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 Did you know?...
5+ A Day can be broken down to = 3 servings of vegetables and = 2 servings of fruit per day. |
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 Growing tomatoes
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Growing tomatoes has never been easier, learn how to grow the best tomatoes you have ever tasted.. |
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Did you know.....that there are two major types of tomatoes, those which are grown on a vine and those which are grown on a bush.
Vine tomatoes have a tall central stem, from which trusses grow. Vine tomatoes produce larger fruits than bush tomatoes and tend to be grown in a greenhouse.
Bush tomatoes are more compact than vine tomatoes and they tend to spread quite alot. Bush tomatoes are quicker to ripen and are generally grown outside. |
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Step by step guide to growing your own tomatoes
Prepare your site
Tomatoes are not particularly fussy about whether they are grown indoors or outdoors, as long as the soil is rich and fertile. If you are planting tomatoes straight into the ground make sure that you dig in well-rotted manure or compost to a depth of about 12 inches, or, as is more common today, you can use a specially designed tomato grow bag, which has all the nutrients already incorporated. Tomatoes need lots of light, so a south-facing position is an ideal place to situate them.
When to plant tomatoes
Tomato seeds can be sown from early spring onwards and need warmth to germinate, so are best started off indoors on a warm window sill, or in a heated greenhouse. |
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How to sow tomato seeds
Sow tomato seeds thinly in a seed tray, preferably in a multi-purpose potting compost. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of compost and water them carefully. This is best done by standing your seed tray in another vessel which has a couple of centimetres of water in it. Place your seed tray in a heated greenhouse, proporgator or on the window ledge and allow the seeds to germinate. Tomato seeds need a minimum temperature of 15°C to enable them to germinate properly. When the seedlings appear, move the trays into a bright position, where they can get plenty of sunlight. |
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How to plant out tomato seedlings
When your seedlings have developed two or three sets of true leaves, they can be pricked out and placed into individual 3 inch pots, which are best kept in a warm, well-ventilated place. If you plan to grow your tomatoes outdoors, they can remain in these pots until the seedlings have just started to develop their first flowers. Outdoor varieties of tomato plants are usually ready to plant out after about 8 weeks.
Before planting out to their final position, the tomato seedlings need to be hardened off by gradually introducing them to the outdoors. This is done by leaving the plants outside during the day and bringing them back in at night. They can be left outside overnight after a few days, but make sure that there is no frost about, if a late frost is imminent, cover the young plants with a cloch or put them into a cold frame.
Vine tomatoes need to be planted in deep soil, 18 inches apart, whereas bush tomatoes need to be at least 36 inches apart. Grow bags usually have pre-assigned planting areas in which to place your plants.
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Routine care of tomato plants
Tomatoes need regular feeding and watering to ensure a good crop develops. Never let tomato plants dry out, or flood them, especially if they are grown in a grow bag or a container. It is better to water them a little everyday than to flood them every few days. An organic mulch can be used around the bottom of the stem to help stop water evaporation. Start to feed the tomato plant with a high-potash fertiliser, or liquid tomato feed once the plant has flowered and the first fruits have set. Feeding the plant at this point ensures that the plant continues to flower and bear fruit.
When tomatoes are growing, some varieties will have side shoots which appear between the main stem and the leaves. These need to be picked out as soon as they are big enough. If left to grow, the side shoots will take vital nutrients away from the main stem and your crop will suffer.
Once your tomato plant has three sets of flowers, it is time to stunt it's growth by picking out the top growing tip. By doing this, the plant will not grow any more and it can concentrate on growing better tasting, bigger fruits. If too many tomato sets are left to grow, the plant my become too heavy and fall over, or the fruits may be poorer. Sometimes tomato plants may need some sort of support, especially when the fruits are growing larger, simpy push in a garden cane.
Vine tomatoes will need supporting and pruning when in full growth, whereas bush tomatoes don't really need much attention apart from watering and feeding. It is advisable to put a layer of straw below the lower fruits to prevent them from being devoured by slugs.
 
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When to harvest tomatoes
Tomatoes taste best when they are picked fully ripe, straight from the vine. If you have lots of plants in the greenhouse, you can take snap off any leaves which are blocking sunlight to the fruits, thus ensuring that they ripen properly. Towards the end of summer there will undoubtedly be a few stubbon tomatoes that will just not turn red, you can either pick them and leave them on your window sill, or you can pull up the whole plant and hang it upside down somewhere warm. |
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Recommended varieties of tomatoes
Bush Tomato:
Alfresco, Tumbler and Tumbling Ted Red
Cherry Tomatoes:
Sweet Million, Gardener's Delight and Sun Baby
Plum Tomatoes:
Roma, Borghese and Olivade
Vine Tomatoes:
Alicante, Golden Sunrise and Tigerella
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Serving suggestion for tomatoes.....
Fried Green Tomatoes
Green Tomato Pickle
Tomato and Apple Chutney |
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