Summer sweet
Tomatoes
To grow beautiful tomatoes you will need a good few months of warm sunny weather. Give them shelter from cold winds, but some air movement is important as still, humid air invites disease. For tall growing varieties, set stakes firmly in place before planting.
Tomatoes also need a welldrained soil that holds a non-stop supply of water and nutrients. Keep them well fed and watered, especially once the fruit appears. Once plants are growing strongly, deep infrequent watering is better than a daily sprinkle. Thoroughly soak the ground to train roots to grow deep into the soil.
The easiest way to be sure of the best balance of nutrients, is to use a fertiliser designed specifically for tomatoes. Add lots of compost before planting. To minimise disease problems, plant in soil that has not had tomatoes or any of their relatives (e.g. potatoes or peppers) grown in it for at least two seasons. If that’s not possible, dig out the soil and replace it with fresh planting mix from the garden centre or soil from elsewhere in the garden. Alternatively plant tomatoes in large containers or bags. Choose varieties with disease resistance in mind.
Chillies and sweet peppers
Peppers are fun to grow with many different colours, shapes and sizes to choose from. They’re all variations of the Mexican native, Capsicum annuum, which thrives in warm summer conditions. A long warm growing season is needed, at least three months of warm summer temperatures. A cloche can help to give young plants extra warmth. Plant seedlings outdoors as soon as all risk of frost has passed. Don’t delay planting too long. Fruit may not set if temperatures are too high or the ground is too dry.
Peppers are perfect for growing in containers. Choose a good-sized pot (at least 25cm diameter for each plant) and keep it well-watered. They can be grown in pots to maturity or just until it is safe to plant out in the garden.
As soon as fruit appears, feed with a balanced fertiliser. Harvest at any stage from green to red, depending on the required flavour. Sweet bell peppers (capsicums) mature from a tangy savoury flavour when green, to the sweeter red, orange or yellow. Chillies increase in hotness as they ripen from green to red. Fruit deteriorates if left on the vine once it is fully ripe, but all capsicums are great for pickling and preserving so you could never grow too many!