Tommy growers, a question for you!

[smiffy]

I was just weeding my garden today, and I have some self set tommy plants. I left them where they were, but will the produce any decent toms? Do I move them to the stakes (plant ones not cow ones) ? The temps here are still in the 20's daytime, dropping down to around 8 nightime.

So, do I give em a go, or pull em up?

[Suzy R Sopham]

Give 'em a go Smiffy.

I did read somewhere that you can even plant the unwanted stems you pick off to get even more plants so I can't see that these self-seeders will be a problem!

We've had fruit off a plant that self-seeded itself in our compost heap before.

[Fi]

Jun 3, 2008 10:43:45 GMT smiffy said:

I was just weeding my garden today, and I have some self set tommy plants. I left them where they were, but will the produce any decent toms? Do I move them to the stakes (plant ones not cow ones) ? The temps here are still in the 20's daytime, dropping down to around 8 nightime.

So, do I give em a go, or pull em up?

That takes me back - I remember tomato weeds appearing in the most unlike spots in the garden. To answer your question, if the original tomato plants were F1 hybrids, the new seedlings will rarely grow true to type, but it could be fun to see how they do turn out. If, on the other hand, they are old fashioned plants, the seeds my grow new crosses if your neighbours are growing different varieties - again it would be fun to try at least a few of the seedlings. We did grow them all year round in Perth and I don't think Adelaide's weather is that much different. It was, however, worth it to grow them in sites that got optimum sunshine during winter, as well as providing them with some shelter from the lower temperatures. It doesn't need to be very substantial. The only other thing to watch is that if you move the seedlings onto established stakes, they will need a good helping of tomato fertilizer. They are extremely greedy plants and the previous crop will have impoverished the soil they grew in.

[smiffy]

Thanks Fi. Gardening this weekend, so I will put them somewhere suitable and see what happens!

[Fi]

Good growing Smiffy! There are very few tastes that surpass the flavour of a just picked tomato, still warm from the sun.