go out in London.

Sounds like another great reason to live where you are

[SarrissUK]

I'm getting my seeds out tomorrow!

[quanglewangle]

Excited - sown some tomatoes!

Greenhouse is all clean and fumigated; propagator has fresh sand; and the tomatoes are started. Mandarin and Gardener's Delight


Tomatoes and aubergines on propagator

The thin wires are the temperature probes. The pot compost only about 12 �C now but will come up (only just in and used cold water). The sand runs about 20 �C

[veggiechicken]

I'm sowing my toms next Monday, 13th January (Fruits week) on the VC Calendar.

[quanglewangle]

I'm sowing my toms next Monday, 13th January (Fruits week) on the VC Calendar.

A calendar? Chickens are just so organised.

[monkeyboy]

I'm debating what to grow. Gardener's Delight were tasty but either never fully ripened, or they would split (either through weather or slugs). They were grown in a growbag with a hozelock growbag waterer so watering and feeding were evenly done.

Moneymakers were tasteless but grew well. Garden Pearl were okay but always covered by slugs and I didn't like the bushiness of the plant.

I might try sungold this year.

[quanglewangle]

Lots of helpful detail in last two posts. H/T Scarlet and Monkeyboy

[quanglewangle]

How much does that cost you to run??

'Tis all controlled automagicly by a pooter, which records when it turns on and off. I then have a file to pass into a spreadsheet that knows our day and night rates. I have last years figures somewhere but am just off for my post-lunch nap. Figures later.

[quanglewangle]

I'm very interested! Would love some kind of grow tent in my greenhouse for taking early dahlia cuttings

Warning - we are in a very mild part of the country - while air frosts are not unknown we usually only get a couple of days below zero and some winters none at all. YMMV

Can't find last year's figures but quick calculation goes like this: propagator (60W) about 14p / day if on 24 h/day. In-ground heated bed (120W) about 28p day, again is on 24h/day. Based on economy 7 tariff.

Once we get to about March neither are on all day - the sun heats the ground quite quickly. The daily costs start to drop then to something nearer 7p and 14p. Remember our leccy is cheaper at night so the drop is more than you might expect once the days warm up.

There is no space heating in the greenhouse. I usually cover unused parts with insulation board and the propagator stands on a section of insulation board. When cold nights are forecast I drape fleece over everything.

Last year we had aubergines and tomatoes ready about 27 July, but sowed a few weeks later. Hoping for early July this year.

[Hatgirl]

First Post :-D

I grow tomatoes on an indoor windowsill every year, with some help from supplementary IKEA Vaxer lights. This year for the first time I am using a Geopod heated propagator with integrated lights.

This season I am growing four different small plants - Snow Fairy and 506 Bush Early aka Bushy 18" which I have grown before, and new to me varieties Bont� Tigret and Hahms Gelbe Topftomate.

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