Outdoor tomatoes in Scotland - is it possible?!

[*Lavender*]

Hello,

I know I've got months to plan, but at the moment I'm looking at all the different types of tomatoes and wondering if it will be possible to grow any outdoors where I live (near Glasgow)?

Last year I had some cherry tomatoes (but I can't remember the variety) in my garden that did ok, but most of them didn't get the chance to ripen! Now I have an allotment I'd like to give a few varieties a go, but as I have no greenhouse I don't know if it will be possible. I have a mini type greenhouse that I can use for the seedlings until it's time for them to go out, but I don't know if there are any varieties that would do well in a cold wet "summer"?!

I've seen a few varieties in the seed catalogues that claim to be suitable for a colder climate - Alaskan Fancy, Glacier, Manitoba - does anyone have any experience of these ones? I'd also ideally like a yellow variety and a cherry tom.

Do you think it would be possible trying to grow some outside, or am I being too optimistic and better using the space for something else?!

TIA!

[Paulottie]

I think it might be possible but you will have to make sure they are well hardened off first. A sheltered sunny site or south/west facing wall will help too....any sort of wind break there? certainly a cloche is a good idea...maybe those large water cooler bottles? Once they are going fine but easy to knock back and kill in the early stages.

You may have more luck than us at avoiding blight in Scotland.

Ferline I found were very good. Arctic sub- plenty reputedly good...might have some spare seed somewhere that GYO sent me...I'll look.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Sorry I've never tried growing outside tomatoes, I've have enough problems ripening indoor ones. A neighbour of mine grows Tomatina, which is an outdoors tomato. Lets just say this year has not been kind to his toms.

The Irish Seed Savers have an old heritage variety that was common in Scotland, the variety is Edinburgh (something?). I'll go and Google and find the correct name. Okay, I've Googled but the tomato is not an outdoors one, it's called Yellow Scotland.

[sarraceniac]

I'd give Marmande a try in a sheltered south facing spot. I grew some last year outside on the Yorkshire Coast. Fantastic! So this year I thought I would give them a better chance in the g. house. Rubbish! Serves me right for trying to be clever. Some varieties just demand to be outside. I thought Marmande, being French, would prefer it warmer. They didn't. So do make sure you buy outdoor varieties.

[Alice]

Hello Lavender. Tomatoes do well for me outside. I've grown them in West Dumbarton and Perthshire. I grow them against a south facing wall in a sheltered position so I don't now how well they would do out in the open.
Tigerella, Red Cherry and Ilde (yellow) all do well for me. Here's some pics of them. The big ones are Roma plum tomatoes. This is the first year I tried them and they did quite well from an early start.
Good luck.

[andyn2]

i bought a tomato plant 2 weeks ago at a local event seen a little sign "tomato plants 50P" so i thought id buy 1 and see how i do ... no harm in trying

(ive never grown any kind of plant in my life before well i killed a bonsai tree last year but thats not classed as "growing")

so 1 week after i bought my tom plant and placed it in a pot and sat it on my window sill it had a little upwards growth and i thought yeh i can do this and i went to homebase and bought cayenne peppers and chives (seed starter kits) chives are doing well and ive got 12 little seedlings about 1 inch tall from my peppers and my girlfriend bought me a herb seed kit (basil, chives, parsley and corriander)

the basil has sprouted but the rest havent showen their faces yet (planted them last week)

now my tom plant has more than doubled in size ... about a foot tall now so it cant sit on the window sill forever i guess since the 1st set of trusses have just showen from the stem so today i started building a D.I.Y learn-to at the end of my garden with some scrap wood from a fence that was taken down and some plastic wrap from a matress from a recently bought bed ... have it half built ... the back wall is 6foot tall(wooden fence that i plan to cover up any holes) and 2 sides about 2-3 foot tall (covering the rest in plastic)

i plan to stick my tom in till first frost and my herbs aswell

[realfood]

It is very difficult to grow them outside in the Glasgow area, because of temperature and blight. Your best bet is to try a very quick maturing variety.

[BUFFS]

just south of you so we share the same climate,i usually use "shirley"as areliable cropper,but most others will produce,black russian is a good bet,with tigerella and Ilde for something different.it depends on the summer,so no good outside this year so far,we just havent had the warmth to promote good growth,but on a more (normal?) summer you will get a reasonable crop and being a bit cooler up here,they grow/ripen slower which can really add to their taste...good luck...

[Aberdeenplotter]

I've grown Cherry tomatoes(gardener's Delight) up here successfully.

[Dead Dogs]

I have yet to try toms outside outside.
What I mean my this is outside not under cover.
Currently have Tamina and Harbinger in greenhouse and poly tunnel.

[eirish]

I'm experimenting with Tigerella and Black Cherry in pots outside. Plants are looking pretty good so far and each have one truss of flowers - not sure yet whether any fruits have set.

[Mizjazzi]

Tom's outside in Scotland!

I tried some patio toms this year,in the ground, and they are flowering but small plants compared to my windowsill and greenhouse ones. But they have got flowers.
Problem is the wind, I think it is windier here that when I lived in on the coast!

I tried large toms outside a few years ago,they grew well,but were all rubbish tasting and floury,so I suspect the variety!
I did see some interesting varieties that I will get for next year,I think the seller was real seeds, but will have to look it up!

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Well I'm trying outside tomatoes for the first time (what a year to pick). All of the toms are bush tomatoes. I've green tomatoes on the Maja, Dwarf Wax, Texas Wild (which surprisingly does not like a lot of sun, did not like the hot weather in May), Bajaja and Golden Grape. All of the toms are against the back wall with some protection from the eaves. Will I get ripe toms - fingers crossed. My toms were sown on the 22nd of December and the 1st of January.

[soladragon]

I live in the north west and I hear stupice is good against the cold and I plan on growing it. I also grow gardeners delight and they are doing well.

A new open pollinated early veriety of sungold has been produced called WOW and I am looking into it now. "Fedco's WOW Cherry"