GARDEN IDEAS
Growing Tomatoes
(from 'How to Grow Tomatoes' - see below)
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The tomato is known to have been cultivated as a food crop by the Incan civilization, but was believed to be poisonous by many other cultures across the world. In the 1500’s tomatoes were grown as an ornamental plant.
In the early 19th century, businessmen realised the great potential of the tomato as a food crop and would eat them in public to prove their safety and goodness. The earliest tomato ketchup recipe was in 1818.
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Healthy Reasons
Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C and, unusually, they retain the vitamin C after cooking. Research has shown that people with a higher intake of tomatoes in their diet are at a lower risk of developing certain cancers.
Tomatoes are low in sodium and high in minerals. They are also rich in vitamin A and low in calories.
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There are four main types of tomatoes:
-Regular everyday family tomato: these can be used in everyday meals; salads, cheese on toast, sandwiches and sliced to garnish any meal.
-Cherry tomatoes: small sweet and a favourite with the kids!
-Plum tomatoes: Often bought in cans, growing them at home is fun.
-Beefsteak tomatoes: As they sound, these tomatoes grow big and beefy! They do take a little longer to develop and ripen.
Within these four types, there are hundreds of variations. I grew some tiny yellow plum tomatoes for a couple of years and the children devoured them as soon as they were ripe!
Sweetest 'Tomato Duo' from Thompson & Morgan (UK)
This collection contains 1 packet each of Tomato 'Sungold' F1 Hybrid and Tomato 'Sweet Apéritif'.
Tomato 'Sungold' F1 Hybrid - Cascading trusses of bite-sized, thin-skinned fruit which have an exceptionally high sugar content, make its attractive, golden-orange fruit, irresistibly sweet and juicy.
Tomato 'Sweet Apéritif' - This red skinned cherry tomato produces excellent yields of delicious, bite sized fruits. Each fruit weighs approximately 12g and when grown in the greenhouse over a long period, up to 500 thin-skinned, shiny red cherry fruits are produced per plant - that's about 6kg (13lbs)!
Choose a sunny spot in the garden. Make sure potatoes or peppers haven’t been grown in the same soil within the previous couple of years. These three vegetables belong to the same family and can transfer diseases through the soil. Tomatoes are very susceptible to blight and can be infected very easily. Don’t plant tomatoes near potatoes or peppers either, if you can possibly avoid it.
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Generally, sowing time is early Spring, although I’ve started tomato seeds in February and had good results. Sow seeds in well-drained pots or trays of fresh seed compost. Keep warm and watered until plants are large enough to transplant. They should have 3 or 4 true leaves (not counting the first two). Don’t let compost become water-logged.
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Water the trays or pots before transplanting, then gently re-pot into individual pots. These could be biodegradable pots so that when the plants go out in the garden later, the whole pot can be planted, which saves time, and avoids damaging the roots of your small plants.
When your plants are growing well, they will produce a little extra branch between the stem and side branches. These little branches should be pinched off. (Wear gloves – tomato plants can stain your hands)
The reason you should pinch these extra branches off is to allow the plant to put its energy into developing fruits rather than foliage. Leafy plants look nice but produce few tomatoes.
'How to Grow Tomatoes' is a handy guide that will help you get the best from your plants. Download from your favourite supplier over at Healthy Living Books -