I have been given several tomato plants which I have been assured are of the
outdoor rather than greenhouse variety. The are currently in a growbag at
the side of my shed and were planted there when the weather was more June
like, i.e. early last week. I haven't been to my allotment for a couple of
days due to the weather, but I initially thought that the rain might do them
good. As the weather hasn't appreciably improved since the last time I saw
the plants, I was wondering exactly how hardy outdoor tomatoes are.

Basically, due to the unseasonably cold weather and here in Notts it is
currently winter coat weather in my "nesh" opinion, would I be better to
bring them into the greenhouse or not. I've never had any dealings with
tomatoes before and am not sure how much of an English summer they can
stand.

Jeannie


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On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 14:43:07 +0100, "Jeannie"
wrote:

Basically, due to the unseasonably cold weather and here in Notts it is
currently winter coat weather in my "nesh" opinion, would I be better to
bring them into the greenhouse or not. I've never had any dealings with
tomatoes before and am not sure how much of an English summer they can
stand.

Jeannie
As long as there is no FROST they will be OK, but the more warmth they
get (as opposed to baking sun) the quicker they will grow. Most
tomatoes can be grown outdoors, some variesties will do better than
others. You also need to ensure they never run short ot water, and
also feeding will help once you see the first fruit appearing. Use
tomato feed or home-made brew with nettles, comfrey etc.

You will also need to watch out for tomato/potato blight later in the
summer, around the end of August. You may be lucky but it has become
more prevalent in recent years.

If you have room in the greenhouse they would certainly produce fruit
sooner, but why not leave them as an experiment.


Pam in Bristol

"Jeannie" wrote in message
I have been given several tomato plants which I have been assured are of
the
outdoor rather than greenhouse variety. The are currently in a growbag at
the side of my shed and were planted there when the weather was more June
like, i.e. early last week. I haven't been to my allotment for a couple
of
days due to the weather, but I initially thought that the rain might do
them
good. As the weather hasn't appreciably improved since the last time I
saw
the plants, I was wondering exactly how hardy outdoor tomatoes are.

Basically, due to the unseasonably cold weather and here in Notts it is
currently winter coat weather in my "nesh" opinion, would I be better to
bring them into the greenhouse or not. I've never had any dealings with
tomatoes before and am not sure how much of an English summer they can
stand.

Provided there is no frost you won't have much of a problem until towards
the end of summer, just as the fruit is ripening, when they may get struck
with Blight. We spray ours with Bordeaux Mixture as a preventative from
about the second week in August. (it washes off)
Out on the allotments, keep them well tied to their supports to avoid wind
damage, and the supports must be strong as a plant covered in fruit and wet
with rain is very heavy. We found a single cane was not enough and I now
make a strong "goalpost" type structure from metal and wood and tie the top
of canes to that.
As soon as the first truss has set start feeding with a tomato feed as
directed on the bottle, seaweed extract seems to work well too.
We think Toms grown outside in the ground have a better flavour, it's just
you don't get a crop 'till the end of summer, and it does depend on the
summer weather too.

The only time we have ever entered a competition we won "best plate of Toms"
against all comers for our outdoor grown Roma's.

--
Regards
Bob

Some photos of my plants at.....

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 14:43:07 +0100, "Jeannie"
wrote:

Basically, due to the unseasonably cold weather and here in Notts it is
currently winter coat weather in my "nesh" opinion, would I be better to
bring them into the greenhouse or not. I've never had any dealings with
tomatoes before and am not sure how much of an English summer they can
stand.

Jeannie
As long as there is no FROST they will be OK, but the more warmth they
get (as opposed to baking sun) the quicker they will grow. Most
tomatoes can be grown outdoors, some variesties will do better than
others. You also need to ensure they never run short ot water

This is definately not a problem at the moment!

and also feeding will help once you see the first fruit appearing. Use
tomato feed or home-made brew with nettles, comfrey etc.

My nettle brew (also know to the other allotment holders as "that stinking
barrel") is ready and has been used to good effect on all the other plants
in the alloment, the sweetcorn plants especially seem to grow taller
overnight when they have been fed with it. That would have been my next
question actually...whether the nettle brew would be OK for tomato plants
too!

You will also need to watch out for tomato/potato blight later in the
summer, around the end of August. You may be lucky but it has become
more prevalent in recent years.

I will look out for that. Thanks


If you have room in the greenhouse they would certainly produce fruit
sooner, but why not leave them as an experiment.


Pam in Bristol

Yes, they will be staying out now. All I really wanted to know was that
they wouldn't die outside due to the sudden drop in temperature and the
deluge of rain, so thanks for the info!

Jeannie


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Being that they are outdoors and the fact that you have no real control
over the amount of water which they are receiving, are there sufficient
drainage holes in the growbag?

Regards,
Emrys Davies.





