new to gardening, this is what we did this weekend, is it ok?

puddy

bought some tomato plants, only one is a tumbler variety, but i have put them in hanging baskets at the front. the front is south facing so i thought that would be ok, but im worried about whether all of the plants should be tumbling varieties or not, to go in a hanging basket. OH says the plants will just act as a tumblers if they are hung up?

next, have painted an old belfast sink a lovely cornflower blue. i want to put some plants in it to provide colour in what is a very mature, shrubby, evergreen garden (hence its always green and no other colour!). what plants would go nicely in it, which will be lots of colour, for most of the spring and summer which i dont have to do too much to? we have 2 cats and a dog so need something not poisonous.

also in the front, i have planted, mint, thyme, chives and parsely, is south facing too hot for these do you think? they are in a container which is a metre wide?

finally i have some basil seeds which says on the packet to sow directly. is the front garden better for these due to the heat, or will they get frazzled. the back garden is sort of north west facing, so we do get sun, especially at the back as the sun comes down the side entrance during the morning and then is at the back of the house after lunch.

i also have some jerusalem artichokes in the front, although in a slighty more shaded bit.

is this any good?!

thanks

officeguru

Hi Jenner

I think you are a tad early in planting your tomato plants outside... If you get a frost, it will kill the plants.... you don't mention which varieties you bought, and some might be too vigorous to be grown in a hanging basket but they might be ok...

I would plant little, slow growing rockery plants into the belfast sink some of them have really pretty flowers and they would be in proportion to the space available..and topdress with gravel - you could also plant some minature bulbs below the plants (like tete a tete daffodils) for next spring...

Basil enjoys the heat but I would place the parsley etc where they would get some shade during the day rather than constant sunshine, but as they are in a container, you would be able to move it if you saw the plants struggling in the heat... I have mine planted where they are shaded by a hedge in the morning and they get the sun in the afternoon and they thrived....

I don't know if this helps

Cheers

Don't know about the jerusalem artichokes though... you could find that info easily on the internet...

foreign_correspondent

the tomato plants will not turn into tumblers just because they are hung up - they dont know where they are!

Depending on the sort of tomatoes (bush or cordon) they will grown differently, but may well just grow upwards till the wind bends then over and breaks them, or they get fruit on and flop over and break.

I would leave the tumber in the basket, and plant the others in pots or in the ground in a sheltered corner, tying them loosely to canes for support as they grow. Some people have planted tomatoes upside down, i.e. with the stem poking down out of the bottom of a container or basket... never tried it myself, but it may be worth a try if you are determined to have them hanging up! As the last poster said, its also a little bit early to put them outside..

Also, do be aware that tomato plants (all of the green parts) are poisonoius to dogs (and people) so that may be a consideration in deciding where to plant them too - having said that, my dog is always in the greenhouse with me, and has never shown any interest in eating tomato plants, even though she likes the occasional tomato and happily eats grass etc at times!