Top tips for major toms...
There’s a tomato for everyone, all you need is a pot or grow bags
Growing your own food from seed is probably one of the most rewarding acts of gardening. It’s exciting to watch tiny seeds develop into plants, it’s fun to nurture their growth, and then the best bit is that you get to eat them!
Home-grown food always tastes far better than anything you can buy, mainly because it’s so fresh, but the enjoyment is also enhanced by a sense of accomplishment.
So the good news is that it’s time to get sowing some seeds, namely tomatoes. These are started now so the fruit will be ready to absorb as much summer sunshine as possible to grow and ripen to their best.
You can sow a bit earlier but this can often result in leggy seedlings which simply do not flourish in the low light of January and early February.
First think about what type you’d like to grow and what space you have available.
There are indoor and outdoor varieties so your choice will depend on whether you have a polytunnel, glasshouse or conservatory, or none of the above.
Where space is limited, you can grow bushy varieties in pots or grow cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets.
If you don’t have soil and your growing space is a patio or balcony, grow bags will be sufficient to accommodate
two tomato plants. Growing from seed will allow you a huge choice in terms of varieties available or you can plump for popular reliables such as ‘Sungold’, ‘Moneymaker’ and ‘Tumbling Tom’. If you’re going for outdoor, delay sowing seed for around another month.
For a tomato seed to germinate, it needs heat. A heated greenhouse is perfect but you can also use a small heated propagator or a sunny windowsill so long as a minimum of 18C is obtained.
The seed is small so either sow them shallowly or surface sow and cover with some sieved compost or a scattering of vermiculite and water in.
Once leaves develop, prick them out and pot individually – a small yoghurt pot would be around the right size. As the plant gets bigger, you can pot on or into a grow bag.
You will need to harden off before planting outside. If your plant has become a bit leggy by the time it comes to planting out in the polytunnel or garden, you can plunge the plant in a bit deeper, burying some of the stem which will produce roots.
Cordon plants can be quite rampant when they get going and it’s for this reason you keep them in check by pinching out side shoots. The aim is to confine the growth to a single stem and direct the plant’s energy into flower and fruit production. Once you have six trusses or bunches of flowers, you pinch off the top of the cordon to stop more growth.
For outdoor varieties, you leave just four trusses.
Cordons need support such as bamboo cane, or you can grow up a string support – use twine as hessian string can rot over the growing season. If you’re a beginner, start with bushy varieties which don’t need support or pinching out. So what’s the secret to great tomatoes? First, plenty of food – they are hungry and as soon as they put on roots, start using tomato feed and increase to a fortnightly feed when the flowers emerge. Secondly, maximum heat and sunshine.
Remember they are tender plants so if you’re growing them outdoors, they can’t go outside until after frost has gone in May or even later depending where you are.
And thirdly, you need to provide consistent watering for plump, juicy fruits.
If this has whetted your appetite for veg growing, it’s also time now to start sowing seeds of chilli peppers, aubergines and peppers, all of which require a warm environment to get going.
A heated greenhouse is perfect but you can also use a windowsill
ENGLAND are to lodge a complaint to World Rugby about referee Pascal Gauzere after two controversial calls helped Wales rack up a record score against their rivals.
Josh Adams and Liam Williams crossed for first-half tries that had England raging against the French official.
The big decisions put Wales on course for the Triple Crown – and record their highest points tally against the Red Rose in the process.
But England head coach Eddie Jones believes his side were short-changed as their Six Nations title defence crashed and burned.
Debate
“They are huge decisions,” said Jones. “We can’t debate it, we are not allowed to debate it. All I will end up with is a fine and that won’t help anyone.
“The dog won’t be able to eat its food, my wife won’t be able to eat, so I can’t say anything.
“They get points maybe they don’t deserve and we have to fight to get back in the game. It makes it difficult and you have to be good enough to overcome it.
“They were worthy winners. The score indicates a substantial win for Wales, but
I don’t think that indicates the actual game.”
England fought back to level the game at 24-24 but Wales cashed in on the high penalty count to pull clear in the final quarter.
Jones’ side racked up 14 penalties in all, with Maro Itoje giving away five.
And skipper Owen Farrell said: “Our discipline wasn’t the best. There are times where it is hard not to give penalties away but there were too many.”
England’s title defence is washed up after three games and, while they have some cause for complaint over the big decisions which went Wales’ way, they were ultimately the architects of their own downfall.
A rash of early penalties led Gauzere to instruct Farrell to talk to his team.
He went to do so with Dan Biggar seemingly lining up an easy kick at goal, but the Wales fly-half suddenly switched tack and delivered a pinpoint cross-field kick into Adams’ arms with England’s defence still in conference.
Farrell argued his point forcefully with the official that England had been done but got only a Gallic shrug in return.
It got worse for England when Williams touched down in the 30th minute with Gauzere adjudging, after long deliberations with his TMO
Alex Ruiz, that Louis Reeszammit had not knocked the ball on in the build-up.
The Wales wing looked as surprised as anyone but the officials decided the ball had rebounded off Henry Slade before hitting the ground.
England struck back four minutes before the break via winger Anthony Watson.
Waltz
But Kieran Hardy caught England cold again as, after another penalty, his quickthinking saw him waltz through a napping visiting defence to score.
Opposite scrum-half Ben Youngs showed his own nose for the line with a dummy to draw level – only for Callum Sheedy’s boot to put England out of contention before a late Cory Hill try sealed the bonuspoint win.
The Grand Slam is Wales’ next goal, but the drawing board awaits for England.
“It was a hell of a game and a lot of resilience from our boys,” said Wales head coach Wayne Pivac.
“We picked a squad to get results to win this tournament. We’ve had time together and got a good bond in the group.
“They enjoy winning and hopefully we can press on further.”
Tries: Adams, L Williams, Hardy, Hill; Cons: Biggar (2), Sheedy (2); Pens: Biggar, Sheedy (3)
ENGLAND: Tries: Watson, B Youngs; Con: Farrell; Pens: Farrell 4
WALES: