Tomatoes

Tomatoes find their way into salads pasta dishes and garnishes to name but a few uses, but in fact these kitchen staples are technically fruits and part of the nightshade family along with aubergines, peppers and potatoes.

We love growing our own tomatoes simply for the wide range of tomatoes that can’t be found in the supermarkets such as heritage varieties, colourful varieties and more, all with their own flavour properties to liven up any dish.

Typically 100g raw tomato contains 18 calories, 95% water, 2.6g sugar and 0.2 fat, making them a delicious and low-fat snack.

Tomatoes are a great source of potassium, an essential mineral used by the body to control blood pressure and in turn heart disease. Another added benefit of eating these juicy bite-sizes treats is that one medium-sized fruit can provide about 28% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C, not to mention a perfect way to top up your intake  of vitamin K1 and B9.

 

With so many varieties and growing habits, there is a tomato for all to grow. If you’re limited on space then try a trailing variety such as Tumbling Tom which can be grown from a hanging basket. Having the fruits hang also makes picking even easier.
For a classic taste try a heritage variety, they’re cultivars that have been ignored by supermarkets over the years but still pack a great taste and can be very unusual looking.
If you’re someone who loves to get grilling in the garden with your barbecues try growing a beefsteak variety. They’re bigger than most varieties, fitting perfectly into a burger bun in most cases  and can take some serious cooking. 

 

 

Sowing can start from February through until April depending on the cultivar.
May and June are the months for planting outside and from then until September you should be harvesting your crop.

If starting your seeds off early you will need to sow the seed inside or in a heated greenhouse to benefit from the warmth, otherwise if you’re sowing from late March the seeds can be sown directly outside.

Propagators can be used to speed up the germination stage. Aim to keep the seedlings about 18°C, they will then be ready to be transplanted once their true leaves are formed. True leaves are leaves which have the ability to photosynthesise, these will appear after the cotyledons or seed leaves which are the first to appear on a tomato plant.

Remember to acclimate your plants that have been growing inside before planting outside, this is called “hardening off” and will prevent a check in growth.

 

 

Select a tomato planter for a compost with all the right nutrients required by the plant, the easiest way to grow a tomato is directly from the grow bag. The plant is ready to be moved onto a pot or grow bag once the flowers of first truss are beginning to open.

If you’re not planning to use a nutrient-rich tomato specific growbag, tomatoes generally aren’t fuss with soil conditions but a well-drained loamy soil would be best.

Tomatoes do well in full sun, ideally getting six to eight hours of sunlight a day.

Growing space will depend on the type of tomatoes you’re growing, either cordon (or indeterminate)  the tall growing varieties that will require support  or bush (or determinate) which are the shorter, bushy varieties that do not need to be supported.

       

 

Supporting a cordon variety is essential and can be done simply by tying the plant to a bamboo cane or tomato support.
Regularly pinch out side shoots of cordon tomatoes as it grows, this will encourage the energy to be directed to the essential parts of the plant and not to areas where it would be wasted.
Once the plant reaches the top of the support, the growing point of the stem should be removed at about two leaves above the top truss.
As the trusses ripen it’s beneficial to remove leaves around the truss, this will allow the fruits to take in more warmth during the day and the cooler temperatures at night and in turn encourage early ripening without impacting on cropping.

Similarly to the cordon variety, bush tomatoes will require side shoots pinching out.

Tomatoes require regular watering, ensuring that the soil stays evenly moist and feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser every fortnight. Once the first fruits start to form it’s time to change to a feed with a high potash content.

Splitting Fruit

Fluctuating moister levels can cause fruits to split so keeping to a regular watering pattern is required when growing tomatoes. This does not impact on the taste but when split fruit is left on the plant will become infected by a fungus.

 

Blossom End Rot

Combining irregular watering with a lack of calcium in the soil can cause blossom end rot, this is recognisable from the blackened base to the fruits and a sunken appearance. By maintaining regular watering, not letting the soil dry out should avoid this issue.

Tomato Blight

Tomato blight can be recognised by rotten fruit and foliage rot and is caused by wet weather. By growing your tomato plant in a sheltered area such as a greenhouse, polytunnel or Grozone can limit the excess water. Removing leaves below ripening trusses can help prevent this disease. 

Tomato Leaf Mould

Tomato leaf mould can rapidly affect the plant, causing a significant loss of yield in greenhouse-grown tomatoes. The signs of tomato leaf mould is yellow blotches on the upper leaf surface and pale, greyish-brown mould growth on the underside of the leaf.

Like with tomato blight, removing leaves below the ripening trusses can help.

 

 

Once the fruits have fully developed their colour, typically a brilliant red but in some cases purple-black ,yellow or orange, they are ready to picked, one at a time.

A great tip for ripening any tomatoes which have fallen from the plant before they are fully ripened is to place them in a drawer with a banana. The ethylene released from the banana will speed up the ripening process.

 

 

 

 

 

                                 

 

 

 

                                       

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2024 Scotsdales Garden Centre