Tomatoes would seem to be the one thing that every vegetable growing gardener must have in their garden. The beauty of growing tomatoes from seed or raising them from seedling plants you may buy in already started, is that you don’t need a huge amount of space to get good results. Garden pots and grow bags are available in almost every shop you pass, and make it easy for people with no gardens at all to join in the home grown veg revolution.
Tomatoes aren’t difficult to grow, but they do need daily care and attention, and if you want to be sure of getting the best results, you will have to commit to that.
Having said that, the results will reflect the effort you provide, so it’s for your own benefit really.
Tomatoes are half-hardy plants and can be grown inside or outside. There is also a huge range in varieties, all having their very own taste, colour, shape and cultivation specifics. Here are some you might like to try with some details that may help you get the best out of them.
Indoor Varieties
Aromata, Big Boy, Buffalo, Dombito, Eurocross, Grenadier, Libra, Nimbus, Shirley, Super Sweet.
Outdoor Varieties
(Cordon plants) Marmande, Outdoor Girl,(bush plants) Golden Sunrise, Ida Gold, Incas, Mamande Super, Red Alert, The Amateur, Tornado, Totem, Tumbler.
Indoor or Outdoor Varieties
(Cordon plants) Ailsa Craig, Alicante, Gardener’s Delight, Golden Sunrise, Harbinger, Mirabelle, Moneymaker, Sungold, Tigrarella.
(A cordon, if you didn’t already know is a way of pruning a plant or shrub so that you have a single but sturdy central stem that grows up a support. A bush on the other hand, is, as you would imagine, multiple stems with fruiting branches growing as normal.)
Cultivation Details
Here are some details to ensure you get your times and locations right!
Outdoor Plants
Sew seeds inside – mid spring.
Plant out – early summer.
Distance needed between cordon plants – 45cms.
Distance needed between bush plants – 60cms.
Distance between rows – 75cms.
Harvest from late summer onwards.
Indoor Plants
Sew seeds inside – mid spring.
Sewing inside using modules or pots.
Planting time – mid to late spring.
Planting and sewing distances 45cms.
Harvest from summer onwards.
The single most important thing, in my opinion is to water regularly. Irregular watering will result in the fruits splitting, and not only will the split fruit be ruined and non useable, it will encourage disease to the rest of the crop.
Harvest your tomatoes when they turn red, or whatever colour the variety is supposed to be at maturity. When ready they should come away from the plant with a little twist, and keep hold of a little bit of stalk. It is best to use them fairly soon. They will freeze if you have too many to get through, although they will go squishy when they defrost, so only use them in cooked dishes.
So there you are. Tomatoes aren’t difficult to grow, they just need a bit of commitment for the best results. There are so many different types and varieties, that as a novice gardener, it’s very easy to get a bit befuddled with all the different planting guidelines on the backs of packets. So you now have a simplified version to get you going. Enjoy!
