Growing Spanish Tomatoes

[curatokid]

Do you have to take off the side shoots on Spanish tomatoes as you would with the conventional English varieties or let them grow as a bush ??

[Grouser]

It's going to depend on the variety. Some are bush and some are vine. If you mean the big beefy ones, the ones I have seen are vine and grown up canes. They will have the side shoots pinched out.

[Martin Page]

The same goes for the plum tomotoes too - that is if you can keep up with side shooting. I make a valiant attempt to get them all in the first few months but they are just so prolific you cant ....

I hope you like tomatoes 'cos they crop like like mad compared to the UK

Its not a good idea to grow English tomatoes like moneymaker and the like unless you grow them in the shade. They have a tendancy to burst despite regular watering. Its like its just a bit to hot for themin the full sun.
Where as the spanish one's are just so prolific.

Oh - and youll need very strong supports. not just a bamboo cane. I use the 2m, round fence poles and 1 per plant

[mhic]

I have tried English seeds and they do just split as Martin said pricking out side shoots is a daily job, I'm sure you could stand and watch the buggers coming out. Last year I grew just 6 plants and we were giving the things away.

I may have mentioned before that my old dear is (or was) blonde, I was giving Tomatoes away and she was still buying them at the shops!

Mhic.

[geegee]

I grew perfect intensely flavoured Gardener's Delight English tomatoes last year - they were staggeringly prolific, if a bit on the small side - probably because I did not thin out the side shoots enough, but I had no problems with splitting. I watered them well two or three times a week. The secret is in the mulch, I find.