My last years effort

[sonnyboy]

Admin edited to upload image

[dustdevil]

Looks like your toms are spoiled. How'd you manage to get a sunny day in the UK? ;-)

[amideutch]

The way the weather was in Europe last year and especially the UK thats about the only way gardeners in the UK were able to get a descent tomato crop. Ami

[Blueaussi]

Oh, nice greenhouse! Looks like a pleasant corner of the garden, with that flowering vine behind it. So, what kind of tomatoes were those?

[sonnyboy]

Originally Posted by amideutch

The way the weather was in Europe last year and especially the UK thats about the only way gardeners in the UK were able to get a descent tomato crop. Ami

Last year...
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LQ48oi3xb0...uly+09+049.jpg

[sonnyboy]

Originally Posted by Blueaussi

Oh, nice greenhouse! Looks like a pleasant corner of the garden, with that flowering vine behind it. So, what kind of tomatoes were those?

I only grew two varieties as it was only my second attempt at growing tomatoes ( growing anything for that matter )
They were Gardeners delight & Moneymaker.

[Worth1]

Looks like your one of those chaps that just seems to know how to grow stuff, good job.

[Farmette]

Sonny:
Great picture!
So after you potted up your maters did you just set them on bags of soil and I would assume you took the bottoms off the pots? What support system are you using?
Thanks,
Chris

[feraltomatoes]

Huge crop, small space in a marginal climate with little experience. Great job!!

I am trying an early crop in 7 gallon grow bags this year and would like to know your mix, fertilizer and water advice as the containers you grew in look about that size.

[sonnyboy]

Originally Posted by Farmette

Sonny:
Great picture!
So after you potted up your maters did you just set them on bags of soil and I would assume you took the bottoms off the pots? What support system are you using?
Thanks,
Chris

Hi Chris
Yes I cut the bottoms of the pots and placed them firmly in the growbags. I think its termed as ' ring culture.
I try various methods of supporting them. In the greenhouse its simply a cane support. The tomatoes in the outside photo was my tomatoes being supported with a fold up ladder I have.
In my conservatory I tried something slightly different. Tied string around the rootball prior to planting in its final pot/growbag. Then the string was tied to rings supported by overhead horizontal canes. The rings were just plastic curtain rings that were threaded on the canes to give me flexiblity with moving the plants away from the windows when they were putting on heavy growth.
If you sroll half way down my blog i have it in pictures...
http://vertagus.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

[sonnyboy]

Originally Posted by feraltomatoes

Huge crop, small space in a marginal climate with little experience. Great job!!

I am trying an early crop in 7 gallon grow bags this year and would like to know your mix, fertilizer and water advice as the containers you grew in look about that size.

Hi
Most of my Tomatoes are grown in their final pots in my own compost..kitchen waste etc. I add a handfull of blood fish & bone at this point mixed well into the compost. When the first fruits are set i give them a liquid feed maybe once a week with my brew of fermented nettles.
I pick 'stinging nettles' that grow wild in abudance here. Place them in a barrel and cover with water. Takes about two weeks for it to become usable ( stinks to high hell )
This year I am doing the same with the addition of old horse manure added to the barrel..Now that will really stink. Oddly enough though the smell never seems evident once its poured on the plant.
It works out roughly to a cupfull to one gallon of rainwater.
I also spray the Tomato flowers with diluted seaweed extract, maybe weekly.
As for watering..Everday first thing in the morning..the amounts vary with growth of plant and the daily temp.

[dokutaaguriin]

Hi Sonnyboy,
Wonderful pictures on your blog. How did you make your raised vegie beds?

Jeff

[sonnyboy]

Originally Posted by dokutaaguriin

Hi Sonnyboy,
Wonderful pictures on your blog. How did you make your raised vegie beds?

Jeff

Hi Jeff
The raised beds were constructed out of planks of timber 7 inch wide X 2 inch thick and sawn at the required lengths. Offcuts of which were used to support it vertically. I then stapled a plastic membrane inside the beds to aid with keeping as rot free as possible. The outsides were than clad ( screwed ) with decking boards cut to suit.

[Farmette]

Sonnyboy:
Thanks for the info on your staking methods, etc. You have a great system going.