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purple_widow
13-10-09, 10:47 PM
Hi all. Just a quick question;

I have just finished sorting out my garden, was a right shit hole when I moved in, lol, and was thinking about growing some tomatoes.

Now, I hate tomatoes with a passion, but my 3 year old daughter loves them, she eats them like apples and can easily get through a whole pack in a few hours. I was hoping it could be something we do together and as she cant really be involved with the canna I want to do the toms. So what I want to know is, do I grow them similar to canna?
How do I germinate them?
Do I need special soil or compost?
Can I grow them indoors under a light?
And anything else I might need to know.

Sorry for all the questions but I know she will love it and I want to do it right.
Thanks in advance for any help.

dekay
14-10-09, 12:04 AM
Easy as to grow mate, just put seeds in soil and water, u can do em under light, they wrong time of year to grow proper though, i start toms in april. Repotting keeps em going till flower then u want some tom feed, kids love growing stuff my youngest wont eat carrots unless they from the garden coz she dug it up, kids eh.

The_Hunter
14-10-09, 12:09 AM
http://www.thekidswindow.co.uk/images/products/fullsize/59239.jpg
Grow It - Grow your own vegetables

Grow your own vegetables. Growing your very own vegetable patch is simple and fun. Everything you need to get going is inside your gift box including starter growing pots, compost discs, seeds and a booklet containing growing tips. Enjoy the taste of home-grown vegetables with this unique gift idea.

Contents:
- 1 packet of carrot seeds
- 1 packet of tomato seeds
- 1 packet of spring onion seeds
- 1 packet of pumpkin seeds
- 1 packet of cucumber seeds
- 5 starter growing pots made from coconut husk
- 2 natural coconut husk compost discs which expand when watered
- 5 wooden plant markers
- Vegetable garden growing tips

This pack contains real plant seeds Origin UK. The plant seeds can die before or after germination. Due to the varying nature of the conditions that the plant seeds are stored and grown in any liability in relation to the non performance of the seeds or coir disks and pots cannot be accepted. This is a novelty gift and must be regarded as such.

this is really good man,

WaterBong
14-10-09, 12:12 AM
so thats the trick to get kids to each their veg, hmmm i think after i start my first canna grow, im gonna buy an allotment and start growing any and everything organic stylee

DoobyDuck
14-10-09, 12:41 AM
Here's a wee bit fea another site I use when the seasons are good for being outside. Useful for when they're up and going.
-------

How To Prune Tomatoes in the UK

Pruning Tomato Plants to Shape
As far as pruning is concerned, tomatoes in the UK come in two forms, bush (or determinate) and upright (indeterminate or cordon).
Bush varieties do well for cultivation outdoors because they require no pruning for most of the season. Remove any yellow or decaying foliage as soon as possible to avoid the spread of disease.

If your bush tomatoes become too large to support themselves, either trim out a few major branches or add more support canes - the side branches can then be tied into the additional support canes.
Limit the number of trusses of tomatoes to seven or eight by pinching out any surplus ones.


Upright / cordon varieties are commonly cultivated in pots, grow-bags, the greenhouse and sometimes outdoors in open soil. When the first fruits begin to form, the plant will produce side-shoots in between the main stem and the leaf stems.

These side shoots (see arrows in the first thumbnail ) should be removed by pinching them out with the fingers. If allowed to grow they will produce a mass of foliage but few tomatoes. Any shoots which have been overlooked and allowed to grow should also be removed (see picture on the first thumbnail ). If you click the thunmbnail on the right, a real picture will appear identifying two side shoots on a real tomato plant.

Lower leaves which show any signs of yellowing should also be removed to avoid the risk of infection.

When the plant has developed six or seven trusses of tomatoes (normally around July time), 'stop' the plant by breaking off the growing tip. If any more than seven trusses of tomatoes begins to develop, pinch them out to encourage the plant to produce good quality tomatoes rather than an abundance of low quality late-maturing fruit.

When to Harvest Tomatoes
Pick as soon as the fruits are ripe (colour and size will identify this) for the best flavour - eat as soon as possible. This also encourages the production of more fruit. As soon as a frost threatens (around October in the UK), harvest all the fruit immediately and ripen them on a window sill. With upright varieties, it is possible to gently flatten the plants onto the soil and cover with horticultural fleece to protect them from the frost.

