* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download epic tomatoes - Clare Gogerty
Survey
Document related concepts
Plant tolerance to herbivory wikipedia , lookup
Indigenous horticulture wikipedia , lookup
Venus flytrap wikipedia , lookup
History of herbalism wikipedia , lookup
Cultivated plant taxonomy wikipedia , lookup
Plant use of endophytic fungi in defense wikipedia , lookup
History of botany wikipedia , lookup
Plant morphology wikipedia , lookup
Flowering plant wikipedia , lookup
Plant physiology wikipedia , lookup
Historia Plantarum (Theophrastus) wikipedia , lookup
Ornamental bulbous plant wikipedia , lookup
Embryophyte wikipedia , lookup
Transcript
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