Growing tomatoes

[Marge]

The best tip I had about growing tomatoes is not to water them too much or feed them at all before any fruit form.  I kept wondering why there was lovely tomato foliage galore but no tomato fruits and then an expert bloke told me I was being too nice to the tomato plants! 

He said stop watering them completely, do not feed until fruiting, and this is the best bit - chuck a cup of cold black tea near the plants (not at the roots) after a week and this will make them work a bit!

[Dom]

So kind of like a "be cruel to be kind" thing then? Might work, although my track record with plants, and things dying, isn't a great one, so you're probably best off not listening to me.

[inkworm]

If they start wilting we'll drown them, but generally leave them and everything seems to be growing this summer.

[familychoice]

We've had a terrible year garden wise. Loads of shrubs and a couple of apple trees died in the frosts, and we've had no runners, apples (on the surviving tree), blueberries, courgettes or (indoors) chillies. Good job we've got a Tesco.

[sarahA]

I usually water once a week if the rain doesn't do it, and once the flowers appear give them a feed once a fortnight. Got gorgeously sweet cherry tomatoes out of a couple of hanging baskets this year.

Interestingly I heard on the radio on Monday that Tomatoes are thirsty plants and should be watered daily! This was from the editor of some mag called grow your own I believe. I'll stick with what my, my dad and my Grandad's tried and tested method is

[Dom]

Did you know, a tomato is a fruit!! #OldNews #EverybodyKnowsThat

[Jem]

I usually water once a week if the rain doesn't do it, and once the flowers appear give them a feed once a fortnight. Got gorgeously sweet cherry tomatoes out of a couple of hanging baskets this year.

Interestingly I heard on the radio on Monday that Tomatoes are thirsty plants and should be watered daily! This was from the editor of some mag called grow your own I believe. I'll stick with what my, my dad and my Grandad's tried and tested method is

Last time I properly grew tomatoes I had to water daily otherwise they went all limp and wilty. In the wrong spot in the garden?

Hoping to actually do some proper growing next year, now we have a bit of garden

[sarahA]

I usually water once a week if the rain doesn't do it, and once the flowers appear give them a feed once a fortnight. Got gorgeously sweet cherry tomatoes out of a couple of hanging baskets this year.

Interestingly I heard on the radio on Monday that Tomatoes are thirsty plants and should be watered daily! This was from the editor of some mag called grow your own I believe. I'll stick with what my, my dad and my Grandad's tried and tested method is

Last time I properly grew tomatoes I had to water daily otherwise they went all limp and wilty. In the wrong spot in the garden?

Depends. Tomatoes like warmth and light, but doesn't have to be direct sunlight, just out of the wind/chill and getting plenty of warmth. They usually (although not in the case of Marge's!) like small amounts of water frequently, and this prevents them from bursting the skins, otherwise an influx of water into them and the skins don't grow/stretch quick enough. A bit like stretch marks

My Dad has a lot of his tomatoes in the greenhouse or under the carport, both of which get very hot in the sun. He then has a bag that he fills with water and it just drip feeds the plants. He certainly gets a lot of tomatoes and makes us plenty of roast tomato and garlic sauce, and his own ketchup

[Marge]

The tomato expert bloke said once the fruits appear then it would be a case of 'water, water, water, & feed aplenty!'

I shall let you know how the toms are getting on later in the week in the Tomato News Bulletin!

[Mr Anderson]

The tomato expert bloke said once the fruits appear then it would be a case of 'water, water, water,

Over watering can make the fruits pulpy and tasteless, discolour them, and if watering is done irregularly it can burst them open (esp. if growing in containers of grow bags); and if it can cause a variety of diseases and also kill off the plant too. You're better off using a constant drip irrigation system that waters the soil at a continuous moderate rate, whilst avoiding wetting the leaves, rather than saturating either periodically or continuously.

[Marge]

Lawks! tomato controversy rages on and on!