green houses and tomatoes

[spice]

What can you suggest I do to stop this happeneing?, do I leave them in the growbag, or do I pour fertilizer or something in with the growback soil?

 

[Thermo]

you just need to top up the nutrients on a regular basis as tomatoes are very hungry. Use a general liquid feed after a few weeks such as growmore. Once the fruit have set then start using a liquid tomato feed such as tomrite (i use organic seaweed). Keep them reguarly watered as otherwise the fruit can split as they grow.

 

[JohnD]

I find the regular watering of Toms in pots and bags is such a drag that I grow them in the ground now. A trick you can use for non-bush varieties is to put a big pot with no bottom on the ground, and plant the tomato in ground through the hole, you can then slowly fill the pot with grow-bag compost as it grows upwards (like earthig up a potato plant) for the nutrients (it will grow fine roots out of the stem) but it can always get water from the ground through its tap-root.

 

[Thermo]

i grow all my toms staright in the ground as well, regardless of wether theyre greenhouse varities or not. plenty of seaweed and they always do well. I am on the south coast though

 

[JohnD]

...I am on the south coast though

 

[spice]

I still have my tomato plants on the window sill will be planting them soon, but do I need to cut off any of the shoots to make the plant stronger, or do I leave the stems/shoots as they are.

 

[Thermo]

wiat till they get a decent size. When they start to get suckers (another set of leaves between the stem and a set of leaves already there) pinch them out. the small lower leaves can be pinched out as the plant gets a lot bigger.

 

[JohnD]

I'd call those side shoots, not suckers. You can rub them off with your thumb as soon as they're big enough to be visible.

 

[Thermo]

strange ive always referred to them as suckers, and heard them called that. But then you are across the border!

 

[JohnD]

Across the border? What, you live up north, in Surrey?

 

[Thermo]

no west sussex you carrot cruncher! (surreys not on the south coast last time i looked!! )

 

[special stage]

I find the variety 'Gardeners Delight' one of the best for heavy cropping and taste.Like the other guys have said watering at regular intervals is really important, i use a speed feeder which is just a plastic pipe with a plant pot on the end.
plant 3 to a grow bag, buying an autovent is also a good idea to control the temp inside. As for prices well i paid £400 for mine, but ive seen them go for free on ebay as long as you dismantle and take away.

Chris...

 

[slippyr4]

i just bought a diy cheapo greenhouse from B&Q. 6'x6', plain aluminium, horticultural glass, no base (made my own with concrete and aerated blocks). can't tell you the price on here cos it's against the rules, but it was about the same as a £150 speeding fine would cost you.