tomatoes

sponge_bob

does anyone grow their tomatoes outdoors?
the wife won't let me use the conservatory or the windows and i don't have a green house. so i was wondering is it possible to grow them out doors. iam living in waterford so it would be a little better than living up the country i would presume.
so times and types for planting iam looking for and any tips for growing them.

gigawatt

yeah the easiest are outdoor bush varities,i always grow tomatos and they grow very well outdoors. its a bit late to start them from seed yourself so a garden centre would be your best bet!

btard

The wife won't let you? It's not tomatoes you need to grow.

sponge_bob

btard wrote: »

The wife won't let you? It's not tomatoes you need to grow.

to be perfectly honest i would prefer to buy the bloody tomatoes rather than listen to the wife going on about "those bloody tomatoes in the conservatory" it would turn out to be a constant moan,

Dizzyblonde

I'm with your wife, lol, the smell of tomato plants in a conservatory can be overpowering. I grow cherry tomatoes outdoors evey year - Tumbling Tom variety which are small bushy plants and don't need as much looking after as the taller plants. You can't put them out until the first of June though when the risk of night frosts has passed.
It might be a bit late to grow them from seed now, but some garden centres and large DIY stores have plants.

couerdelion

The last couple of years I've grown "money maker" outside. Germinated seeds inside and then transplanted outside. Always grown them in containers too. Had loads of fruit off them last year too.

Mr.Triffid

Hey, yeh i'm growing 4 tomato plants at the moment on a spare windowsill
they're pretty small now but i'm planning on putting them in a small plastic greenhouse
in the back garden, it's a bit chilly to be putting them outside now probably mid june or july
when the nights and days are warmer, heres a link to the the greenhouse I'm getting.

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/7204452/Trail/searchtext%3EGREEN+HOUSE.htm

SteM

We decided to try one of these hanging in the garden this summer.

http://www.handyhardware.ie/product/35369/ProPlus-Upside-Down-Tomato-Planter

It's working quite well so far.

Edit: Meadows & Byrne, Woodies etc sell them too.

sponge_bob

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I'm with your wife, lol, the smell of tomato plants in a conservatory can be overpowering. I grow cherry tomatoes outdoors evey year - Tumbling Tom variety which are small bushy plants and don't need as much looking after as the taller plants. You can't put them out until the first of June though when the risk of night frosts has passed.
It might be a bit late to grow them from seed now, but some garden centres and large DIY stores have plants.

went to the garden centre yesterday but they didn't have any tomato plants i did however get some seeds so i have tried planting them.
i planted them in some small pots and then used the large 3ltr drinks bottles cut in half and placed on top of the pot so as it will act like a little greenhouse type thing:D. i read that on another site somewhere.
will be interesting to see if they grow in that setup.

also being in an experimental type of mood i have put some lemongrass strips into some water to see if they will take root i have sneaked them on to the window sill in the kitchen;), i went to the pub lastnight and when i came home i was met by the most beautifull lemony fragrance when i went into the kitchen:D. if these take root i don't think i will have any bother getting the wife to leave the lemongrass plant in the conservatory:)

Mr.Triffid

SteM wrote: »

We decided to try one of these hanging in the garden this summer.

http://www.handyhardware.ie/product/35369/ProPlus-Upside-Down-Tomato-Planter

It's working quite well so far.

Edit: Meadows & Byrne, Woodies etc sell them too.

Hey SteM, how would you go about watering something like that?

SteM

There's a hole at the top. Just put the water and feed in the top and it soaks down to the roots.

Zuiderzee

I grew some Italian heritage types outdoors last year, but had to bring them inside to ripen, not much of a yield.
This year I am trying growbags up against an external wall with a trellis type job, fingers crossed.
I think Dizzyblonde hit the nail on the head about the smell of tomato plants, very strong - never liked it.

Alun

That's funny, I actually quite like the smell of the plants

Cleo87

Im growing tomatoes for the first time this year. Im growing them from seed, so they're indoors at the moment, but i plan on putting them out when they get bigger. They'll be in a sunny but sheltered spot on the balcony, but i'm not sure wether to go with grow bags or pots, what do people find better?

planetX

Cleo87 wrote: »

Im growing tomatoes for the first time this year. Im growing them from seed, so they're indoors at the moment, but i plan on putting them out when they get bigger. They'll be in a sunny but sheltered spot on the balcony, but i'm not sure wether to go with grow bags or pots, what do people find better?

On a balcony I'd go for pots, grow bags are messier to water.
The last two years were a washout for me as far as outdoor tomatoes go. Had some great crops before that though, there's always hope we'll have a summer again one year.

Corsendonk

I do love the smell of tomato plants, one of those childhood memory triggers. People always make the mistake of not giving the plant enough support. I know that in Jersey they still grow outdoor organic tomatoes in fields using canes as supports but the crops are pretty poor. Basil is always listed as a companion plant to grow at the base of the tomatoes but I find the smell too over powering myself and its very temperture sensitive outside but if you love the smell of basil it will mask most of the tomato smell.

Tomatoes are very hungry plants so steady supply of tomato feed helps but if you have a problem with mature tomatoes ripening cut back on the nitogen rich feed you give the plants and go with a potasium rich feed which helps the plants ripen and also improves the flavour.