Spring into action now for great results later
Jenny Mollison has expert advice on getting your seedlings off to a fine start
I’m lucky to have some wide windowsills and it won’t be long before they are all covered with trays of seedlings, off to an early start. Garden centres have a bewildering array of potting composts and it can be a bit confusing knowing what to choose.
The easy option might be to choose multipurpose compost but it’s sometimes too coarse for tiny seeds and the nutrient levels will be unnecessarily high. Seeds contain all the nourishment they need for the first few weeks without any extras. Choosing a bag of seed compost will get them off to a good start.
Tomatoes are among the first ones I sow. I’m growing several different varieties, all chosen for being suitable for outdoor cultivation. Germination will take upwards of a week or two. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, they can be pricked out into separate pots to grow on.
Gradually, as temperatures warm up, they’ll get moved to the porch where they’ll get more light before finally planting outside on the plot.
If you’ve been put off growing tomatoes because of the attention they need, please think again. Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse or polytunnel does involve a considerable commitment to their care. They need planting in growbags or pots of compost, watering on a daily basis as summer progresses, and making sure that the temperature and ventilation in the greenhouse
or polytunnel is kept under control.
However, over many years, I’ve grown a bumper crop of small tomatoes outside on my plot in East Lothian. Red Alert and Sweet Aperitif have proved particularly successful varieties. They don’t ripen until later than those grown under cover and I haven’t managed to grow any of the gorgeous beefsteak tomatoes outside.
On the plus side, I’ve saved money by not having to buy growbags, they’ve thrived on very little attention and the taste is amazing.
Meantime, on the sunniest bit of the plot, I’ve covered up an area with some recycled corrugated plastic sheets, anchored down with bricks, which will warm up the soil underneath in readiness for planting out the tomatoes, probably in early May.
For the first few weeks after planting outside, I’ll cover them with fleece for a bit of protection from chilly night temperatures. Some varieties will need staking, others can be left to grow into multistemmed bushes – seed packets indicate if staking is necessary.