Tomato Growing Blog

Tomato Seedlings

admin — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 09:08:21 +0000

Caring for tomato seedlings can be a tricky business and a bit of a balancing act!

They need to be kept warm – but not too warm or they’ll become leggy.
They need moisture in their soil – but not too much or they’ll become leggy
They need light and plenty of it – but too much hot direct sunlight or they will become stressed.

The three requirements of temperature, soil moisture and light need to be right to get seedlings off to a good start.

Temperatures
Keeping seedlings at a reasonable temperature during the day isn’t too difficult, but at night if temperatures drop too low, seedlings can struggle and find it difficult to recover the next day. It will reduce the rate of their growth.

Moisture
This is particularly true if their soil is too wet. This makes their roots even colder when temperatures drop at night, so keeping the minimum amount of moisture in their soil is safest.

Perhaps the biggest problem is light
Seeds are sown in the spring when light levels are low and days are short, so the only way to give them the light they need is with sunny weather or a grow light – the second choice is the most predictable!

There’s always the temptation to sow early and of course the earlier the seeds are sown, the less light, potentially, they’ll get.

However, sowing at the right time for your part of the world will ensure that your tomato seedlings get off to the best start.

Tomato Seedlings is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

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Tomato Club

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:01:09 +0000

There is now a Tomato Club which home tomato growers can join for free at: www.tomatogrowing.co.uk.

It is especially useful for those who grow tomatoes in containers and in particular, bush varieties. There is a lot of information available and is well worth joining.

Of course, coming from a short season area – the UK, many of the tips and suggestions relate to tomato growing in a cooler climate, but it is useful to note the varieties that are successful at cooler temperatures and those that ripen early.

Tomato Club is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

The Tomato Club

Tomato Pots and Potting-On

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:25:08 +0000

How Many Pots Do I Need?
I was recently asked why it is necessary to use several pot sizes when growing tomatoes from seed – why not just plant the seeds directly into the ground?

Here are some reasons why it is best to plant into small pots then increase the pot size as the plants grow.

Roots Encourage Plant Growth
When plant roots reach the side of their pot, the plant develops more quickly. This has the advantage of earlier flowering, but if kept in a small pot for too long, the roots will become “root bound” and the plant growth stunted.

Forcing
It’s a bit of a balancing act and some growers leave plants in small pots for longer than average … this is called “forcing” which can shock a plant into flowering very early. However, in my experience it usually produces a reduced yield.

Slower Growth, Space, Pot Weight, In On Cold Nights.
If you sow directly into a large pot it takes seedlings longer too mature and produce tomatoes. There is also an issue with space for all your seedlings and weight too at the early part of the season when small plant may be put outside during the day and brought in at night to avoid frosts.

Tomato Pots and Potting-On is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

Growing Tomatoes in Large Pots

Tomato Blight Treatment

admin — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:09:21 +0000

Tomato blight, also referred to as potato blight, is a fungal condition which is the result of wet, damp weather and mostly affects tomato plants growing outside.

Even so, greenhouses that are inadequately aerated can also be a reason for the appearance of blight, on account of high humidity and condensation.

Tomato Blight Treatment Plan
If blight has infected quite a few leaves the time has come to spray with Dithane 945 or apply Bordeaux Mixture. This can prevent the disease from spreading, and more to the point, from contaminating other plants, but there isn’t a complete cure for blight, it is only possible to prevent it becoming even worse.

If it has been wet locally for a sustained period of time, and you are growing tomatoes in the garden, it’s possible that your plants have blight.

The mixture of wet leaves and high humidity over a sustained period of time is nearly curtain to result in tomato blight. As a fungal disease, it can very easily get spread around from plant to plant and on fingers too, so it’s a good idea not to touch plant leaves and take the chance of spreading the disease to healthy plants.

It is usual to have some fungal infection on a small number of lower leaves whenever growing outside if you live in an region that receives a good deal of rain. Take off the contaminated leaves and leaf branches, and always keep the base of plants clear of decaying leaves. Good air circulation at soil level assists in keeping plants healthy and may avoid having to use a tomato blight treatment in the first place.

Blight treatment for tomatoes often come under the heading of systemic fungicide, so that’s what to look for.

Tomato Blight Treatment is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

How To Avoid Blossom Drop

admin — Wed, 11 May 2011 07:16:45 +0000

Someone recently wrote in with a tomato problem that I’m sure many people have experienced, including me! The question was:

“Last year I had plenty of flowers on my tomatoes but a lot of them withered and dropped off without producing much fruit. Where did I go wrong?”

The answer is:
It’s called Blossom Drop – when flowers fail to set and are aborted by their plant.

This happens for a number of reasons but mainly because air humidity is too damp or very dry and the pollen is unable to do its job.

Mist plants and tap them gently – that helps. Also, you can use the vibration from an electric tooth brush or shaver against the flowers which acts a bit like a bumble bee. Bees are often used by professional growers to help pollinate tomato plants and other fruit.

