How to Grow Tomatoes
So you've decided to grow tomatoes this year.
First you have to decide if you are going to grow the tomatoes from seeds or buy plants.
If you decide to sow the seeds yourself you now need to decide what variety you want to grow such as: beef (big fat any juicy), normal standard tomatoes or baby/cherry tomatoes.
It's recommended that you buy a F1 hybrid which means the plant will produce many delicious tomatoes for you through the season.
Starting the tomato seeds off is very simple.
If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse or a tunnel you can start to sow the seeds at the end of January.
I start around 12 weeks before planting them out.
You can place individual seeds into individual pots and cover with some vermiculite, then place these pots in a heated propagator.
Once the plants are around 1-2" tall you can move them into the greenhouse and look after them until they are ready to be planted.
Once the plants are 6-8" tall I plant them into the space of the greenhouse.
If you are going to grow your tomatoes outside then you need to sow the seeds later around March time.
Or alternatively buy tomato plants in May so that you can plant them straight outside in grow-bags.
One thing is very important is that the plants need to avoid frosts as this will kill them.
If a frost is forecast you can cover them with fleece inside the greenhouse and this should be enough to keep them safe.
If you grow them outside make sure you plant them after the last frosts are forecasted in your area.
Looking after tomatoes Tomatoes are fairly easy to look after.
• Water - your tomato plant regularly.
And when very hot check every morning and evening to make sure that the plant is getting enough water.
• Feed - apply a liquid feed to your plants 2 times a week once the fruit is forming.
• Support - the plants need some sort of support.
I use nylon cord to twine the tomato plant around.
• Side shoots -unless you want to let your tomatoes grow really wild it's advisable to remove the sideshoots of the tomato plant.
The sideshoots grow between the side leaves and the main stem - just nip them out.
If they grow to big use a knife to cut them out.
Diseases Tomatoes don't suffer from too many diseases but the main one is blight.
This can totally kill your whole crop off.
Growing your tomatoes is well worth it, as the taste of homegrown tomatoes is absolutely delicious.
First you have to decide if you are going to grow the tomatoes from seeds or buy plants.
If you decide to sow the seeds yourself you now need to decide what variety you want to grow such as: beef (big fat any juicy), normal standard tomatoes or baby/cherry tomatoes.
It's recommended that you buy a F1 hybrid which means the plant will produce many delicious tomatoes for you through the season.
Starting the tomato seeds off is very simple.
If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse or a tunnel you can start to sow the seeds at the end of January.
I start around 12 weeks before planting them out.
You can place individual seeds into individual pots and cover with some vermiculite, then place these pots in a heated propagator.
Once the plants are around 1-2" tall you can move them into the greenhouse and look after them until they are ready to be planted.
Once the plants are 6-8" tall I plant them into the space of the greenhouse.
If you are going to grow your tomatoes outside then you need to sow the seeds later around March time.
Or alternatively buy tomato plants in May so that you can plant them straight outside in grow-bags.
One thing is very important is that the plants need to avoid frosts as this will kill them.
If a frost is forecast you can cover them with fleece inside the greenhouse and this should be enough to keep them safe.
If you grow them outside make sure you plant them after the last frosts are forecasted in your area.
Looking after tomatoes Tomatoes are fairly easy to look after.
• Water - your tomato plant regularly.
And when very hot check every morning and evening to make sure that the plant is getting enough water.
• Feed - apply a liquid feed to your plants 2 times a week once the fruit is forming.
• Support - the plants need some sort of support.
I use nylon cord to twine the tomato plant around.
• Side shoots -unless you want to let your tomatoes grow really wild it's advisable to remove the sideshoots of the tomato plant.
The sideshoots grow between the side leaves and the main stem - just nip them out.
If they grow to big use a knife to cut them out.
Diseases Tomatoes don't suffer from too many diseases but the main one is blight.
This can totally kill your whole crop off.
Growing your tomatoes is well worth it, as the taste of homegrown tomatoes is absolutely delicious.
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