It's that time of year again: the sun's out, heavy frosts have gone, the soil is warming - all making the perfect conditions for getting your mind set on growing tomatoes.
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We all know that to enjoy the taste of a freshly picked, sun-kissed tomato from your own garden is one of the greatest pleasures of growing vegetables. A humus rich, well draining soil in a sunny aspect is the main growing requirement for tomatoes. An area of garden that was given a good dressing of pelletised poultry manure for a previous crop is ideal for tomatoes.
The residual fertility from the poultry manure can be supplemented by a fairly light dressing of a complete fertiliser such as a NPK 6:6:6 or similar.
When planting in cool weather do not plant too deep, 2-3cm is adequate.
Later in the season, when the weather is warmer, plant deep enough for the first true leaves to be level with the surface of the soil.
Space the plants at distances of about 75cm apart up to 1m to enable you to till the soil between the plants.
WHEN TO STAKE
Bush varieties have a compact, bushy tendency and usually grow without needing stakes or pruning and are said to have a determinate growth habit, that is, each leader or branch ends in a bunch of flowers.
The tall, growing types have a main stem that can grow up to 2m high and need tying to a support. The smaller, compact varieties are perfect for pots and the cherry tomatoes do well in hanging baskets.
PRUNING
Many gardeners prune to help increase the size of the tomato but this often reduces the number of fruit which the plant carries. I also remove a number of stems and leaves on the vigorous varieties such as Grosse Lisse, the true queen of tomatoes, to make them easier to tie to their stakes. This also allows air to circulate freely, which helps in controlling any fungal diseases.
In general, decide on the number of leaders or main branches required.
Keep the bottom 15cm of the stem free of all growth. All side shoots which can be found growing at the base of each leader, in excess of the number of leaders needed, should to be pinched out as soon as they appear. When the plants reach the desired height pinch the top off.
SIDE DRESSING
Once the plants have produced their first bunches of green fruit, the application of a little side dressing of fertiliser helps to keep them producing.
However, be sure to avoid giving them too much nitrogen, as this can make the resulting lush, soft growth vulnerable to attack by diseases.
Use a small handful of especially formulated tomato fertiliser to each metre of row.
Alternatively, a feed of liquid fertiliser once a week can be given.
END ROT
The most common problem when growing tomatoes is blossom end rot.
This shows up on the fruit as a brown, leathery area on the blossom end and is caused by irregular watering.
Keep the soil damp and avoid both excessive watering and excessive dry soils. Always water at the base of the plant, not overhead.
DIARY
November 9-10: Launceston Horticultural Society's late spring show at St Ailbe's Hall, Margaret Street. Saturday 2-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
November 16-17: Longford Garden Club's spring flower show, Longford Hall. - Saturday 1.30-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.
November 19: Australian Native Plant Society, Max Fry Hall, Gorge Road, Launceston, 7.30pm. Stephan Harris to speak on Bass Strait flora.
November 20: Launceston Horticultural Society, Windmill Hill Hall, High Street, 8pm. Robert Armstrong speaks on succulents.
AROUND THE GARDEN
Radishes are the quickest and easiest crop to grow, with seeds germinating in five to eight days and roots ready to eat in as little as a few weeks.
Sow seeds direct into a well prepared bed in shallow drills.
Make sowings every two to three weeks. Harvest as soon as they are big enough to eat.
Clematis are beautiful flowering vines and are not difficult to grow if planted in fertile soil in a sunny position and given a mulch, or a low groundcover planting, to keep their roots cool.
These climbers are in their glory when they are left to scramble throughout the garden, as they don't damage plants that they grow on.
The ever-popular Clematis jackmanii has been around since 1862 and can still be spotted happily rambling around in older gardens.
Many new absolutely stunning varieties are available in garden centres.
Echiums are true sun lovers and strike a bold pose in the summer garden with their tall flower spikes that can be white, pink, red or blue.
Echium candicans, with its dark blue flowers, is the variety we see most.
These subshrubs are drought tolerant and grow well in coastal areas.
Echium comes from the Greek for viper describing the similarity between the shape of the nutlets and a viper's head.
Salvias, also known as ornamental sages, are a useful addition to the mixed garden bed providing a variety of colours, shapes and fragrances and fit into most garden styles.
For a stunning display mass plant in a single colour.
The tall varieties provide lovely backdrops in the herbaceous garden and make ideal hedging plants.
Newer varieties are more compact and are perfect for smaller gardens and container growing.
All attract pollinators to the garden. Salvias like a free draining soil with a little lime. The majority prefer full sun and dislike heavy, wet soils.
Remove spent flower spikes to encourage continuous blooming. Divide clumps every three years.
Nerines can be lifted and divided but only if the clump has become very congested as these plants love being over-crowded.
Lift the clump carefully and shake off as much soil as possible then separate the individual bulbs. Retain as much root on each section as possible.
Clean the bulbs up before replanting about 10cms apart with the neck of the bulb above soil level.
Leave a cover of the white papery skin intact on the bulb before replanting.