Mikes Tip to easily GROW TOMATOES of Most Varieties,
Mikes Tip to easily GROW TOMATOES OF Most Varieties, in Pots or Containers, Including
Foam boxes.
Materials needed:
* A ripe tomato of any variety
* Potting mix . Use Organic if you prefer. Mix in some good, well rotted animal manure. 50-50, unless poultry, then 25% Poultry (optional)
* 3-4 inch pot for the first transplant (optional)
* Large Pot or Foam Box (optional) for one plant that has good drainage.
(if you can, find a free 20 Litre bucket, drill holes for drainage. Makes a great Tomatoe planter, I have about 20 in use)
Select a few over ripe cherry tomatoes (or any variety tomatos that you
prefer. Cherry tomato (all smaller varieties) tend to be less likely to
experience the problems or diseases that larger Tomato varieties can
fall victem to, and they often produce fruit early and have a habit of producing fruit in long trusses.
Select an area in your verandah or garden that is sunny at least ten hours a day. Simply place the selected Tom . onto your ygarden where the soil is loose and rich or in a pot with good potting soil. I then squash the tomato down with any tool I have near.by (Sometimes I simply use the heel of my boot)
I then simply sprinkle a handfull of the potting mix over the Tomato to cover the seed.
Water it once planted. Soak the Tomato bed frequently...it must not dry out, every day at the height of the Riverland SA summer. Apply the water to the soil rather than the leaves in order to help avoid Powdery Mildew. Your potted and foam box plantings need watering frequently.
While tomatoes love heat, they definitely must not be allowed to dry out! Dry soil will definately affect fruit production.
When your baby plants are about 3-4 inches, (8-10 cm) high, it is time to separate and transplant each plant either into your garden or into an individual 3”-4” diameter pot that is filled with good quality, well moistened potting mix, Organic if you prefer. Poke a big enough hole to take the young Tomato plants roots, and plant the seedling.
It is possible for a Tomato plant grow 7 to 10 feet (2-3 metres)
(I have grown Tomato plants easily taller than me...I have Pics if you wish to see them. Yes...I am boasting!) (It can depend on the variety...Grosse Lisse was my choice that year). Allow a metre between plants whatever you are growing. When transplanting the tomato plant to its final growing spot, Plant fairly deep, from the roots upto the first set of leaves,
This will ensure new roots will grow along the buried section of stem, leading to a stronger healthier plant.
If the Tomato plant is in a container or pot, it is advisable, no vital, to Mulch your Pot Plants......I can not stress this enough...keep soil to within an inch (2-3cm) below the rim to allow room for Mulch and water, then stand iin a sunny area of your verandah or garden.
My own observation leads to a word of caution:
Here in the beautiful Riverland, the Summers appear to be hotting up...
I lost a great crop of huge Grosse Lisse toms 2 seasons ago due to severe scalding. (I didn't use shade cloth,it was never a requirement, I do use it now!)
This leads me to be aware of the elements and take action to watch all of my plants.
Tomatoes thrive in the sun Direct sunlight does help maintain stocky, healthy plants. But commonsence must be used...Keep watered!
Once your Tomato plants reach about 3 ft. (about a metre) tall, remove the leaves from the bottom 1 ft. (30cm) of stem. These are the oldest leaves and they are usually the first to expereience any fungal problems. As the plants fill out, the bottom leaves get the least amount of sun and air circulation. Being close to the ground, soil borne nasties can easily spread to the lower leaves.
A fortnight spray of compost tea seems to assist in keeping the plant thrifty.
Pruning tomato suckers is really just thinning the plants. Some home gardeners always nip out the spurs, others say they don't. I personally compromise and nip out some. Either way, you will grow Tomato's...
If you don't prune you may have lots of smaller fruit, its really up to the individual.
I stake or string all of my Tomato plants.
Depending on the variety of Tomato, it can take from 70-81 days from seed to fruit or even 100 days for the hybrid. The bigger the variety, the longer it takes to fruit. The smaller varieties take approximately 45 -70 days.
Tips:
In colder climates you can sow your Tomato seeds 6-8 weeks before planting outdoors. Planting your seedlings outdoors should be scheduled around 2 weeks following the average last frost.
Give your plant frequent, light watering and regular light feedings of a slow release fertaliser, and keep it in a sunny place to encourage growth.
When watering, it is best to soak the root system well, and then allow the surface to dry out somewhat before watering again. Depending on the weather this may mean watering once a day. Test it by sticking your finger into the soil. If the first two inches are dry, it’s time to water.
Watering the soil rather than the leaves and mulching the ground with a material such as straw will keep the water from splashing onto the lower leaves and stems. This can help prevent diseases from spreading.
