Written and edited by Tammy 14th November 2024
Tomato growing season is well underway, and if you haven’t already got some in, there’s no better time to do so than now.
Originating from South America, a Mediterranean climate, tomatoes need warmth, sun, and a whole lot of nutrition to go from a little seedling to a mature plant baring masses of juicy tasty fruit within only a few months.
Whether you're a 'newbie' to the world of growing tomatoes, or a seasoned pro, here are a few of my favourite tips.
Selecting the right Tomatoes for you
What type of tomatoes would you like to grow?
Small mouthful sized tomatoes such as 'Sweet Bite' or Tommie Toe' pop in your mouth, they're perfect for salads or the kiddies' lunchboxes.
Larger hearty 'Beef Steak' type varieties are for the lovers of fresh tomatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper on a piece of toast.
If making sauce and relish is your thing, you'll want to go with the tried and tested 'Roma' or 'Saucy Tom', and for those with dietary restrictions or an intolerance to anything acidic, stick with the likes of 'Black Russian' or 'Mellow Yellow'.
Of course, if preservation of the old-fashioned heirloom varieties is important to you, keep an eye out for Tigerella, Lemon drop, Amish Paste and Principe Borghese, just to name a few. The flavours are amazing and second to none.
Indeterminate/determinate
Fancy terminology, but what does it mean?
Also known as "Bush" tomatoes, determinate varieties remain smaller, (aprox 3-4 foot tall) bushier, and more compact. They tend to reach maturity quicker and most of their crop will ripen around the same time making these the most suitable for making sauces and preserves.
In comparison, indeterminate varieties, also known as "Vining ", keep growing and producing fruit right throughout the season often well into Autumn.
Because of their vine like, rambling growth habit, they can easily reach well in excess of 2 meters tall, so they do require staking or trellising.
What you want to do with your tomatoes, be in pick them all quickly to make sauces and condiments or pick one or two at a time for your salads over an extended period, really will be what determines what variety you decide to grow.
Location
Whether you plan to grow them in pots, raised beds or out into the garden bed, tomatoes love the sun! Give them a spot on the Northern side of your house or a spot where they're going to get 6-8 hours of sun per day.
Avoid planting in the same soil or location you had tomatoes, chillies or capsicums last season, the main risk being that you'll expose them to built-up soil borne diseases minimising the potential for healthy plants and good yields.
Try a seasonal rotation of legumes then your tomatoes, as the legumes 'fix' nitrogen back into the soil that the tomatoes will be grateful for.
Give each plant plenty of room to grow, don't plant them too close or overcrowd them, a lack of space, light and air circulation will give rise for the opportunity for fungal issues and disease to take hold.
Trellising and support
Pinch off the first 1 to 2 pairs of lower leaves and plant the seedling to that depth. Planting that extra couple of inches deeper into the ground allows extra roots to grow along the stem that's below the soil giving the plant a larger, stronger, more supportive root system. Give them a stake, trellis or framework to support them as they grow so they don't break, bend or snap under the weight of the fruit.
Conical plant trainers are normally available in most garden centres now to coincide with 'tomato season', but you can also fashion your own using stakes and jolly tie, mesh or really you could utilise any resources you have available. Let your imagination run wild!
Check out my short video here below, made last season, I demonstrated the ideal way to plant a tomato. 👇👀
Nutrition
I mentioned earlier that tomatoes are hungry plants, and that they are!
They require a lot of energy to go from a little seedling to a mature plant producing fruit within 3 months. Add generous amounts of organic matter to the soil at the time of planting along with some slow-release fertiliser specifically for tomatoes. Applying liquid soluble fertilisers such a Seasol PowerFeed at weekly to fortnightly intervals provides a source of nutrition that can be utilised instantly by the plant.
Using a multi-pronged approach of liquids, organic pelletised fertilisers, and slow release ensures there's a constant supply of nutrition available for steady continual growth all season long.
Hydration
It's crucial to keep your watering rescheme regular. Inconsistent watering will do more harm than good with. Going from dehydrated to waterlogged and back and forth will cause disorders such as skin splitting and blossom end rot.
Always water in the morning in the cool of the day so your plants have the opportunity to dry before evening. There's a far greater chance for fungal issues to take hold when plants are left damp or wet in the cool of the night.
Don't forget to mulch around your plants as well. Mulching not only insulate them, but it helps preserve ground moisture preventing dehydration.
Pests and diseases
'Vigilance is a virtue' be on the lookout for signs of pests and fungal diseases.
A rain event bringing on damp, humid conditions will often see slugs and snails crawling around.
Keep some snail bait in your toolkit, alternatively don't be afraid to go for a twilight stroll around the veggie patch. Most 'critters' are nocturnal coming out to feast under the cover of darkness. You'll be amazed how quick you'll fill a 4L ice-cream with snails, and your chooks will be even more delighted.
Most fungal issues such as rust and powdery mildew thrive as soon as there's lack of air circulation, dampness and humidity.
Allow for plenty of air circulation between your plants by giving each one plenty of its own space.
Pinch off any old, yellowing or diseased looking lower foliage, it's not doing the plant any favours.
Have a fungicide spray in your tool kit ready to go should you need it. Look for a product like Eco-fungicide. Gentle and environmentally friendly, the active ingredient is basically bicarb-soda so it's safe, nothing nasty in that.
Alternatively, utilising what you have there at home, combine 1 part cow's milk to 3 parts water in a spray bottle and liberally spray to cover the foliage that looks diseased with it.
**I've included a couple of pics here below to show you what disease looks like on the leaves, and up the stems of your plants.
Try not to despair, I know it's frustrating and disheartening, but it has been a bad season for pests (particularly on fruit trees) and disease on veggie seedlings.
Just be quick to treat straight away at the first signs and remove the diseased foliage.
Keep an eye out on the next newly emerging flush of foliage to see that it looks healthy proving that the treatment has been successful.
Give your plants a regular dose of Seasol Health treatment too, it will boost their immune system making them stronger and more resistant to disease.
If you feed your plants regularly, keep the water up to them, and keep them free of any pests or fungal disease, there's no reason for you not to be harvesting bountiful crops of tomatoes over the summer months.
There's nothing more rewarding than harvesting your own fresh produce and the flavours just don't compare to the ones you buy off the shelf in the supermarkets.
If you haven't already, grab yourself some tomatoes and get planting!
Happy gardening🍅😘🌸
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