IN THE Top tips for major toms... PLANT Crocus ‘Jeanne d’arc’
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
Have you spotted any crocus yet?
They’re just starting to emerge –the most familiar being the purple and yellow varieties you sometimes see naturalised in lawns.
My favourite is the big white one, ‘Jeanne d’arc’ – when the goblet flowers open in the sun, they are the size of a golf ball. A valuable source of early nectar for the bees and a cheering sight for the rest of us. Plant corms in autumn in a well-drained, sunny situation.