GROW FRESH, SWEET TOMATOES
These juicy fruits are the perfect patio crop, says Helen Billiald. Here’s how to get bumper harvests
Early March is synonymous with tomatoes. Outside it’s too early to sow anything but the hardiest of crops, yet indoors it’s the perfect time to germinate a forest of tomato seedlings bursting with the scent of summer. No spring windowsill is complete without a few of these teeny plants, promising sunshine and harvests to come. Before you order seeds in earnest, think about where you’ll grow them. You can start sowing tomatoes destined for a greenhouse in early March, whereas it’s better to hold off until late March for outdoor plants because they can’t go out until after all risk of frost, usually late May or early June. ➤
Tomatoes are divided into cordon (indeterminate) or bush (determinate) types, which describes how they grow. Cordons are trained up a single cane with sideshoots removed. Bush ones can be left to sprawl or have a short cane for guidance and require no pinching out of sideshoots. They usually crop for a shorter time, but they’re a great choice for containers and hanging baskets. Blight-resistant cultivars are a blessing for anyone hoping to grow tomatoes outside and there are some good ones on the market. Try ‘Crimson Crush’, ‘Mountain Magic’ or ‘Losetto’ (all F1 hybrids). Inside, blight becomes less of an issue since it’s harder for wind-blown spores to reach the plants. Removing the lower leaves and not planting too closely also helps to maintain good air flow and reduce the risk of infection.