10 January 2025
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Lycopersicon esculentum have long been a favorite with us Brits . We get going growing it as long ago as 1554 and it ’s still as popular as ever
Well , that ’s not entirely genuine . If you ’d chat my garden last summertime you ’d have noticed the airwave had taken on a blue hue , thanks to me amaze rather disquieted about the province of my tomato works both at heart and outside of the greenhouse .
Blight had felled my ‘ Garden Pearl ’ plant and the tomato moth caterpillar – a pest I ’d never seen before , despite having grown tomatoes in greenhouse for years – was chomping its way through a sensationalistic cultivar I was trialing .
The late two summers had been a disaster , too , thanks to blight . So at the ending of last twelvemonth I decided I would take a break from grow toms and allow someone with an infinitely better track record to show you how it should be done : my mum Sue .
She garden in south Devon , where the balmy , damp climate should be even more conducive to plague . But she maturate her toms in a glasshouse ( the same one I used as a kid ) in the soil , and in 20 years of Uncle Tom grow there has never been an attack of blight .
Despite my recent woe , tomato are , in fact , pretty easy to mature , although there are a few affair you need to know . First off , check whether the miscellany you want to produce is worthy for naturalise indoors or out . All outside types can be grown in a greenhouse or conservatory , too , but indoor types do n’t brook much chance outside unless the weather is dry and hot all summer .
There are two type of growing habit : cordon ( or indeterminate ) , where you tweet out side shoot that forge in the foliage axils ; and bush ( determinate ) , where you do n’t .
If you originate cordons outside you also ask to sneak out the growing tip when the fifth corbel has set yield . This will step on it ripening and ensure you get honorable crops before the weather twist cold . cordon under glass have a longer growing season so industrial plant can make the top of their supports before pinching out .
As mentioned , my mum has been growing tomatoes in the glasshouse border for age . Each winter , well - rot manure is dug into the soil before of the growing season . This is vital as they ’re athirst plants . Last winter I pick up a few bags of Zoo Poo – it ’s ‘ produced ’ by herbivorous animals at Paignton Zoo in Torbay , and has done a imposing chore as her plants are in summit - top experimental condition .
It ’s not just nitrogen that tomatoes take from the stain ; they also want trace elements . It was obvious , even in mum ’s former day of growing toms , that her gritty soil was low on magnesium , which register up as yellowing between the leaf veins . This was remedied by applying Epsom salts . However a feed of seaweed extract is well as it also hold back other tracing element .
The majority of gardeners raise their toms in growing bagful or large mountain fill with multipurpose compost . Bags are fine but buy the skilful you could yield and do n’t overcrowd them – two plant per bag max . Even then you ’ll need to water at least once a day in sunny weather condition , and doubly if it ’s hot .
Regular watering is critical once the first fruit have mould , as is feeding with a mellow potassium hydroxide fertiliser . If you let plants dry out , the next time you water the sudden uptake can get fruits to burst – this tends to occur as they are reaching full size .
Get all that right and you should be well on your way to a successful tomato harvest !
Great varieties for you to grow
These three can be grow indoors or out and are among the tasty tomatoes available :
1)‘Ferline ’ F1
Ideal for growing outdoors as it ’s blight and wilt insubordinate .
2)‘Legend’about : clean
Beefsteak type that can also be grown indoors or out , and does n’t need side shoot remove .
3)Cherry tomatoes
idealistic for produce for your class meal .
How to grow tomatoes
Step 1)Sow seed from March to April . fill up a tray with seedcompost , H2O , and scatter the come across the Earth’s surface . Lightly cover with compost . Put the tray in a heated propagator at 18˚C ( 64˚F ) or shroud it with cohere film to speed sprouting ( 2 - 4 weeks ) . Place in a well - illumine spot . Uncover seedling as soon as they appear .
Step 2)Prick out seedlings when the first pair of true leaf forms . industrial plant will grow quickly so pot up into 3 in ( 8 cm ) pots ab initio , filled with good quality multipurpose compost . It ’s essential to keep them in a warm ( 16˚C-61˚F will be fine ) , bright location to forefend them getting lanky ( like mine , show ) .
Step 3)Plants can go out once hoarfrost are finish – former May in the greenhouse and tardy May ( after temper off ) alfresco . Add cane support when planting ( right ) , or train halt up string lines in the greenhouse . commence feeding with high caustic potash fertilizer weekly when first flower come out . Water regularly .
Step 4)Remove sideshoots ( right ) from cordons as they seem in the leaf axils ( shrub wo n’t need this ) . Tackle whitefly / caterpillars with sticky hole or a spray suitable for enjoyment on eatable . Tie in principal stem as necessary , and give an occasional provender of seaweed selection . give all greenhouse volcano and the door ahead of time in the morning .
Beating the dreaded blight
Few disease are as virulent as white potato blight , which also affects tomato . The spores of Phytopthera infestans start to cause trouble in warm , wet while , when humidness is gamey . The tomato plant leaves blacken and collapse . yield take longer to show symptoms and should be picked even if they ’re still green , and choose indoors to mature .
Once blight hit there ’s nothing you could do other than bin the plant ( do n’t compost them ) . But as a preventative bar you may spray flora with fungicide such as Bayer Fruit & Vegetable Disease Control or Bio Dithane 945 before blight strike .
Watch out for tomato moth caterpillar!
It pays to assure your works around August fourth dimension for plague , I returned home from a few days aside to get hold that my greenhouse toms had been almost defoliated by a pest with a ravening appetite . Crumbly chocolate-brown glob of poo on the floor , and on staging , were tell - tale signs that something was severely amiss . And it did n’t take long to chase down the culprit : the tomato moth caterpillar .
As fruit are already ripening , you do n’t want to spray with chemical , so you need to turn over - break up the caterpillars , and cut out damaged foliage ( and binning the waste , not composting it , to avoid propagate the fauna around ) .
You will then need to give your glasshouse a good unclouded out , but you maybe removing plenty more Caterpillar over coming weeks . The baby veil under leave and in empty plant life pots , tending to come out in early evening and at night when temperatures are cooler . So keep tick off plants carefully before dusk .
By Marc Rosenberg
get more tips , advice and article like this at Amateur Gardening .
