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Tomatoes. What next?

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Comments

  • sparkle76
    sparkle76 Posts: 617 Forumite
    Also wanted to know about leaf axils - my plants grew too high last year, I guess they are supposed to be bushy and plentiful, can someone expain the axils and the 'pinching out'?
    Many thanks
    :):):)
    Little Sweetpea born 12th July 2011
    :):):)

  • Sambucus_Nigra
    Sambucus_Nigra Posts: 8,669 Forumite
    also called 'Armpits' - here is a guide.....you only do this to Vine/Indeterminate tomatoes

    http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_july_1b_tomato.asp
    If you haven't got it - please don't flaunt it. TIA.
  • sparkle76
    sparkle76 Posts: 617 Forumite
    Thanks Sambucus Nigra - mine are (shamefully) Jamie Oliver ones from Homebase, couldn't be bothered growing from seed this year... so i think they are upright ones?
    I will have a read, I remember last year removing the shoots/useless leaves, but pinching out still confuses me!
    :):):)
    Little Sweetpea born 12th July 2011
    :):):)

  • Sambucus_Nigra
    Sambucus_Nigra Posts: 8,669 Forumite
    Just remove anything growing between the main stalk and the leaves; and pinch out the growing tip later in the season [depending on where you are growing them] so that they can all mature before the frosts come. I pinch out when they hit the top of the greenhouse. If outside, pinch out after 4 trusses.
    If you haven't got it - please don't flaunt it. TIA.
  • sparkle76
    sparkle76 Posts: 617 Forumite
    Mine have been in the greenhouse but I brought them out yesterday for some sun and today they're enjoying a bit of rain, but I figure as it's not cold it's ok for them?
    Mine have never reached the height of the greenhouse! I guess it's because I bring them outside. Does 4 trusses mean 4 sets of fruit/yellow flower stems on the whole plant?
    :):):)
    Little Sweetpea born 12th July 2011
    :):):)

  • rabidbun
    rabidbun Posts: 321 Forumite
    My tomatoes are also depressingly small. ;(

    If you let the armpits get to two or three inches then just remove them and pot them up, you get new plants from them btw - works great on those expensive F1 plants if you like growing those types. :)
  • Sarah2100
    Sarah2100 Posts: 74 Forumite
    I grew them myself last yea in my green house, amazing to grow an train, good luck

    Sarah
  • kerri_gt
    kerri_gt Posts: 11,202 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Xmas Saver!
    CFC wrote: »
    Now I hate you all because my tomato plants are 3 inches high :p

    Mine are still small too (got three plants from a Freecycler) Need to give them a bit of tlc this weekend but generally I have had a 'leave it to nature' approach with toms before. Last time I grew them it was a case of seeds thrown onto a grow bag, some thinning out of plants but only because they grew so well I had soooo many plants. Still had an amazing crop with no more real care than sun and watering. (sorry all those who spend tons of care on their plants...please don't shoot me down with rotten tomatoes :o)

    Good luck to everyone growing this year :)
    Feb 2015 NSD Challenge 8/12
    JAN NSD 11/16


  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 12,492 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 28 May 2011 at 7:22AM
    I did quite a bit of reading about determinate and indeterminate last night as I have one tomato `alaskan fancy` that I originally thought was semi determinate but now I read was determinate. I had been taking the axils off. I know now that determinate is a bush and they have a predetermined number of stems/flowers etc and every time I took an axil off then I was reducing the mumber of flowers. Doh, oh well those particular ones are only a foot tall and may make 4` so now I will just leave them, apart from figuring a way to make a good strong cage for support

    I de axiled all the tomatoes yesterday and took the bottom few leaves off (you don`t have to do this) as I want the plants to be airy and splash free and I figure that they will heal well as it isn`t humid and the plants aren`t stressed. Rather now than later. I watered in the morning and tbh it is easiest to use the grow pots as you can see how much you use and it sinks slowly. There are quite a few fruits forming now and sungold are def the quickest, although gardeners delight has a lot more fruit to come. All my toms are experiments this year as I want to see which of my methods performs best

    I am going to preserve as much as possible and have the bottles, freezer containers and also a dehydrator. Tinned tomatoes are very expensive in the shops and doing a lot of preserving will go a long way to pay for all the `start up` costs of getting back to gardening
  • I'm really worried that my tomatoes are leggy - how thick should the stems be on gardeners delight when they are about 1 1/2 foot tall?
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