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This is the second year I grew them and I did well this year compared to last. Tomatoes like warmth so a wee greenhouse suits them best, I used a pvc one this year with good results, very cheap. Last year they had no greenhouse and I got lots and lots of green ones. As I live in Scotland I limited my plants to four trusses this year so that I could get fruit to eat, next year will be three which will be ample for my needs though the further south you are the more trusses you can have and still bear fruit in time to eat.
If you are repotting them into a final place crush an egg shell or two into the bottom of the pot as this helps prevent blossom end rot, dunno must be the calcium I suppose. Oh aye and remove any leaves that are shadowing the fruit as this will help the sun get to them and ripen them up quicker. Happy growing with them tomats next year :)

Richie79
14-10-09, 08:27 AM
I've just put some tomatoes and chillis in my tent and most of them have germed so I'm just gonna see what happens with them over the winter. Got them under a 250W Envirolight at the mo and they will probably go under the 400W MH at some point. Just interested to see what happens really. Good luck purple widow :-)

purple_widow
14-10-09, 08:41 AM
Thanks alot for the replies, she is gonna love it when we can get them started.

Hunter - where did you find that kit? Looks quite good.

BOBmonk
14-10-09, 08:50 AM
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=grow+it&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=4742318671&ref=pd_sl_36n1zcykbw_b

here they are :D was looking myself pretty cheap :)

HeyHo
14-10-09, 01:46 PM
Sorry to hijack this thread but im starting growing some tomatoes too (and peppers) ive just stuck the seeds in some rockwool and im hoping for the best. Just wondered if any one has grown veg in 2 litre pop bottles or the large milk bottles before (as this is what im gonna do)

Also i love those "Grow it" kits theyre rather cool, im thinking about getting this one Grow It: How To Grow Afro-Textured Hair To Maximum Lengths In The Shortest Time: Amazon.co.uk: Chicoro: Books.

HeyHo

GAMBINO
14-10-09, 06:22 PM
Sorry to hijack this thread but im starting growing some tomatoes too (and peppers) ive just stuck the seeds in some rockwool and im hoping for the best. Just wondered if any one has grown veg in 2 litre pop bottles or the large milk bottles before (as this is what im gonna do)

Also i love those "Grow it" kits theyre rather cool, im thinking about getting this one Grow It: How To Grow Afro-Textured Hair To Maximum Lengths In The Shortest Time: Amazon.co.uk: Chicoro: Books (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grow-Afro-Textured-Maximum-Lengths-Shortest/dp/0982068905/ref=sr_1_12/278-1763817-8619341?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255524201&sr=8-12).

HeyHo



hahaha you sure thats the right link "How To Grow Afro-Textured Hair To Maximum Lengths In The Shortest Time"

HeyHo
15-10-09, 04:03 PM
Yeah i use to have an afro and wouldnt mind having one again but my hair isnt as curly any more so ill just grow one in some soil then pop it on when its done

TheGreenMachine
15-10-09, 07:22 PM
so thats the trick to get kids to each their veg, hmmm i think after i start my first canna grow, im gonna buy an allotment and start growing any and everything organic stylee

Hehehe, I find lying the best method.

I told my eldest when she was younger they were cherries.
If she knew they were tomatoes she wouldn't eat them so I got a cherry tomato plant on the go and she took to them after that.
Technically I wasn't lying, I just omited the last part of thier name ;)

And with my now youngest, she like potatoes but wouldn't eat peas, so I told her they were little potatoes and being small she ate them lol...

Every summer, I'll get some plants on the go so me and the kids get out in the garden for a bit.
This year it was strawberries and a black currant bush (but didn't get much with it being thier first year in).
Also got some border plants in which should come up nice next year.

Top end of my back yard is fine, it bordered lawn. Bottom end is a tip thanks to the previous occupants :(
Big drop at the end of the lawn on to old bricks, slabs, bent bits of metal stuck in the ground.
Not very nice for the kiddies. In big argument with the landlord as I'm not paying for the clean up of a previous scummy tennant.

I did one half of it one year and that about killed me.. Didn't half get some nice veg going down there tho!
But now the weeds have won the battle and I've lost heart :(