There's nothing like the taste of your own home-grown tomatoes. The basic care and simple techniques needed for good results are well worth getting to know.
The familiar round red tomato is usually the easiest type to grow. The large, often irregularly shaped, beef tomato and the small cherry tomato are also good for home growing, but benefit from different cultivating techniques.
Which tomato?
Plants are either of the tall, cordon type which need support by tying to canes or stakes, or of the bush type, usually grown under cloches (protective covers) or in pots. Tomatoes also come in many colours. Apart from red, there are yellow and even orange varieties.
Ideal situation
Tomatoes originate from a warm climate and have a hard life outdoors during a cold and damp summer. They need a warm and sheltered position in full sun next to a heat-retatining wall. better still, use a greenhouse.
Preparing the soil
Soil should be rich and loose in texture in order to retain warmth. A light, sandy soil or a sandy clay soil with plenty of organic matter incorporated into it gives the best results.
Work in plenty of well-rotted manure or compost and apply a general fertilizer before planting tomatoes on poor soils.
Planting and care
For outsoor planting, sow in a propagator from mid-March to early April. In order to germinate, tomatoes require a temperature of at least 16C. Good bright light is essential at all stages to prevent seedlings from becoming drawn and "leggy" (with spindly, weak shoots).
Pot up seedlings into 5cm pots when the first true leaves appear. These follow the initial pair of leaves which break the soil surface after germination. Transfer to larger pots later, if necessary.
To harden plants off (accustom to outdoor conditions), put them out during the day, then take them indoors at night. Plant them in the open when there is no longer a risk of night frost.
Space bush plants about 60cm apart and tall plants 45cm apart. Plant tomatoes slightly deeper than the root ball.
For tall varieties, drive in a support cane next to each plant, and attach the stems carefully with soft string or raffia so that the plant is supported without causing damage to the stalk. Side shoots that grow in the leaf joint should be pinched out regularly. Nip out (remove) the growing tip when about four trusses of flowers have set.
Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse
Tomatoes grow and ripen quicker in a greenhouse, so up to eight flower trusses can be allowed to develop on each greenhouse plant. However, pollination in the greenhouse is more difficult and plants should be shaken from time to time in order to release pollen into the air.
Feed regularly. Use a specially formulated commercial tomato fertilizer, and follow the instructions on the label. Little and often gives the best results.
Potato Blight and Tomatoes
Potato blight can be a serious problem with outdoor tomatoes causing brown patches on leaves and fruit. Spray with a copper fungicide.
Yellow mottled leaves are a sign of mosaic virus. Remove and destroy infected plants.
Problems such as eelworm, causing stunted growth, may develop if tomatoes are grown in the same spot year after year. Rotate the crop annually, or exchange the soil with earth from another part of the garden.