More people pitch up on this blog looking for tips on tomato care than anything else (although last week someone did arrive using the mind-boggling search term ‘courgette sex life’). Tomatoes are tricky but rewarding beasts, and I have devoted considerable time over the past three years of blogging to harping on about how to care for them. You could leap around this blog for hours looking for the sum of this wisdom, but because I’m kind, I’ve create the ultimate tomato care guide below. Ignore at your peril.
For starters, you should avidly read the Good Growing Guide to tomatoes.
Then make sure you’ve got a nice cosy environment to sow your tomato seeds in, which you should do in early to mid March.
Don’t forget to pot the plants on as they grow and demand more space and food, and slowly start to harden them off as well.
Once you’ve planted your tomatoes out, well after the last frost, you’ll need to start removing the sideshoots on cordon varieties to concentrate the plant’s energy into growing upwards and fruiting. But don’t throw these away: plant them as cuttings to create more tomato plants.
Don’t forget to feed your tomatoes with the magical comfrey tea (or something less stinky and shop-bought, if you will). And to prevent fungal problems, and to make the plant even more muscly and strong, use a dash of milk (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it).
Keep pesky pests away using natural methods such as planting tagetes around the tomato plants (this also looks gorgeous). And fight the dreaded tomato blight using this guide.
When you’re away, make sure your thirsty plants get plenty of water. And enjoy some of the more unusual flowers that heirloom tomatoes produce.
Now that you’re a master tomato-grower after that whistlestop tour, why not share pictures of your tomato growing prowess in the F&F community?
