After some welcome rain – after all is Bank Holiday weekend! – it looks like a bit of a mixed week ahead with no frosts forecast.
It is an exciting time of the year if you, like me, are a lover of tomatoes! Although the delicious taste of the first of our first home-grown tomatoes is still a few months away, now is the time to plant. If you grow your own you should be able to pick delicious, sun-ripened tomatoes from July to late September and it is then that I consume 90% of my fresh tomatoes – I rarely eat shop-bought tomatoes because they just don’t compare!
Tomatoes are relatively simple to grow but there are a few basics to get straight first. Although the thousands of varieties can be categorise by taste, colour and size of fruit, the most important thing to know is if your plants are determinate (bush) or indeterminate (cordon). I apologise for getting technical but it is important. If you have grown your own plants then you will already know what your plants are but if buying plants then it should be on the label.
Most tomato plants are indeterminate. It simply means that the size of the plants is, well, indeterminate! These are the tall kinds that need support. The main shoot keeps on growing upwards and can, in theory, reach 3m or more. The flower clusters (trusses) are produced from the sides of the stems and, in an average season, we take the tops off the plants after 4-6 trusses. Where each leaf joins the stem a side shoot will grow and these must be cut off as soon as they are seen.
It is essential you do this. Some people will say you need not bother but I am sorry, they are wrong. By removing them you push all the energy of the plant into producing fruits. You will get better fruit and they will ripen earlier. You will be able to support the plants and pick the fruits easily. If you leave the side shoots you will get masses of growth, small fruits and a large crop of green tomatoes at the end of the season.
You will need to support the plants and you can do this with canes or, if you have some overhead support, with string – which I use in the polytunnel.
Bush (determinate) tomatoes are different because the tip of the first shoot ends in a flower cluster. Lower side shoots grow and also end in a flower cluster. So the plants are low and bushy and do not need support. These are the kinds grown in pots, window boxes and hanging baskets. They tend to have small fruits, crop early but crop for a shorter period.
Where to grow tomatoes?
Tomatoes do not tolerate frost, and dislike cold temperatures, so it is possibly a bit early to plant them outside because we may still get a late frost. But we can plant them in a polytunnel or greenhouse. It is also (probably) OK to plant them in pots on the patio where it should be sheltered.
It is definitely better to grow your tomatoes in a greenhouse or polytunnel because the extra warmth and protection will promote growth and ripening. If you do not have a greenhouse then a mini-greenhouse on the patio can be useful.
If your garden is sunny and warm then tomatoes will also grow in the open ground and some will argue that that gives the best flavour. But there is a risk. Tomatoes are prone to ‘potato blight’ in August and September and the crop can be lost in damp, stormy weather.
In theory you can grow a small tomato plant on the windowsill of your home and you can often buy a small, bush tomato, complete with fruit. But the dry atmosphere in the home and lack of light is not good for growth and I cannot recommend this idea. You may want to try in your conservatory too but if it is too hot to sit in on a summer day then the tomatoes will not like it either. It is a nice idea but not likely to be successful.
What about pots?
Many people grow tomatoes in growing bags. Most growing bags are too small for three plants so only plant two in each bag. At first three will be fine but as the plants get larger and their water demands increase, you can water the plants in the morning and they will be dry by the afternoon. And that leads to issues like blossom-end rot. You can also grow them in pots. A pot that is about 25cm wide and deep, or about 20litres, will be large enough for one plant. You can stand the pots in saucers to help keep the plants moist in summer but be careful not to overwater when the plants are young and small. You can use any good multi-purpose compost.
It is easier to grow the plants and keep them moist if they are grown in soil in a polytunnel or greenhouse.
Young plants
Young tomato plants should be stocky, deep green and healthy. A good plan is to leave them in their seedling pots until you see a truss of flowers forming in the top. This ensures that they crop early. They can then be planted in the soil or in their containers.
As soon as the flowers open you can start to apply tomato fertiliser. You can use any fertiliser you prefer but a good tomato fertiliser is an easy option for tomatoes in pots or growing bags.
What kind to grow?
And so we come to varieties. This is largely a matter of preference. I love beefsteak tomatoes but they are among the last to form and ripen and they rarely produce as many fruits as I would like. So I tend to grow more cherry tomatoes and mini-plums. Not only are these usually sweet and tasty, they are also prolific and they are the first to ripen – great if you are impatient for your own ripe tomatoes. Do not forget that not all tomatoes are red. I grow about ten varieties every year and I always try something new but there is one that I grow every year: ‘Sungold’. Early, easy and incredibly sweet and tangy, it is one I would recommend to everyone. It has one bad habit – the very ripe fruits split as you pick them: a major problem for commercial growers but not at home.
So get your tomato plants now and get planting for a delicious crop of ripe tomatoes this summer. And don’t forget to buy a packet of basil seeds! Now is the ideal time to sow basil so it is ready just when your tomatoes are ripening. Delicious.
Growing in containers
Don’t forget I am at Knights in a few weeks to present a talk on ‘Growing plants in containers’. The price includes the demonstration and tea and cake. I hope to see some of you there.
https://www.knightsgardencentres.com/webshop/events/talks-workshops