Growing tomatoes outside

Perfectly possible. Make sure you don’t start them too early, fear of frost. The harvest will be later than under glass.
Any varieties you like. We love the cherry tomatoes…

depends where you live. In a south facing garden with decent wind protection no problem at all!! I use a poly tunnel because it is very exposed here and subject to late frosts. I grow 12 different varieties and preserve by freezing and bottling. do your homework on gardening sites and enjoy the ride,

I am in the south east and grow tomatoes outside. They do best in large pots, against a south facing wall if possible as they need a lot of sun to ripen. I always buy blight resistant varieties as I have in the past lost the whole crop to it. I am just planting my seeds to germinate indoors on the window sill but will not plant them out until there are no more frosts, they do not like getting cold. You can buy grafted plants in May and they will do well but are quite expensive. I usually get a couple of grafted plants and lots from seeds usually, in a good summer getting a very good yield that taste a hundred times nicer than shop bought ones.

Yes, choose your variety though I find sungold are relatively easy and have a great taste. Put them in a sunny, wind free spot and don't go for too many trusses so they start to ripen early. I use a poly tunnel green house, it's cheap and very effective, if looked after it gives a few years of useful service. Without a huge effort I can grow enough to freeze and I often use the last bag or two as the new crop is coming in. It's great fun. I grow 3 different varieties, a beefsteak (usually Marmande), a cherry (sungold) and a reliable heavy cropper like crimson crush. Grow for flavour, I wouldn't touch moneymaker with a bargepole as it's very reliable but tastes of nothing!

Perfectly possible but, as grandMattie says, don't start them too early if they are going outside.

I usually sow seeds for my greenhouse tomatoes in February in a heated propagator and pot them up individually in small pots and grow on indoors for planting in the greenhouse in growbags/large pots in April/May.

For the outside ones, I sow in late March in the propagator and repot and grow them on indoors to plant outside in late May/early June. I have a big trestle table in a spare bedroom for the "growing on" phase.

This year I'm doing eight varieties, some old favourites such as Moneymaker and Roma but a few new ones (Tigrella, Golden Sunrise and Marmande.)

Good luck with your tomatoes!

foxie48, I agree that Moneymaker can be a bit bland, but I grow it for sauce-making and add plenty of herbs/chilli for spaghetti sauce to counteract the blandness. As you say, it yields well and is pretty reliable so it's one of my go-to varieties. And it was the one my Dad always grew and I'm a bit of a sentimental soul!!!

I grow cherry tomatoes in big hanging baskets against a south-facing fence. They don't make it to the kitchen as far too easy to just pick and munch as they are at such a convenient height!

Good quality, moisture retaining compost and regular watering and feeding are necessary.

Thank you all for the good advice.
Live in the north east with a sheltered south west facing garden.
The garden is too small for a greenhouse but will have a look for a propagator.
Would like ones with plenty flavour.
Its good to know what seeds to be looking for as there are so many to choose from.

Yes, we've grown them outside and in an unheated greenhouse.

Cherry tomatoes have a lot of flavour.
DH grows Moneymaker which are fairly reliable.

Sorry - Moneymaker are not cherry, they're normal size.

If you don’t have a greenhouse, Wilko have a good range of small plastic covered greenhouses which are very reasonable in price. I use one of those for seeds, because I find they go leggy very quickly on the windowsill in the house because of lack of light. I plant my tomatoes in early March, but this year I’m going to hang on a couple of weeks as there is a very cold spell predicted for the second week.

Yes to the extent that we always have a surfeit which we can give away or freeze.

We have always grown from seed, but last year and especially this year we have decided to buy the variety we want rather than grow from seed as we have found it more convenient and economic.

We live in the south/southeast.

And if you have a lot left at the end of the season which refuse to ripen, find a recipe for green tomato chutney. Some good advice above.

I’m with you Casdon I’ve been checking the forecast regularly, could be harsh.
The tastiest variety of tomatoes I’ve found over the years are Black Russian, not the prettiest, but the taste is the absolute best, grown on an allotment I share, so exposed and in my greenhouse.

I have always grown mine outside and had a good crop. I buy blight resistant varieties and I have actually got all my seeds on my dining table right now.

I shall soon be sowing the tomato seeds indoors and as they grow, I am in and out with them so they harden off and don`t become etiolated. It is still too early for me, another two weeks and it will be all systems go

I grow them in tomato halos on top of grow bags or soil, soil gives a better result and I prefer the cordon (indeterminate) varieties and being outdoors, I always stop them when the fourth truss is set

I had my seeds from simplyseed

Thanks everyone for all the advice.
Fingers xd I can get some seeds or.plants n give it a go.

I’ve bought plants from a local garden centre and planted them in grow bags in a sheltered south facing spot. I’m in the NE and I think I’ve had reasonable crops for an almost non-gardener.