We don’t always have the luxury of space to grow an abundance of sun-seeking fruit and vegetables in the warmth of a greenhouse, so we asked Eden Project horticulturalist, Duana Pearson, about her top tips for growing tomatoes outside. She talks, planting them from seed, treating tomato blight and making your own tomato feed using comfrey leaves.
“There really is nothing better than homegrown tomatoes. Great news for those with greenhouses, but what about the rest of us? Well, here at Eden we grow plenty of tomatoes outside, sometimes with fruit still ripening into November.
Utilizing a sunny spot in your garden, with space for some pots or a grow bag, and a minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, you can grow tomatoes too.”
Which tomatoes to grow
When tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) were introduced to Britain in the 16th century from their native South America, they were branded inedible because of their close resemblance to the toxic, deadly nightshade. Since then, all sorts of gorgeous tasting varieties have been cultivated…
- When choosing a tomato variety, go for one that’s not only blight resistant, but suitable for the spot it’s to grow in. For taller growing (cordon) varieties, try Gardener’s Delight, Chadwick Cherry, Money Maker, Sweet Olive or Alicante.
- For pots or hanging baskets, try bush or tumbling varieties, such as Tumbling Tom, Garden Pearl or Tumbler.
Duana’s favourite kitchen varieties for…
- sun drying: Principe Borghese da Appendere
- stuffing: Beefmaster
- making passata or ketchup: Roma
- salsa: Cream Sausage
- salads: Sungold
- eating straight off the vine: Apricot Dreams
How to grow tomatoes
From seed
If you have time to grow them from seed…
- Sow the seeds indoors, ideally in April, but early May is fine if you’re yet to do so.
- Keep your seedlings moist and in a sunny spot.
- Plant out, 2-feet apart, in a sunny spot, after the risk of frost has passed (e.g. June).
As plants
Once your tomato plants are in the soil…
- Cordon varieties (as opposed to tumbling or bush plants) need staking well. Keep tying in as the plants grow.
- Taller growing tomato plants also require you to pinch the outside shoots carefully to create one strong main stem and encourage fruiting. Side shoots are the growths that appear where the main leaves join the stem. Try to limit the plant to four to five trusses, then pinch the tip of the side shoot. This will probably give a height of about 5 feet. This will encourage the plant to put energy into ripening fruits, and should still give you a good yield.
- Feed when fruits start appearing. Many tomato feeds are widely available – or you could make your own using comfrey leaves (recipe below).
- Harvest from July, as the fruits turn red.
Duana’s top tips:
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- Watering evenly, little and often, will help prevent fruit from splitting.
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- Plant tomatoes with basil for a delicious combination. It’s also said to improve the flavour of the tomatoes as they grow.
- We use homemade comfrey tea to feed our tomatoes. To make this, top up one full bucket of comfrey with water and leave to steep for a few days. Alternatively, you can leave it for longer and then dilute the ‘tea’ with water. Sieve the contents and apply neat with a watering can. This is best done the same day you water the tomato plants.
- If you get to October or November and still have fruits on your tomato plants that don’t look like they are going to ripen, harvest them all and make green tomato chutney.