2025 Tomato Grow List

Did you find the seeds to be quite small and pale compared to normal? I assume all of the seeds come from the same seed producer, since it's not a massively popular variety like Sungold. My germination rate was 0 out of 4.

I can't remember what the seeds were like and as I've used the whole packet, I can't go to look. Sorry. I'm debating whether to buy some more from nutsncones,  if I do I'll let you know.

Today I side-grafted my tomatoes. Still found it quite fiddly, but the spring grafting clips are much easier to use than the silicone type, and the plants haven't wilted yet, a benefit of the stems not being completely severed so the scion remains attached to its root system. I did cut too deep on a few occasions and minced up two stems when a grafting clip snapped shut, meaning I had to do some dodgy cleft grafts. Hopefully the survival rate is higher than last year's 20%. If it doesn't work then I have some backup plants which I potted up, and I will make some wicking containers instead of growing in the greenhouse soil. I still have 9 rootstock plants left, they were too small to graft with since the open pollinated varieties outgrew them, which seems unusual.

Today I fully severed the side-grafted scions from their roots, having cut 2/3 of the way through the stem two days ago as part of weaning. Now it's a waiting game to see if any of them die, meaning the graft hasn't taken properly.

Two of the dodgy cleft grafts have died, with two more hanging on. The remainder seem OK, but they are still wilting a bit when put into the light so I am being cautious with them. I had to cleft graft some more last Saturday since the angles of my cuts for the side graft weren't enough of a match, so the two cuts hadn't fused together.