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Post by dianthus on Apr 16, 2015 15:56:27 GMT
Had a scroll through and did a 'search' but couldn't find a tomato forum thread, so thought I'd start one for the 2015 season.
I have a conservatory, facing North, and South-facing house wall where I grow my tomatoes.
I usually try to get about 14 - 16 plants in big pots, into the conservatory, but they have to share the area with me and my eating area, but we muddle along quite nicely.... most of the time! I have to stick those sunflower sticky patches on the windows, as the drosophila tend to find it a comfy arrangement, too. 
Inside, I shall have Shirley, Sweet Aperatif, Panavoy, and some Stupice.
Outside will be the rest of the Panavoy and Stupice.
I usually have tomatoes from August to November, and make about 30 portions of Cream of Tomato soup for the freezer. This is delicious, but a labour of love, as it takes me about 4 hrs to make about 6 portions, what with all the skinning and deseeding. No water or bought tomato paste in my recipe, and I'm very precious about my supplies... he he. |
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Post by sweetpea on Apr 16, 2015 17:00:55 GMT
Only growing one variety this year, gardeners delight.
used to grow about 20 varieties as I grew some for show and sold loads of plants locally.
Now its just for the salad times and I reckon GD is one of the easiest and best tasting and my only problem is whether to grow in g'house border or growbags.
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Post by Cherry on Apr 17, 2015 8:21:55 GMT
I am having 6 in the greenhouse. Two are Gardeners' Delight and one is Sungold.
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Post by dianthus on Apr 17, 2015 11:26:58 GMT
I am having 6 in the greenhouse. Two are Gardeners' Delight and one is Sungold. With all your catering and house guests, Cherry , I'd have thought you'd have needed a lot more plants to keep you in supplies   |
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Post by KC on Apr 17, 2015 11:33:40 GMT
Plants, I have - 10 Sweet Aperetif - 2 Gardeners Delight Seeds, I have sown - 3 Balconi Yellow - 3 Cherry Falls - 3 Cuor Di Bue - 2 F1 Fantasio - 3 Golden Sunrise - 1 Losetto - 3 Marmande - 3 Mini Bell - 3 Money Maker - 2 Red Cherry - 2 Sungold - 3 Sweet Million - 3 Yellow Tumbling - 2 Red Tumbling Tom - 2 Principe Borghese  ok so that's A LOT (38 if all the seeds take) but I do intend to gift some to a few friends Also I am going to get Topsy Turvy planters to hang them upside down from the fascia boards at the back, and I've some hanging baskets for the tumbling varieties |
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Post by dianthus on Apr 17, 2015 11:39:29 GMT
WOW, KC.
Don't hold out much hope for losetto. I wasn't impressed with it 4 yrs ago. I ended up frying them as they had no taste and are mostly 1/2" diameter. |
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Post by KC on Apr 17, 2015 11:46:56 GMT
All the more reason to sow a load of varieties to determine what's good/reliable/tasty etc thanks for the head ups I'll keep you posted, they could go in a curry or something like that |
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Post by peony on Apr 17, 2015 12:03:08 GMT
I'm only growing 3 F1 Sweet'n'Neat outside in pots, I haven't got them yet as they're coming as plugs from Dobies which I'll start off in the greenhouse.
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Post by Cherry on Apr 17, 2015 15:17:02 GMT
dianthus I live near the largest tomato growing greenhouse in Britain, or it could be Europe. It is called Cornerways and always donates heaps of tomatoes to WI Harvest and Church Harvest, so I buy them at tiny prices. These are roasted and frozen and last almost the year. The six I am growing should provide quite a lot of tomatoes for us. I usually grow too many, but think I might be better off having fewer plants with more room each. Two grafted cucumbers should arrive next month.
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Post by sweetpea on Apr 17, 2015 15:28:24 GMT
The usual advice from the 'Experts' is not to grow tomatoes and cucumbers in the same greenhouse but in all honesty I have done just that often and never had a problem.
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Post by dianthus on Apr 17, 2015 15:39:13 GMT
All the more reason to sow a load of varieties to determine what's good/reliable/tasty etc thanks for the head ups I'll keep you posted, they could go in a curry or something like that That's why I thought it might be useful to have this thread, then we can all benefit from each other's findings.
daitheplant said he was doing a tomato trial for some seedman, so his input will be useful, too.
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Post by dianthus on Apr 17, 2015 15:40:56 GMT
The usual advice from the 'Experts' is not to grow tomatoes and cucumbers in the same greenhouse but in all honesty I have done just that often and never had a problem. Could be because they prefer different humidities, but on the small scale, we wouldn't be able to control this |
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Post by dianthus on Apr 17, 2015 15:48:07 GMT
dianthus I live near the largest tomato growing greenhouse in Britain, or it could be Europe. It is called Cornerways and always donates heaps of tomatoes to WI Harvest and Church Harvest, so I buy them at tiny prices. These are roasted and frozen and last almost the year. The six I am growing should provide quite a lot of tomatoes for us. I usually grow too many, but think I might be better off having fewer plants with more room each. Two grafted cucumbers should arrive next month. Gosh, you are so lucky, Cherry.
All those and a surfeit of strawberry plants, too! I bought 6 recently and 4 were dead, rather than dormant! Got half my money back, but no strawberries now 
I miss living in Kent for all the freebies about. There used to be damsons in one hedgerow and a yellow cage somewhere else hidden in a copse. That's as well as the hazels, blackberries and sloes.
If anyone wants my grandfather's 100yr old fruit wine recipes, let me know. He was a licenced victualler, so they were good quality.
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Post by daitheplant on Apr 17, 2015 18:59:58 GMT
The usual advice from the 'Experts' is not to grow tomatoes and cucumbers in the same greenhouse but in all honesty I have done just that often and never had a problem. Jim, I agree, both can be grown in the same greenhouse. People often plant them in the wrong place in the `house though. Tomatoes need to be planted by the door, because they prefer a dryer atmosphere. Cucumbers , on the other hand, need to be planted at the rear of the greenhouse because they need a moister atmosphere for success. |
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Post by Cherry on Apr 17, 2015 19:03:29 GMT
Ha ha! I accidently do that. dianthus there is a Tomato thread under greenhouse and it is 6 pages long. It doesn't matter, but it might be worth reading. We will keep using this one. |
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ok so that's A LOT (38 if all the seeds take) but I do intend to gift some to a few friends 
