My Dad always grew his own tomatoes in his greenhouse, tending them with loving care. He showed me how to nip out the side shoots so that the plants did not grow straggly. I loved the smell in the greenhouse, and picking the ripe red fruit. He used to favour a variety which is still available today, and that was 'Moneymaker'.
I try to grow Tomatoes every year now that I have my own little greenhouse, even though looking after them is quite time consuming as nothing beats the taste of homegrown tomatoes.
Sometimes I sow seeds and grow them myself, putting some seeds in a pot on the window sill and some in a little heated tray ( it only cost about £4) on the greenhouse shelf - I don't plant them too thickly or they will grow up thin and spindly. I put about one seed every inch or so. (Sometimes I take the lazy way out and buy plants a bit later
on when they're about 6" or so high) Once the seeds are about 2-3 inches high I carefully select the most healthy and sturdy seedlings and plant them in a little plastic plant pot about 4-5" high.
One of my favourites is a variety called 'Gardener's Delight', these are lovely even-sized cherry tomatoes and so tasty, they are easily available , at seedshops and gardencentres and even car boot sales. There are some bushy little tomato plant varieties that don't need the side shoots nipping out, though sometimes I have found I need to nip the end off as they keep growing so the tomatoes are not ripening - presumably because the plant is putting all its strength into growing and not into making the tomatoes.
Once the tomato plants have their first little flower showing I plant them out either into a large pot - about 10-12" high, or I plant 3 in a 'Gro-bag'. This is a long slim heavy duty plastic sack filled with compresssed potting compost. You have to cut out three little saucer sized circles from the top of the gro-bag and soak the compost with water and leave until it bulks up. Instructions on the gro-bag tell you exactly what to do so you won't have a problem.
You need to keep the tomatoes well watered- not all wet and soggy mind you - just constantly moist. If you water them too much, and then don't for a bit the tomatoes will crack.
Support the plants-with a cane initially, and then probably some string which you rig up in the greenhouse. You have to make sure the plants are supported - just think of the weight of all those tomatoes!
The you need to regularly nip out the little shoots that start to grow out between the leaf shoots and the main stem. I always keep my greenhouses door shut at night so the temperature doesn't drop too much. The plants need moisture, warmth and light to grow.
Once the first truss has set ( when the flowers have died off and you can see a teeny weeny little green ball at the end of the stem) you should give the plant tomato food- available from all garden centres. This helps to produce lovely tasty tomatoes. They taste delicious picked straight off the plant and eaten there and then, you can still feel the warmth of the sun on them. You really won't want supermarket ones after tasting that!
Once they start ripening they come thick and fast. If you have too many ,I saw this recommended on a gardening programme once.. Lightly oil ( olive oil) a baking sheet, sprinkle some sliced garlic & chopped basil leaves over, and thencut each tomatoe in half & place cut side down until the tray is covered. Lightly drizzle a little olive oil over then bake on top shelf of hot oven till nicely roasted-they'll ssmell delicious and the skins will be tinged with brown.. Cool slightly then liquidise and freeze in suitable quantities to use as a base for soups and pasta sauces. Delicious! Last year I was too late to sow seeds, and I bought some plants in different varieties which didn't work out - such as a Beefsteak variety which took forever to grow , and it never did ripen! So that was my first real failure, so perhaps its best to srick to the ordinary tried and tested varieties ( Moneymaker, Shirley, Alicante, Gardiners Delight) But we did have a lot of tomatoes in the end, and I had enough to freeze some puree. When the weather turned really cold I picked all the rest of the green tomatoes and put them on the window sills iin the kiychen where they all ripened eventually and we were using them until November! I think I have mentioned everything, I'm just a keen amateur and not too technical. Go, have a go!
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Great review, I love tomatoes when they are small and sweet and not too ripe! Susie
belfin 27.01.2006 12:52
Ours were doing nicely until someone in my family forgot to water them on a daily basis whilst we were on holiday last year. The plants survived but we didn't get much fruit unfortunately. Belinda
Advantages: Wonderful smell, taste and goes perfectly with tomatoes for a divine salad sensation! Disadvantages: It's an annual that likes a but of sun. And I live in The Dark North!!!
phoenixgreen 26.05.2007 (25.05.2007)
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