It’s time for the new Gardening Magazines to hit the stands and yet I’ve realised I still need to share useful tomatoey bits from May’s Kitchen Garden. Which, as it features an article by my Tomato Hero – Terry Marshall, isn’t on !
Terry is the author of the definitive Tomato book (Tomatoes by Terry Marshall published by Whittet Books) and has achieved the ultimate -a growing methodology which allows him to munch home grown tomatoes for 10 of our 12 ( mostly tomato unfriendly) months!
So what did I take away from his article :
Choose your variety for what you can offer your tomato. Greenhouse or not/ heated or not/outside in a sunny spot. I admit I heed this principle only if it suits me; labelling my waywardness under the grander sounding title of ‘experimentation.
The time of year dictates the period from seed sowing to planting out. In winter allow 3 months, early spring 2 months; late spring it’s down to 6 weeks.
Which explains why things, even if sown later, often ‘catch up’.
Variety influences the length of time from flower fertilization through to that delicious first fruit moment. If they are modern cultivars, Cherry tomatoes will take 7 – 8 weeks, Standards 8 weeks but for beefsteak and large heritage, patience is required for the 12-14 week wait.
Truss Timing. A new one every 10-14 days is what we should be gunning for. Armed with that knowledge, a bit of forward counting allows you to work how many your plant can deliver, before Danny & Sandy style, summer ends.
Stringing up in greenhouses – soft jute fillis rather than string; easy to use; gentle on plants (and sounds all lovely and French).
Easy tying for all situations; Velcro plant ties.
Or do away with string completely and use metal spirals – quick, easy and support even the heaviest of plants. Having used these last year they do save time and faff; so if you have only a few (cordon) plants, worth the investment (mine came from Wilko).
In the meantime I could afford more spirals if the weather would get to grips with turning over its calendar and realising it’s May! Yesterday after several hours spent outside I couldn’t get warm so on went the heating, which apart from the compost-drying-out consequences of forgetting I’d propped light hungry tomato pots on a couple of underwindow radiators, seemed a ridiculous but necessary indulgence.
