Download epic tomatoes - Clare Gogerty

NEST | GARDENING
E P I C T O M AT O E S
HOME-GROWN TOMATOES: ONE OF THE GARDEN’S MOST
SATISFYING CROPS. BUT HOW DO YOU GUARANTEE PLUMP
BEAUTIES AND BIG FLAVOURS? WE HAVE THE ANSWERS
Words: CLARE GOGERTY
109
O
nce you have grown your
own tomatoes and eaten
their warm, sweet
deliciousness straight
from the plant, you
will never look at a
supermarket one again. A world of flavour
and variety will open up to you, making
the tasteless uniformity of the shopbought versions thoroughly unappealing.
The renewed interest in heritage
varieties and the boom in vegetable
growing means that there is more choice of
tomatoes than ever: not just flavour-wise
but colour-wise, too – alongside red
varieties there are yellow, purple, even
black options. Chefs recommend using
several different varieties in any dish for
depth of flavour as each fruit has different
levels of sweetness and acidity. A selection
of colours and shapes (cherry, plum,
beefsteak) also look a lot prettier in salads
so, ideally, grow three or four types to give
yourself plenty of options.
By now the more organised tomato
grower will have a collection of 7.5cm pots
of plants potted on from trays of seedlings
sown in February. These are now ready to
plant out under glass – in a greenhouse,
porch or conservatory. Outdoor plants
should also be ready to plant, providing
all danger of frost has passed and the
plants have been hardened off.
Those of us who are less on top of the
whole seed-growing thing can still
benefit from a bumper harvest by buying
tomato plants from a garden centre or
online nursery (see right).
INSIDE OR OUTSIDE?
There are two types of tomato plant; each
needs different growing conditions.
Vine, or cordon, tomatoes have a single
stem, which needs support in the form of
bamboo canes or firmly-tied string to grow
successfully. Once the plants are 15–23cm
tall, they can be planted in growbags* or
containers in greenhouses. Tomatoes need
plenty of light, so plant them 45cm apart to
ensure that leaves don’t touch. Each stem
must be tied several times as it grows and,
once the first flowers appear, the side
shoots should be snapped off cleanly.
When the plant reaches the height
required, pinch out the growing point and
remove any yellow leaves as they appear.
Bush varieties do not need support and
require little attention as the side shoots
110
don’t need to be pinched out. They can be
allowed to scramble about outdoors so long
as they are planted in a sunny, sheltered
spot and in fertile soil that has been
enriched with compost. They are also good
in window boxes and hanging baskets.
Botanist James Wong recommends
spraying a dilute solution of aspirin onto
tomato plants (half a soluble table per litre
of water) which, he says, will boost their
vitamin content by 50% and increases the
amount of sugar in the fruit.
FAILSAFE GROWING TIPS
l Be water savvy. The most common
failing in tomato growing is erratic
watering: tomatoes need water applied
little and often. Fluctuations cause the
fruit to split and the ends to blacken.
l Feed often. Tomato plants need feeding;
at first every 10-14 days with a liquid feed
then, once the first fruit start to set, with
a high potash feed.
l Control tomato blight. This turns
leaves, stems and fruit black and will
eventually kill the plants. Remove and
destroy any infected leaves and burn them
rather than composting.
l Obliterate pests. Greenhouse plants
sometimes suffer from whitefly and red
spider mite. Use a sticky yellow trap to give
early warning, then use oil- or soap-based
insecticides to reduce numbers. Planting
marigolds nearby is also said to help.
l Feel the breeze. Ventilation in
greenhouses is essential to keep the air
and the plants dry. Don’t forget to open
a window when it gets hot.
*The RHS recommends planting tomato plants into a pot, which is then placed on
top of a growbag. This enables easier watering and extends the rooting area.
GOOD TO GROW
VINE VARIETIES
Gardener’s Delight:
vine-type cherry tomatoes.
Small, flavoursome and
a heavy cropper.
Legend: six-ounce beefsteak
tomato. Almost seedless fruit
with a sweet flavour.
Outdoor Girl AGM: early
ripening classic. Round, red
tomatoes with good flavour.
Golden Sunrise AGM: small,
yellow fruits which look good
in summer salads.
BUSH VARIETIES
Roma: fleshy and productive
plum tomato. Grown outdoors
in a sunny spot.
Losetto: cherry-sized fruits
with a good blight tolerance.
Super Marmande: early-crop
beefsteak tomato with
irregularly-shaped fruit.
WHERE TO BUY
TOMATO PLANTS
Tomato Plants Direct www.
tomato-plants-direct.co.uk
Marshalls Seeds www.
marshalls-seeds.co.uk
Suttons Seeds
www.suttons.co.uk
Simpsons Seeds www.
simpsonsseeds.co.uk