Some gardeners even remove the lower leaves of Tomato plants once they are well established to prevent them from picking up diseases from the ground. If Nematodes are around, plastic mulch is a method of keeping possible infestation under control.
Please note that every time you water a potted Tomato plant, you are washing nutrients out of the soil and since tomatoes are heavy feeders, you need to fertilize regularly, preferably with either fish emulsion or seaweed extract. Once a month is good, but every other week is better and apply the fertilizer at half-strength. This will provide a constant source of nutrients for the Tomato Plants needs.
Irregular watering, (missing a week and trying to make up for it), leads to blossom end rot and cracking. The rule of thumb is to ensure your plants get at least 1 inch of water per week, but during hot, dry spells, they willneed more. If your plants start to look wilted for most of the day, give them a drink.
Once the fruit begins to ripen, you can ease up on watering. Lessening the water will coax the plant into concentrating its sugars, for better flavor. Use your judgement. Don’t withhold water so much that the plants continually wilt and become stressed or they will drop their blossoms and possibly their fruit.
Support for the Tomato plants are important in aftercare because:
1. It helps to avoid diseases
2. It makes it easier to harvest
3. It keeps the fruit clean
4. It makes it easier to spray and monitor problems
All varieties of Tomatoes benefit from some support. There are many ways to support your tomato plants. Wood stakes are a simple and inexpensive solution. You will need to tie off the plant to the stakes. Be sure to use several to support your plant well. Another way is creating a real focal point in the garden by making a tall tepee trellis using extra-long pieces of bamboo.
Mulching is important both in containers and garden beds, It will keep weeds from growing in your Tomato pot and retain moisture, so you won’t have to water quite as often. The best mulches are, Pea Straw, bark mulch and plain straw. Another choice is using the black plastic. Simply lay it over the soil before you plant your Tomato, cut a slit large enough to put the plant in, and hold it down with soil.
Growing fresh Tomatoes is one of the true joys of the vegetable gardener. But Tomatoes can suffer from all kinds of diseases and pests. Problems growing tomatoes can be as a result of weather conditions. This is something that is out of the your control. However if you know your area is prone to a certain disease, you should look for Tomato varieties that are listed as resistant.
Friends,
If you haven't 'Grown Your Own' for a while...
Get started and...
Enjoy the best tasting, tender skinned Tomatoes,
you've eaten for years.
Happy Gardening.
Mike.
Foam boxes.
Materials needed:
* A ripe tomato of any variety
* Potting mix . Use Organic if you prefer. Mix in some good, well rotted animal manure. 50-50, unless poultry, then 25% Poultry (optional)
* 3-4 inch pot for the first transplant (optional)
* Large Pot or Foam Box (optional) for one plant that has good drainage.
(if you can, find a free 20 Litre bucket, drill holes for drainage. Makes a great Tomatoe planter, I have about 20 in use)
Select a few over ripe cherry tomatoes (or any variety tomatos that you
prefer. Cherry tomato (all smaller varieties) tend to be less likely to
experience the problems or diseases that larger Tomato varieties can
fall victem to, and they often produce fruit early and have a habit of producing fruit in long trusses.
Select an area in your verandah or garden that is sunny at least ten hours a day. Simply place the selected Tom . onto your ygarden where the soil is loose and rich or in a pot with good potting soil. I then squash the tomato down with any tool I have near.by (Sometimes I simply use the heel of my boot)
I then simply sprinkle a handfull of the potting mix over the Tomato to cover the seed.
Water it once planted. Soak the Tomato bed frequently...it must not dry out, every day at the height of the Riverland SA summer. Apply the water to the soil rather than the leaves in order to help avoid Powdery Mildew. Your potted and foam box plantings need watering frequently.
While tomatoes love heat, they definitely must not be allowed to dry out! Dry soil will definately affect fruit production.
When your baby plants are about 3-4 inches, (8-10 cm) high, it is time to separate and transplant each plant either into your garden or into an individual 3”-4” diameter pot that is filled with good quality, well moistened potting mix, Organic if you prefer. Poke a big enough hole to take the young Tomato plants roots, and plant the seedling.
It is possible for a Tomato plant grow 7 to 10 feet (2-3 metres)
(I have grown Tomato plants easily taller than me...I have Pics if you wish to see them. Yes...I am boasting!) (It can depend on the variety...Grosse Lisse was my choice that year). Allow a metre between plants whatever you are growing. When transplanting the tomato plant to its final growing spot, Plant fairly deep, from the roots upto the first set of leaves,
This will ensure new roots will grow along the buried section of stem, leading to a stronger healthier plant.
