complete novice - what do I do with tomato plants?

balloo_2

fac73 wrote: »

A colleague has just given me six potted tomato plants as she says she has too many.

They are each around a foot high with their own pot - what do I do now with them and how do I look after them?

Excited but clueless :j

If you are smart nip in to your nearest Morrisons store by the flowers look for the black plastic flower buckets 8 for 99p drill some holes in bottom chippings for drainage £1.58 a bag from B&Q or free if you are cheeky and go to your local building site and ask if they can spare u a bucketfull and fill with compost i use asda proffesional compost £2.87 for a 70ltr bag.

johnswife

First time growing tomato plants in grow bags.

What do I do? I appear to have some flowers growing on one of them.

Do I have to pinch something out?

Merrywidow

The flowers will be your tomatoes in a short while. Most tomtoes these days don't need pinching out, even so hang back a bit. You must have had growing instructions on the plants! Do you know what sort they are?

noonesperfect

Transfer to 23cm (9in) pots, growing-bags or plant 45-60cm (18-24in) apart outside when the flowers of the first truss are beginning to open; plants for growing outdoors should be hardened off first.
Tie the main stem to a vertical bamboo cane or wind it up a well-anchored but slack sturdy string. Those grown as bush or hanging basket types do not need support.
Remove the sideshoots regularly when they are about 2.5cm (1in) long. Those grown as bush or hanging basket types do not need to have sideshoots removed.
Water regularly to keep the soil/compost evenly moist. Feed every 10-14 days with a balanced liquid fertiliser, changing to a high potash one once the first fruits start to set.
Remove yellowing leaves below developing fruit trusses.
Once the plants reach the top of the greenhouse or have set seven trusses indoors or four trusses outdoors remove the growing point of the main stem at two leaves above the top truss.
If you allow the soil or compost to dry out and then flood it the change in water content will cause the fruit to crack; always aim to keep plants evenly moist.
Irregular watering, together with a lack of calcium in the soil leads to blossom end rot - the bottom of the fruit turns black and becomes sunken.

johnswife

A friend gave me three spare plants.

The one with flowers I think are cherry, there is a plum one and the other is a yellow variety?

I told you I was a novice.

arkonite_babe

We have a thread similar to this already, I'll add your query to it so all the replies are together. Posts are listed in date order so you'll need to read from the beginning to catch up

noonesperfect

johnswife wrote: »

A friend gave me three spare plants.

The one with flowers I think are cherry, there is a plum one and the other is a yellow variety?

I told you I was a novice.

Well it's only my second year growing them so I'm not far behind you!

I too have a mystery tomato plant a friend gave me (a hanging basket variety). I also have a Garden Pearl (grown myself from seed - chest swells with pride); an Alicante and a Sweet Million I bought.

Next year I shall start ealier and grow loads of Garden Pearl (if they're nice!!)

nozzy6

noonesperfect wrote: »

Water regularly to keep the soil/compost evenly moist. Feed every 10-14 days with a balanced liquid fertiliser, changing to a high potash one once the first fruits start to set.

I've got a special tom food for when the fruits set (wilkos finest ) but until then does the balanced liquid fertiliser have to be one specially for toms? I've got a plant food, miracle gro I think, blue granules that you dissolve in water would that do?

Davesnave

nozzy6 wrote: »

I've got a special tom food for when the fruits set (wilkos finest ) but until then does the balanced liquid fertiliser have to be one specially for toms? I've got a plant food, miracle gro I think, blue granules that you dissolve in water would that do?

That's fine for now.

noonesperfect

Yup I'm using Wilko general purpose (blue granules) at the mo, but I've got Tomatorite at the ready :rotfl: .