Juicy Tomatoes – Nothing compares to homegrown flavour!
There’s no doubt: homegrown tomatoes surpass supermarket varieties for flavour and texture, every time. Once your family tastes the tomatoes you’ve grown together, you’ll never go back! Here are some tips to help you grow the very best.
1. Choose your ideal growing time
Tomatoes thrive when daytime temperatures range between 15-29°C. In cool to warm areas, they grow best during the spring and summer period. In the tropics and subtropics, plant them in autumn, with an additional spring crop in the subtropics.
2. Start seeds earlyStart seed or seedlings 6-8 weeks before you plant to give your crop a head start. If it’s cold outside, start them indoors on a sunny windowsill where everyone can watch their journey. Sow the seed in punnets then transfer individual seedlings to pots to grow them on. Feed your potted seedlings weekly with liquid fertiliser to maintain strong growth.
3. Prepare your soil well
Find a sunny, well-drained spot where you haven’t grown tomatoes for two years (crop rotation is key to avoiding disease). Enrich the soil with compost and an organic fertiliser such as Rocky Point’s Blood and Bone or pelletised ActivGrow Fertiliser, two weeks before planting.
4. Consider containers
If you live in an apartment or have a small garden, grow tomatoes in pots on a sunny balcony or courtyard. Choose a large container (40-50cm wide) and fill it with Premium Potting Mix.
5. Plant them well
Plant your seedlings in the garden when the days are warm, and the risk of frost has passed. Bury part of the stem when planting – extra roots will form along the buried section giving the plant greater access to moisture and nutrients. Space plants 50-60cm apart, water well and cover the soil with The Garden Family Sugar Cane Mulch to retain moisture.
6. Support your plants
Tomato plants often produce long vines that need support. Use at least two long tomato stakes or a trellis between two posts for training the vines.
7. Train and maintain
Prune plants to two main stems and regularly remove unwanted suckers and side shoots to avoid overcrowding. Remove diseased foliage early to prevent spreading.
8 Water and feed
Keep the soil moist for a juicy tomato harvest but avoid watering the foliage to prevent disease. Tomato plants are hungry so fertilise them once a month with organic fertiliser.
9 Avoid pest damage
Common pests like caterpillars and fruit flies can be deterred by covering fruit trusses with pest exclusion bags as soon as the fruit is initiated. You can buy these bags or make them yourself with remnant fabric; even a paper bag and a peg will do the trick.
10 Harvest regularly
Harvesting home-grown tomatoes is more than just a gardening task; it’s a delightful family tradition that can bring everyone closer together. Pick fruit when they start to show colour and let them ripen indoors.
This protects ripening fruit from birds and other critters that have their eyes on the prize!
Growing your own tomatoes allows you to control the use of pesticides and fertilisers, resulting in a healthier, more sustainable option for your family.
