Posted: Tue May 24, 16 8:42 pm Post subject: hello big boy
oooh er mrs
now iv'e got that over with on with the plot or as it happens a planter and a largish tub.both are against a wall (one s and one w facing about 5 ft up in a 6 hr sun position)
having had a few disaster years with tomatoes i thought i would try an oldish variety and give them a good position.i got two plants off the market gardeners we get veg from but they tunnel tent theirs.
so far they are growing well ,i planted then deep( up to the top two leaf branches )in half guinea pig compost/half peat based media from last years beans.they have been in 5 days so far and the above ground bit has doubled in size.
the only ds reference to them was by cody back in 2006 who reckoned his were better than his grandad's when he was a kid but he posted no details of care and worries etc.
i was wondering if anyone had tried big boy out doors and how it turned out,the online blurb seemed helpful (they have a wire grid behind them for ties to take the weight as they are supposed to live up to the big bit in the name) but any big boy /large variety hints and wrinkles would be appreciated as in the past i have only had success with ground planted modern bush varieties and big pots for money maker (not much flavour) in a greenhouse.
gregotyn
Joined: 24 Jun 2010 Posts: 2201 Location: Llanfyllin area
Posted: Fri May 27, 16 3:06 pm Post subject:
No, not tried 'big boy' but we will be watching out for your results and what conditions they are performing for you, area of the country, south facing, etc. etc.
on a shelf/roof against walls about 6 feet up,one facing west and the other facing south .however our house and the house next door get in the way so they only get direct sun from midday onwards
out side in york which is a couple of degrees warmer than the general area.
they are growing well ,i will report on progress.
gregotyn
Joined: 24 Jun 2010 Posts: 2201 Location: Llanfyllin area
Posted: Fri May 27, 16 3:30 pm Post subject:
Sort of rules me out on N/E facing 900-1000ft up if I am to compare! My summers are generally ok but wetter/damper than you I suspect. I have grown spuds and toms, under a barn, but seem to get blight as routine on the spuds, so never get a 'good' crop.
Although I am in the south of England, I just can't seem to quite get a long enough season for tomatoes to ripen outside. They are fine in an unheated greenhouse. We are a few hundred feet up and get some rather cold winds up this hill.
that is today's crop ,they have taken a while to start ripening but as mentioned they do not get full sun and at the mo get at most 3 hrs a day direct sunlight, at over 8ft /9 ft tall and 6ft wide against a wall they did get pretty big especially considering they are in a tub and a trough. next year i will use bigger planters as watering 2 or 3 times a day is a bit like feeding puppies.
the biggest one today is about 4" across .
they have a good texture and nice taste
i recon big boy toms are great if you have space for big plants (a low greenhouse roof would be an issue ) but they would be fine in a tall tunnel or greenhouse and probable do even better than mine outside if they had full sun.
they seem to have been pretty resistant to pests and diseases
they might not be ideal for commercial growing ie the space to yield issue makes other sorts a better bet but they seem ideal for my west facing corner walls.
overall i give em 9 out of 10 (they lost one point for needing a bigger ladder to tie the tops in )
Those look good. As you say, a bigger planter next year so you only have to water once a day.
gregotyn
Joined: 24 Jun 2010 Posts: 2201 Location: Llanfyllin area
Posted: Thu Sep 22, 16 1:36 pm Post subject:
They do look good dpack. If I get the place I am after then I would be putting a polytunnel up in a sunny (ish) place-although we don't get too much sun at this spot in Wales, but to lose a whole point 'cos you didn't buy a decent ladder in the first place, half a point, perhaps! Seriously-would you grow them again?
yes i will grow them again , i recon i have space for 3 maybe 4 ,they are ace ,the next batch of crop is ready and is twice as much as the one shown.
that they dont all ripen at once is ideal for domestic use but would be difficult for a commercial grower.
a poly tunnel in sun would be perfect for them
the ladder thing is the only fault i can give them and in part that is due to them having pots 5 ft up to get to any sunshine so it isnt really their fault.
gregotyn
Joined: 24 Jun 2010 Posts: 2201 Location: Llanfyllin area
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 16 1:54 pm Post subject:
Thanks for that, dpack. Always good to get a recommendation from one with experience Perhaps you should become the Chief Experimental Officer for the forum?
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