Medwyn Williams tackles tomatoes and their sideshoots
No matter how careful I am, I always seem to miss one or two of them!
This year, between my greenhouse at home and on my land, I've more than 120 tomato plants growing in 8 litre Autopots using Canna Coco. Every time I go through the plants removing sideshoots
I inevitably leave a few behind. It’s a fact that when friends visit my polytunnel or glasshouse they all seem to find a sideshoot or two, just to show that they know what to do!
Those that I've missed are usually at the back of the plant and they can actually grow straight up behind without you even noticing them. Such was the case a few weeks ago when I found what appeared to be excess foliage around one plant. Looking closer it was a strong sideshoot and I had to take my knife to remove it
The only reason we remove these shoots is to keep the plant tidy, otherwise it would get completely out of control and form an enormous bush. These sideshoots would, of course, flower and produce fruit, provided your feeding regime was adequate to maintain strong growth.
Normally at this time of year many of us would be carrying out final preparations for showing our vegetables. This would include the removal of collars around leeks and celery and removing split or damaged flags and sideshoots on celery. I also like to run my finger around the base of the leek to make sure that there are no sharp stones or any other obstacle that could create a dent in the barrel around the base.
I'd normally add feeding as a regular part of my workload at this time of year, but since I now grow some vegetables in the Autopot system, it’s a minimal chore.
■ Why not follow me on Twitter throughout the season as I grow vegetables for my show displays – @medwynsofangles.