If the Tomato plant is in a container or pot, it is advisable, no vital, to Mulch your Pot Plants......I can not stress this enough...keep soil to within an inch (2-3cm) below the rim to allow room for Mulch and water, then stand iin a sunny area of your verandah or garden.
My own observation leads to a word of caution:
Here in the beautiful Riverland, the Summers appear to be hotting up...
I lost a great crop of huge Grosse Lisse toms 2 seasons ago due to severe scalding. (I didn't use shade cloth,it was never a requirement, I do use it now!)
This leads me to be aware of the elements and take action to watch all of my plants.
Tomatoes thrive in the sun Direct sunlight does help maintain stocky, healthy plants. But commonsence must be used...Keep watered!
Once your Tomato plants reach about 3 ft. (about a metre) tall, remove the leaves from the bottom 1 ft. (30cm) of stem. These are the oldest leaves and they are usually the first to expereience any fungal problems. As the plants fill out, the bottom leaves get the least amount of sun and air circulation. Being close to the ground, soil borne nasties can easily spread to the lower leaves.
A fortnight spray of compost tea seems to assist in keeping the plant thrifty.
Pruning tomato suckers is really just thinning the plants. Some home gardeners always nip out the spurs, others say they don't. I personally compromise and nip out some. Either way, you will grow Tomato's...
If you don't prune you may have lots of smaller fruit, its really up to the individual.
I stake or string all of my Tomato plants.
Depending on the variety of Tomato, it can take from 70-81 days from seed to fruit or even 100 days for the hybrid. The bigger the variety, the longer it takes to fruit. The smaller varieties take approximately 45 -70 days.
Tips:
In colder climates you can sow your Tomato seeds 6-8 weeks before planting outdoors. Planting your seedlings outdoors should be scheduled around 2 weeks following the average last frost.
Give your plant frequent, light watering and regular light feedings of a slow release fertaliser, and keep it in a sunny place to encourage growth.
When watering, it is best to soak the root system well, and then allow the surface to dry out somewhat before watering again. Depending on the weather this may mean watering once a day. Test it by sticking your finger into the soil. If the first two inches are dry, it’s time to water.
Watering the soil rather than the leaves and mulching the ground with a material such as straw will keep the water from splashing onto the lower leaves and stems. This can help prevent diseases from spreading.
Some gardeners even remove the lower leaves of Tomato plants once they are well established to prevent them from picking up diseases from the ground. If Nematodes are around, plastic mulch is a method of keeping possible infestation under control.
Please note that every time you water a potted Tomato plant, you are washing nutrients out of the soil and since tomatoes are heavy feeders, you need to fertilize regularly, preferably with either fish emulsion or seaweed extract. Once a month is good, but every other week is better and apply the fertilizer at half-strength. This will provide a constant source of nutrients for the Tomato Plants needs.
Irregular watering, (missing a week and trying to make up for it), leads to blossom end rot and cracking. The rule of thumb is to ensure your plants get at least 1 inch of water per week, but during hot, dry spells, they willneed more. If your plants start to look wilted for most of the day, give them a drink.
Once the fruit begins to ripen, you can ease up on watering. Lessening the water will coax the plant into concentrating its sugars, for better flavor. Use your judgement. Don’t withhold water so much that the plants continually wilt and become stressed or they will drop their blossoms and possibly their fruit.
Support for the Tomato plants are important in aftercare because:
1. It helps to avoid diseases
2. It makes it easier to harvest
3. It keeps the fruit clean
4. It makes it easier to spray and monitor problems
All varieties of Tomatoes benefit from some support. There are many ways to support your tomato plants. Wood stakes are a simple and inexpensive solution. You will need to tie off the plant to the stakes. Be sure to use several to support your plant well. Another way is creating a real focal point in the garden by making a tall tepee trellis using extra-long pieces of bamboo.
Mulching is important both in containers and garden beds, It will keep weeds from growing in your Tomato pot and retain moisture, so you won’t have to water quite as often. The best mulches are, Pea Straw, bark mulch and plain straw. Another choice is using the black plastic. Simply lay it over the soil before you plant your Tomato, cut a slit large enough to put the plant in, and hold it down with soil.
Growing fresh Tomatoes is one of the true joys of the vegetable gardener. But Tomatoes can suffer from all kinds of diseases and pests. Problems growing tomatoes can be as a result of weather conditions. This is something that is out of the your control. However if you know your area is prone to a certain disease, you should look for Tomato varieties that are listed as resistant.
Friends,
If you haven't 'Grown Your Own' for a while...
Get started and...
Enjoy the best tasting, tender skinned Tomatoes,
you've eaten for years.
Happy Gardening.
Mike.
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