Tomato Growing 2024

A Sungold cutting pictured today that I'm overwintering on the windowsill:

 

Happy New Year to all!

This year, I'm on a drive not to waste compost, nor to end up washing small pots.

I'm sprouting my seeds in ziplocks, so that only successfully germinated seeds end up in the propagator. Germinated seeds will be planted in little biodregrable "teabag" pots, folded down. As the seedlings gain height, I'm reducing the amount of folded fabric to increase the depth of the bags, then topping up the compost.

Next stage potting-on (teabag and all) will be into cut-down milk cartons (of which I've saved a supply over the winter) in which the majority of plants will stay until final planting. The milk cartons will then be rinsed and put into the recycling bin.

That's the plan, anyway.

 

......aaand that's the first of my New Year's resolutions out of the window.

 

Need to decide which ones to grow this year. Going to limit myself to 8 I think, inside. Will try a couple of blight resistant ones outside. Has anyone tried nagina or fantasio outside which are both supposed to be blight resistant? I fancy a change from crimson crush

 

This year I'm going to grow mainly cherry tomatoes. I've been trying a few large beefsteaks in recent seasons but they just haven't done well for me, not well enough for me to continue anyway. I don't have a greenhouse so they have to make do with conditions outside.

I'll grow my favourite Green Zebra which is a medium sized one, but the rest will be cherry as they always do well.

Considering I grow all my tomatoes outside, blight has never been an issue. I'll sometimes get a bit of it by September, but it has never ruined an entire crop.

 

@eatenbyweasels do you have any trouble ordering from USA? The new regulations about phytosanitary certificates etc is scuppering ordering from Australia and EU I've found.

 

First attempt at ordering from the US. I'll update here when/if they arrive or run into trouble.

 

I've bought small quantities of seed from the US last summer, there was no problem, you might run into trouble if the package is large and it needs a customs declaration.

 

Going by others' experiences, this seller uses very compact packaging so I'm optimistic about getting the seeds. I've kept my order down to just a few packs, just in case it all goes pear-shaped.

 

I'm thinking about growing 10 varieties in the greenhouse, and 5-6 outside in 2024. I think I pick up varieties I didn't grow yet. I sow strictly one seed of each variety.