Sometimes if a plant becomes stressed it also aborts its flowers.

Blossom Drop can be most frustrating when it happen on a tall variety and a whole truss fails to set.

How To Avoid Blossom Drop is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

How To Remove Tomato Side Shoots

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 07:41:53 +0000

If you are new to growing tomatoes, one thing that sometimes causes confusion is, how to remove tomato side shoots.

These are the shoots or suckers that grow out between the vertical stem of a tall tomato plant and the leaf branches.

Here’s a video that explains how best to remove them.

If you use a blade such as a knife or scissors to remove them, it is possible to transfer disease from plant to plant. So pinching them out is the safest method.

What Happens If They Are Left To Grow?
If side shoots are not removed, the plant’s growing energy will be directed outwards into the side shoots.

Each of these shoots will form a further truss and the plant will become more of a bush in shape.

Sometimes, this is how people grow their tomato plants – their tall varieties, but you need to be in an area where there is a long season (warm climate area) for this to work and for the tomatoes to develop fully.

Also, some varieties won’t respond to this kind of treatment and will produce side shoots that take a long time to develop flowers and fruit.

Overall, it is best to remove side shoots from tall varieties unless you are experienced otherwise.

How To Remove Tomato Side Shoots is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

Tomato Ebooks

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 16:44:44 +0000

With such a wealth of information on the internet today, are tomato ebooks worth the extra money?

Quite a number of tomato growing ebooks that have appeared on the internet over the past few years and as interest grows in home-grown produce, the ebooks continue to grow in number.

Juicy – Organic
Tomato growing ebooks are mostly advertised from a taste perspective “Juicy” being the most used word. This is often followed by the organic or chemical-free value of growing tomatoes successfully at home, be it on the patio, in the garden or greenhouse.

Detail
Almost all of the ebooks I’ve seen give good advice – some in more detail than others – but the main thing is that a source of information offers good value for money and not just a re-written version of the back of a seed packet!

Short or Long Seasons
Furthermore, does the ebook cover the information needed if you are growing tomatoes in different areas around the world – some very cool with short seasons and some regions that are very hot and require a more specialised approach.

Help When Needed
I guess the most important aspect of a tomato ebook is to get the would-be tomato grower off to a good start using good sound methods and help those who are more experienced who have problems with when plants become unhealthy in some way.

This is the most comprehensive tomato ebook I’ve seen. It can also be bought as a hardcover version – a real book that’s novel!

It carries a lot more detail than most other ebooks on offer with a good amount of information on tomato problems and avoiding these problems before they start. Includes a lot of pictures that are very helpful and comes with the reassurance that the writers of this ebook are very knowledgeable and know their stuff!

Most suitable for all levels of tomato growing ability although, by a small margin, the most expensive.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tomato Ebooks is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

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Tomato Growing Tips

admin — Sat, 07 May 2011 09:30:18 +0000

The most important tomato growing tips are about how to avoid problems before they start, in other words, how to keep your plants healthy.

Perhaps the most important tip, when growing tomatoes outdoors, is to try and shelter them from rain.

A drop of rain on a warm day is fine and won’t do them any harm, but constant rain, especially overnight when the temperatures drop, can cause all sorts of problems.

The fact is, tomato plants do not like wet leaves and soaking wet soil, and if they experience this for more than a day or two, fungal disease is ready to strike.

The worse form of fungal disease is blight, which if gets out of hand, will destroy all of the tomato plants in the garden.

A make-shift shelter is reasonable easy to construct with plastic sheeting, string and a few garden pegs – your plants will show their gratitude by giving you a bumper harvest in return! Tomato growing tips.

Tomato Growing Tips is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

The Tomato Club

admin — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:57:47 +0000

There is a new Tomato Club that has just started this season.

It includes following the progress of a sowing of seeds, showing their growth in video on a weekly basis.

There is also a weekly newsletter about tomato growing and lots of help and advice including your questions answered by email.

All of the above features are free and Nick, who runs the website, has become very busy answering all the questions!

You can join the Tomato Club and Newsletter at: www.tomatogrowing.co.uk

The Tomato Club is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

When To Sow Tomato Seeds

admin — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:06:38 +0000

Knowing the best time to sow tomato seeds in your area is one of the crucial ingredients for success when it come to growing your own tomatoes.

Sow too early and the plants suffer from conditions that are too cold with days are too short and light levels too low. Sow late and there may not be enough time for the tomatoes to mature and ripen before the autumn weather turns too cold to grow tomatoes.

For growing outside, the best time to sow is about eight to ten weeks before planting out. Decide when your last frost may be, then give it another week or two just in case.

My last frost date is around the middle of May so I aim to plant out the end of May or beginning of June.

For those with a short season, choose early varieties like Stupice, Siberian, Latah and Red Alert.

These tomato plants can cope with short summers and will do well even if the weather is poor.

More about when to sow tomato seeds can be found at this link.

When To Sow Tomato Seeds is a post from: Tomato Growing Blog

When To Sow Tomato Seed