As we approach Clare Show time, (18 October), we are reminded that it’s traditionally Tomato Planting time!
Seasonally, this means that the danger of frost is over and the ground temperature has risen enough for these plants to thrive.
Start preparing your patch now for your tomato seedlings. If your patch is overgrown with weeds, then use them to your advantage with the “no dig” method.
Cut down the weeds, feed with organic pelletised fertiliser, add a layer of overlapping cardboard, top with 5-10cm of compost, water in with a soil tonic to activate the soil microbes and top with a 5cm layer of mulch.
The weeds will break down with solarization from the cardboard and feed the soil microbes. You can plant directly or leave to break down for a few weeks.
Alternatively, you can dig in well matured compost into your patch with an addition of blood and bone fertiliser, water in well and mulch to lock in the goodness.
Planting your tomatoes
The best and most effective way to grow strong, healthy tomatoes is to lay them down when planting.
Remove the leaves halfway up the main tomato stem and bury half the length of the tomato plant, roots and all in the warm top soil of your patch.
This will not only encourage a strong root system with great anchorage against strong winds, but you also are planting roots in the warmest part of the soil to encourage vigorous growth.
The tomato stems and leaves will automatically grow upwards toward the sun. And, do not forget to plant some friends with them. Tomatoes love basil and marigolds which not only help fight against pests but also brighten up your patch and your plate.
Staking your tomatoes
Most tomatoes need some sort of support, even if it is to provide airflow against fungal disease or to keep ripe fruit off the ground from millipedes.
The best method I have found is to either surround the plant with a cage structure if it is a smaller variety or if it is a large saucing or beefsteak variety then I use a fencing stake at each end of the row with strong garden twine or wire tightly tied to provide a trellis that I either weave the plant in as it grows or clip the branches to the line as support.
Running my tomato rows from North to South gives them an even amount of East to West sunlight and sufficient airflow which tomatoes love.
Where to purchase your tomato plants
Some of us are diehard tomato raisers buy our seed from reputable organic seed suppliers, raising them in a homemade seed raising mix from mid-August.
However, you can skip this part by purchasing your tomatoes from nurseries and growers that will give you advice and tips to get the most from your plants. Tomato plants will be available from growers at the Clare Show, so be sure to bring along your plant trolley.
Varieties to plant
This depends on what you want to do with your tomatoes. If you are a saucing, passata and general all-round tomato lover like me then you will have various varieties from salad, cooking, beefsteak, saucing and sun drying.
And, with some varieties providing upwards of 30kg of fruit, then you are going to be a busy preserver in summer.
Some of my favorite varieties are:
Tommy Toe: a prolific supplier of large cherries that can be cooked or eaten fresh.
Roma and San Marzano: A great variety with meaty flesh for saucing.
Beefsteak: Great for sandwiches as one slice covers the bread. Also great for that summer favorite Marinated Cucumber and Tomato Salad.
Principle Borghese: great for making sundried tomatoes
Grosse Lisse: probably the most traditional variety grown which can be eaten fresh, cooked or where traditionally homemade tomato sauce and chutney is made from.
So, get your tomato tastebuds tingling and get prepared for a summer of salad, saucing and sauteing your delicious homegrown pomodori!
