Advice about my tomatoes

ellie.macpherson

I'm new to the whole world of gardening. I've bought myself a small tomato plant in the hope of trying to grow some. Me being the young naive gardener that I am I bought one forgetting they prefer being in areas such as a greenhouse which I don't have. I was wandering if I could still keep my wee plant outside if I got a pot with a lid (pictured) where it could get the sunlight and keep in some humidity and I can water it still daily. 
I'm also very open to any advice about growing tomatoes, strawberries and just some general gardening advice!

Red maple

Hi, Ellie.
Im not especially expert, either, but I've grown tomato plants outdoors for the last couple of years with good results. I've got some more on the go now for this year. To protect them from mice, etc, I covered them with netting, but fed them with tomato feed and I had a really good crop. The tomatoes I had were the bush variety rather than cordoned, but I think cordoned would also do well.

Red maple

Type Just a query, though, is the plant you have photographed a tomato plant, as the leaves look different?your comment

Pete.8

Looks more like a chili to me.....

ellie.macpherson

Red maple said:

Type Just a query, though, is the plant you have photographed a tomato plant, as the leaves look different?your comment

The photo is off the internet to show the planter. I was just wandering if it would he suitable to use outdoors as I don't have access to indoor growing!

mrtjforman

yes absolutely fine till you will need something bigger a week later so you might want to consider https://www.homebase.co.uk/plastic-mini-dome-greenhouse-26cm_p390997

If you put it on some bricks it can go even taller.

Generally though tomatoes don't need a greenhouse and do fine outside, the dome will help get it established.

Dovefromabove

I start my tomatoes indoors every year but by the beginning of June they’re planted outside in a sheltered sunny spot and are just fine. We get loads of tomatoes 😊 

Green Magpie

By now your tomato plant should be  ready to go outdoors, unless it's a greenhouse variety. If you can tell us the name of the variety, we can tell you how and where to grow it. 

edhelka

I wouldn't use that pot, it could burn/cook the plant very quickly, I think it is way too small to work well, even with that ventilation holes.

Fairygirl

It depends where you live, Ellie. I couldn't grow toms outside here. They wouldn't thrive - not consistently warm enough overnight. 
If you only have one plant, you can grow it on a windowsill inside your house. Depending on type, it will need suitable support, and you'll need to be more attentive to watering and ventilation, but it wouldn't be difficult.
Strawberries are completely hardy, so they can go outdoors in pots or in the ground, depending on what outdoor space you have.
If you can post a few pix of what you have, you'll get extra advice. 

david111davies

"I'm also very open to any advice about growing tomatoes, strawberries and just some general gardening advice!"

Strawberries like quite a sandy soil if I remember. Back when the UK had large strawberry farms they used to have them near the coast for the sandy soil.

They are best grown in the ground where you make a raised rows and dig trenches either side of the row and bury thick black plastic in the trenches so that the rows are covered in the black plastic.

Then cut little holes in the plastic and plant the strawberries.

Usually people will make a wide row, like 3 ft and plant 3 rows of strawberries.

There is very little to no weeding with this method and the ground holds more heat early in the season and holds moisture in

I used to grow them this way and had so many strawberries it was a pain to harvest them all.

Just make sure you keep the earth under the plastic moist.

That is the best way but can be done in pots or dust plant them in the ground but weeds and strawberry plants don't mix well in my opinion.