Horticultural aide memoire Tend tomatoes

Tomatoes are hungry and thirsty creatures, pushing themselves to the top of the list of those needing the gardener’s daily attention. Their first requirement is plenty of sunshine, so indoor crops should be grown in unshaded glasshouses. Plentiful watering is a daily task, giving the same amount each day to fend off unwelcome developments such as blossom end rot. Feed once the flowers appear with a high-potassium liquid fertiliser. For cordons, remove sideshoots as they appear. Keep an eye out for signs of whitefly, spraying or introducing Encarsia as necessary. The reward for your patient diligence will be considerable.