Tomato Plants from Seedshow to grow tomato plants from seeds

Tomatoes are a very useful crop and one which is relatively easy to grow. They come in two types. The first is the bush tomato which grow vigorously, have many branching stems and each stem ends in a fruit truss. These tend to be dwarfing types and suit growing in grow bags, pots or in window boxes. The second type is the trailing variety – they grow to over 2m in length if unchecked, have vigorous side shoots and the stems do not end in a fruit truss, rather the fruit are produced on side branches. These are suitable for training up and along wires, around window boxes and will require support.

Choose your type first and then the variety. There are many varieties from the large ‘Beafsteak’ to the tiny’ Money Maker’ and they fruit at different times. For a long period of harvest you can try growng several varieties. You can grow plum shaped tomatoes, yellow and slightly pink varieties and ,of course, the good old red round type like ‘Monoye’, depending on your taste.

For any type of tomato, once you have decided the varieties you are going to grow the first consideration is the growing medium. Tomatoes are very hungry plants and because they crop heavily, they need a medium which is easy for them to put roots into to gain water and nutrients (as plants only take nutrients in in dissolved form) and for anchorage. A medium loam compost (soil less or soil type) is good. pH should be 6.5 as tomatoes thrive best under slightly acid conditions. Ordinary garden soil will rarely provide the necessary nutrients for a heavy crop of tomatoes.

Plant the seeds carefully using a dibber and spacing them correctly. Keep the temperature to a minimum of 17 deg C for germination. Thereafer around 15 deg C is fine.

Tomatoes need light to make sure they are in good light but not full sunlight.

Once the seeds have germinated, prick out the seedlings and put them into their final growing place, this may be a grow bag, pot or window sill. When the second pair of leaves have formed give them a light feed using a proprietary tomato feed. This will encourage vegetative growth and spur the plants on.

If the plants need supports, make sure they are in place and tie the shoots in gently as they grow.

For trailing varieties, prick out some of the vigorous side shoots as this will encourage the plant to put more energy into fruit production rather than vegetative growth.

Check for the webs on the underside of leaves which indicates red spider mite andtreat with a spray immediately

Gardening season begins at different times in different parts of the country. No vegetable garden is ever complete without the presence of tomato plants. Whether you start your tomatoes from seed or purchase plants, there will always be challenges involved in having a successful harvest.

The first consideration for any gardener who wishes to grow tomatoes involves the choice of variety. Tomato plants are separated into two groups for classification purposes. Determinate varieties produce a lot of tomatoes in a short amount of time whereas Indeterminate tomatoes produce a steadier harvest throughout the growing season.

When you are deciding what varieties of tomatoes to plant, look at the length of time it takes for the tomatoes to bear fruit. If you live in the south where you can put your plants out much earlier than people in the north can, you will want to plant some varieties that mature faster. Determinate varieties may be a better choice for you because once the weather gets extremely hot, it may be too hot for the flowers to set fruit.

CONSIDER YOUR CLIMATE:

Not all varieties of tomatoes are well suited to all areas of the country. If you live in an area that gets extremely hot, you want to look for varieties that have proved to be able to tolerate extremes of heat. If you are planting tomatoes from seed, the time you start the seeds will vary depending on where in the country you live. The general rule of thumb for starting seeds is that you want to plant your seeds ten weeks before you want to plant your tomatoes outdoors.

Some varieties that are very well suited to hot conditions and that did well in the growing trials designed to test suitability are Top Gun, Solar Fire, BHN 444, Crista and Surefire. The varieties producing the best results in those trials were Surefire and BHN 444. The biggest problems associated with hot weather are that the plants may not flower, the flowers may not set fruit, and that because of the extreme heat, it’s difficult, if not impossible to keep the plants evenly moist.

TOMATO DISEASES:

Tomatoes are susceptible to a host of problems ranging from Fusarium Wilt, and Verticillium Wilt, both of which fungal disease that appears to affect the leaves and the branches to root knot nematodes. Fusarium Wilt and Verticillium Wilt generally enter the plant through the roots, as do other fungal diseases affecting tomatoes. The main difference between Fusarium Wilt and Verticillium Wilt is that Verticillium Wilt doesn’t