"Jeannie" wrote in message
...
I have been given several tomato plants which I have been assured are
of the
outdoor rather than greenhouse variety. The are currently in a
growbag at
the side of my shed and were planted there when the weather was more
June
like, i.e. early last week. I haven't been to my allotment for a
couple of
days due to the weather, but I initially thought that the rain might
do them
good. As the weather hasn't appreciably improved since the last time
I saw
the plants, I was wondering exactly how hardy outdoor tomatoes are.

Basically, due to the unseasonably cold weather and here in Notts it
is
currently winter coat weather in my "nesh" opinion, would I be better
to
bring them into the greenhouse or not. I've never had any dealings
with
tomatoes before and am not sure how much of an English summer they can
stand.

Jeannie


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.707 / Virus Database: 463 - Release Date: 15/06/04

"Emrys Davies" wrote in message
...
Being that they are outdoors and the fact that you have no real control
over the amount of water which they are receiving, are there sufficient
drainage holes in the growbag?

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

I went up to the allotment last night and the tomato plants actually look
OK. The compost is wet, certainly, but it's not waterlogged. I did make a
few holes in the grow bags prior to planting the tomatoes and my opinion is
that if they are OK after the torrential downpours and high winds we have
had in the last few days, they will survive anything.

Can't say the same about the runner and french beans though. I only had a
few plants to start with (poor germination rate for some reason that I can't
quite fathom, probably mice, I think), but they have been battered by the
winds and it will be touch and go as to whether they will survive, fingers
crossed!

Jeannie



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"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 14:43:07 +0100, "Jeannie"
wrote:

Basically, due to the unseasonably cold weather and here in Notts it is
currently winter coat weather in my "nesh" opinion, would I be better to
bring them into the greenhouse or not. I've never had any dealings with
tomatoes before and am not sure how much of an English summer they can
stand.

Jeannie
As long as there is no FROST they will be OK, but the more warmth they
get (as opposed to baking sun) the quicker they will grow. Most
tomatoes can be grown outdoors, some variesties will do better than
others. You also need to ensure they never run short ot water, and
also feeding will help once you see the first fruit appearing. Use
tomato feed or home-made brew with nettles, comfrey etc.

You will also need to watch out for tomato/potato blight later in the
summer, around the end of August. You may be lucky but it has become
more prevalent in recent years.

If you have room in the greenhouse they would certainly produce fruit
sooner, but why not leave them as an experiment.

Pam in Bristol

******
It's useless trying them outside, here on the Furness coast. We-e-ell! ok,
they grow, but the tomatoes don't suit me. There isn't enough sun and warmth
outside to grow tomatoes properly.
You have to get a bush-type plant, under normal circumstances, I think.
My greenhouse tomatoes are the best yet, four trusses on each so far.
Cucumbers too, all very healthy at present. If the sun is up first thing
the temp is usually around ninetyF, and when I open up it drops to around
80. You can't beat built-up beds. I change the top one-foot depth every
four years.
In the Isle of Wight I used to buy fruit -and veg of course, from the many
small growers and the best I saw was a lady's who had one greenhouse full of
cucumbers up and across the roof and the 'cumbers were hanging long and ripe
all the way down the stem (I only grow to about five feet then I allow the
side branches to develop . On all I allow one every second node., - in the
upward or horizontal branches. They have to be supported on canes of
course.
In the IOW the allotment and pro operators do pretty well because of the
many Hotels and Boarding Houses who buy up the full crop before the seeds
are planted. Some growers quite easily get two crops of broad beans in one
summer on the same plot
...
Eeh!, I'm right chuffed with this here years crop , er, ....so far!.
Waiting patiently for the ceremony of the delicious tasting of the first one
to ripen!.

Harvested the first bucket of first-early taties yesterday. I have twelve
black plastic buckets with holes drilled in the bottoms,. My cement mixer
mixes earth-soil, peat, (equal); plenty of last years leaves.
Plus a couple of shovelsful of coarse sand, (not off the beach), a handful ,
more or less of Phostrogen plus Growmore, - a good couple handsful of
bonemeal and a soupcon of dried seaweed pellets.
In early March each bucket gets five inches of the compost put into the
bottom, The taties have already been chitted in a box in this room and are
placed one per bucket with the compost just covering it. They are then
stacked in twos in the greenhouse and as the shoots and leaves grow they are
covered and covered each time they grow upwards about five inches at a time
until the bucket is full, leaving an inch at the top for watering. They go
out onto the patio when the weather warms up.
What breed of first-early's is best?.
Over the years I've tested many names, but each time the winner is always
Pentland Javelin.
They are always nicely-shaped, white and moderatively prolific.They are
made nude for cooking by the medium soft appliance of a hand nylon dish or
pot scrubber. The skin simply wipes off.
Low-Boiled for up to 20 minutes they can be used on any dish and the taste
is the best according to my experienced palate. There's enough in one bucket
for two people, for two separate mealtimes.
I put the recovered compost into a sack to use for potting-on plants and so
far no harm has come to them. I think there is no deleterious left-overs
from the tubers, and am sure there is plenty of good
nutriment still there for potting up plants.
Doug.
******











Doug.
******