Success, tomatoes at last!

Dinah

They did nothing last year after the tops (that were sticking up out of a cold frame) were shered off by one of the early storms. Then, they went dormant before returning to growth because of the cold.

Seeing them just sitting there I got cross, and I stuck them under a rediculously overpriced grow light for the winter. Last week they flowered, this week I have little tomatoes forming. I've never had tomatoes in March before!

I am probably just a prize ideot for going to all the trouble of overwintering them, when I could have just planted some more, but I was so cross, I told them, you are going to fruit, even if it cost me a small fortune in electricity!

I hope there are other gardeners out there who understand about the refuse to be beaten, home-grown vegetable thing. This year, I plan to grow a pumpkin. Just the one, it's going to have the entire back veggitable patch, with an electric fence around it to deter the slugs.

B3

Well, you said it @Dinah 😉

Dinah

Goodness me, it turns out I wasn't so daft after all, though of course I couldn't have known it... I live in Northern Ireland, and of course, nobody can get plants or seeds over here because of the Brexit sea boarder. So I couldn't have grown the tomatoes of my choice anyway!

Which part of the plant is best to take cuttings from B3? Is it the side shoots if I don't pinch them out streight away, or would it be better to take bottom branches seen as the plants are already flowering? I could do a bunch of cuttings, and then try to keep them going right through the summer (on the kitchen window sills this time)  and I could put some out in the driveway in pots for the shepherds to take, since they won't be able to get seeds and plants either. I could end up being a local hero - well that might be taking it a bit too far, more like I might end up being regarded as a slightly less mad person than they tend to think I am already.

Dovefromabove

You need to use the sideshoots you pinch out as cuttings. 

The side leaves won’t make cuttings. 

Hope that helps 😊 

Dinah

Thank you for that Dovefromabove. So the more side shoots the better! How big should they be when I take them out?

Dovefromabove

All the info you need is here 

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-tomato-plants-from-cuttings/  😊 

Dinah

Excellent! of course there would be a page on it here!