Following on from last week - when you have selected the varieties of tomatoes you want to grow, the next thing is to plant them. Growing tomatoes is fairly straight forward - it’s the gardeners who tend make it complicated.
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Problems usually begin with gardeners rushing to plant their tomatoes too early - and guess what? Every year in October we get frosts!
Tomatoes planted as seedlings in November will catch up and often out grow those planted early and cut by frost.
There are three basic types of tomatoes. Tall growing types have a main stem that can grow many metres high and need training to stakes or a trellis while bush varieties have a compact, bushy habit and usually don’t need staking. Then there are the dwarf tomatoes best suited to pots or hanging baskets and reach a maximum height of about 25cms.
Good, humus-rich soil that drains freely in a sunny aspect is the main requirement for tomatoes.
Double-trenching is the best way to get the garden bed ready for tomatoes.The buried compost feeds the roots as well as warming the soil around the root zone. Trenching, using aged compost, can be done just prior to planting, but if you use vegetable scraps and animal manure they’ll need about a month to rot down before you can plant.
A trench about 40cms deep, filled with aged compost, covered by a layer of soil 15cms deep, creates the best bed for tomatoes.
The planting depth can vary with the season. Early in the year when the soil is cool, plant just deep enough to cover the roots and support the plant firmly. Later, from late October onwards, when the soil is warmer, plant so that the stem is covered up to the first true leaves at spacings of about 75cms between plants with 120cms spacings between rows. Always water seedlings in after planting.
When flowers begin to form buds, cut back watering as the plant will produce more flowers thinking it’s in danger of dying as a result of a drought. Pinch out the tops of tall varieties when small tomatoes form on the fourth fruit truss. This prevents further flowering and encourages the tomatoes to swell.
When young tomatoes begin to swell and grow its essential that your watering regime is consistent, that is, deep and regular.
Potted tomatoes will crop as well as those in the open garden if good quality potting mix is used.
Tomatoes enjoy the company of basil, roses, marigolds, onions, garlic, geraniums, petunias and nasturtiums but dislike beetroot, potatoes, cabbage and rosemary.
For a good selection of heirloom and other varieties of tomatoes go to the Tasmanian Natural Garlic & Tomato Company’s sale, Sunday October 23, 10am to 3pm at 338 Four Springs Road, Selbourne, 13kms north of Hagley.
Diary
November 13: ‘Woolmers Estate Festival of Roses’, Woolmers Estate, Longford from 9am to 4pm. View more than 5000 roses in bloom and enjoy the many attractions that make this one of Tasmania’s must see annual family events. Adults $10 or $15 for 2 adults, under 16 free.
November 15: The Australian Plant Society meets at the Max Fry Hall on Gorge Rd, Trevallyn at 7.30pm.
November 16: The Launceston Horticultural Society meet at Windmill Hill Hall, High Street, Launceston at 8pm. Visitors welcome.
November 17: The Launceston Orchid Society meet at the Newnham Uniting Church Hall, George Town Road, Launceston at 7pm.
