Life

The Casual Gardener: From little seeds to major toms

Nothing compares to the taste of a homegrown tomato...

Tomatoes are one of the most popular annual crops among gardeners
Tomatoes are one of the most popular annual crops among gardeners Tomatoes are one of the most popular annual crops among gardeners

THIS is not just any tomato. This is a tomato whose seed was sown by your own hand, whose seedlings you nurtured and watered, whose trusses you fashioned elaborate support for, and whose fruit you patiently waited to ripen, before plucking it fresh from the vine and popping it straight into your mouth, where its full sweet flavour exploded on your tongue.

The considerable difference between the tomatoes you grow at home and those you buy in the shops – even in Marks & Spencer – is well documented. Those that appear on the supermarket shelves, most originating in southern Spain, are almost a different species entirely, and are unlikely to be the traditional varieties favoured by most gardeners. They may look similar but a cross-section comparison of the two will reveal major differences. The commercially reared variety will be pale and sparse on the inside, while beneath the skin of its homegrown counterpart there’ll be dense, blood red flesh, oozing with juicy flavour.

It’s this contrast that makes tomatoes one of the most popular annual crops among gardeners. Reasonably straightforward, though far from simple, raising tomatoes is a skill that is honed with practice each year, with every seasoned grower often adopting a unique element in their method, which they’ll claim makes all the difference to the end result.

In my own case, it’s the use of seaweed as a growing medium and the judicious deployment of diluted nettle tea as a feed, but the absence of either of these won’t necessarily signal a poor crop, just as long as you have appropriate substitutes, such as a grow bag and a commercial liquid feed.

Your tomato adventure gets under way with the sowing of seeds, which should be done as soon as possible. There are tried and tested varieties such as ‘Moneymaker’ 'Gardeners' Delight’ or 'Ailsa Craig' but you may wish to be a little more adventurous, experimenting with the likes of ‘Ildi’, a sweet, yellow cherry variety, or the old fashioned ‘Costoluto Fiorentino’, a large mishapen beefsteak with rich flavour.

John Manley's young tomato plants
John Manley's young tomato plants John Manley's young tomato plants

Seeds should be sown individually in pots and placed somewhere light and warm. They’ll likely germinate within 10 days.

Tomatoes can be grown outside but you’ll get better yield and your crop’ll be less susceptible to pests and diseases if undercover, whether it’s in a greenhouse, conservatory or a roomy window ledge. If planning to grow outdoors, choose a bush or determinate variety like ‘Losetto’ or 'Lizzano’ that won’t need supported.

Cordon varieties, the taller vine types, are best suited to growing undercover but require support, either from canes or tied with garden string fixed overhead.

When your young plants are 12-18 inches they’re ready for transplanting but rather than planting them at the same level, bury them a good six inches or so deeper which makes for more roots and more robust growth.

As the plants mature be sure to remove any sideshoots that sprout from between a leaf and the main stem, because if left to grow these vigorous vines will dramatically reduce yield. While tomatoes undoubtedly like a lot of water and need fertilising regularly, it is possible to kill the plants with kindness by over watering and overfeeding. Once the fruits appear, switch to a feed that's high in potash.

Like many aspects of tomato husbandry, debate rages over whether it's a good idea to remove some leaves above a ripening truss to enable more light and encourage slightly earlier ripening. Likewise, it's argued that removing the foliage below a ripening truss won't speed things up but it will help to reduce the spread of diseases such as tomato leaf mould and tomato blight.