Instructions

Nothing beats the flavour of tomatoes fresh from your own garden. One minute they’re growing on the vine, next minute they’re on your homemade pizza, in your salad or on a slice of fresh bread. Tomatoes are a superfood boasting health benefits galore, they’re officially our most popular vege (even though they’re actually a fruit) and best of all, they’re easy as to grow.

Planting & Preparation

Seedlings

Get the foundation right. Start with good, healthy, well dug soil. Prepare the bed with compost and sheep pellets. Add a layer of Tomato Mix to the top then dig a hole twice the size of the rootball of the plant. Make sure you have Tomato Mix in the bottom of the hole and gently place the plant in the hole. Top up with more Tomato mix and give it a little water. Even though the plant may seem small, it is important to stake now. This will provide support as the plant grows and ensure you don’t have to disrupt established roots later on. Use a suitable size stake for the full size of the plant taking into account the weight of the fruit at the end of the season. Tie the plant to the stake with soft ties as it grows.

Growing From Seed

Fill a tray or pots with Seed Raising Mix, sow seeds 4cm apart and approx. 5mm deep (generally twice the depth as the size of the seed) – cover lightly with Seed Raising Mix, and keep covered until seeds germinate. Be sure to keep the Seed Raising Mix moist during this time. As soon as the second set of leaves have grown through prick these little seedlings out into bigger pots and plant individually. In six weeks time they should have grown into more robust seedlings ready to be hardened off outside and then planted in the garden or a pot/container.

Growing In Containers

If you’re growing tomatoes in containers, you’ll need a minimum 30 Litre container per plant and depth should be at least 25cm to accommodate the roots. Add a layer of drainage material such as scoria, half fill with Tomato Mix, place plant in centre of container and top up with Tomato Mix. Stake at this time and water well.

Fertilising

Tomatoes love a good feed and a fertiliser like Tui Tomato Food is formulated with high levels of potassium to promote fruiting and flowering plus added calcium and magnesium to help prevent blossom end rot, a common ailment in tomatoes. Apply monthly at a rate of 100g per square metre. Tui Tomato Food can also be used prior to planting by digging 200g per square metre into the soil surrounding the plant.

Which Tomato?

There are all kinds of tomatoes – from small cherry tomatoes (perfect for kids’ lunches) to large tomatoes that can weigh up to a kilo. There are also many heirloom varieties that look unusual (but the flavour is amazing) and even orange, yellow and purple tomatoes. Check out all the different options at the Mitre 10 garden department and ask staff what varieties grow best in the local conditions.

Keep Them Warm

Tomato plants love full sun. A spot that makes the most of the sun all day in Summer is ideal, but some shelter from wind is required – against a wall is perfect. They also need plenty of regular watering to prevent the fruit from drying out. Don’t plant too early or late-season frosts can destroy your crop. Getting your plants started under glass will help them survive through to the cooler weather, or if you live in a colder part of the country, tomatoes can be grown very successfully in glasshouses.

Seeds Or Seedlings

Your local Mitre 10 garden department will have a range of different tomato varieties in both seeds and seedlings. Either option will give you great tomatoes but obviously if you’re growing from seeds you’ll need to allow extra time from sowing to harvest. Again, keeping them under glass will help protect them from the cold as they get started.

Seedlings have a few advantages. They come in different sizes (6-cell punnets have smaller plants, and single plant pots will have bigger plants). Grafted plants are usually popular varieties grafted onto rootstock of strong disease resistant types.

Maintenance & Pest Protection

Tomatoes are susceptible to diseases like blossom end rot and blight, and common garden pests like aphids and thrips. Regular watering throughout the season will help reduce the chances of blossom end rot and blight. Tomatoes like a routine with their watering so avoid peaks and troughs in your watering programme. Heavy watering for a few days and then nothing all week is not the ideal way to grow great tomatoes.

Regular spraying can prevent pests taking hold but you can also try natural sprays and or companion plants like basil around your tomatoes. Not only do they work well together in the kitchen but they work together in the garden to ward off pests and insects.