Tomatoes setting

Isn't it amazing - from a packet of seeds

to this

in just 10 weeks.

Plants are flowering away like mad and the first fruits are just starting to set.

Tomatoes being almost my very favourite things in the whole world....I couldn't wait to get growing and started these off (admittedly a little on the early side) in February, in the greenhouse, in a wooden seed tray and got almost 100% germination from both varieties - Sungold and Gardeners Delight, varieties very carefully picked from some considerable experience and extensive tastings!
When the seedlings had formed their true leaves and were big enough to handle I transplanted them into individual paper pots. When roots started showing out of the bottom they went lock stock and barrel into 15cm pots before being transplanted into their final home - with 4 plants to each Willow Vegetable and Tomato Planter.
I hadn't banked on quite such germination success and as a result have more plants than I could possibly house in the Tomato House - so I've put 3 in a Grow Bag outside, cunningly disguised with the help of 'Hide Those Ugly Grow Bags' and passed the rest onto friends and family - noting with some delight (detect a hint of smug here?!) that my plants were about 4 times the size of those bought by one friend from the garden centre for £1 each! There's an interesing post in My Tiny Plot this week about waiting for the right night time temperature before planting out (55 degrees) - I put mine out in the grow bag a week ago and so they could well have been set back by the cold nights of the last few days.

To get the best crop it's important to pick out the side shoots that form between a leaf and the main trunk - these are suckers - if left they will develop into mini plants but will take strength from the main trunk, divert sugar from the fruit and turn the plant into a bushy thing that will compete with its neighbours for space and light. There's  a very interesting article on when to pick off the suckers and when it's ok to leave them, here http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/pruning-tomatoes.aspx


I've been playing hunt the sucker every day and pluck away with great relish - how could I have missed this one - I swear it's grown like a triffid overnight!

The plants are all firmly staked and I've used the best tie-ing method I know - our galvanised wire Plant Support Rings.

Simply pull the ring open, wrap it around plant and stem and squeeze back together, Couldn't be easier, doesn't damage the stem and can be quickly taken off and re-used next year.
When a few more fruit have set I'll start feeding them with Organic Tomato Fertiliser.
The smell of the leaves left on my fingers from picking out the suckers is just heavenly and has me nearly drooling in anticipation of a bumper harvest - fingers crossed!

Getting busy in the Tomato house

I find it almost impossible to throw a living plant away - even if it is a teeny weeny seedling, it's got potential. And if it hasn't got much potential then it's worse because it's a challenge. So as a consequence I soldier on with far too many and often feeble, seedlings in pots. Plus I don't thin out enough.
So this year I'm cutting right back on the number of seeds of each variety being sown.

Last weekend I sowed in (what was supposed to be) rows of 10 which however on second counting turned out to be rows of 11, the following:
Aubergine - Black Beauty
Sweet Pepper - California Wonder
Tomato - Gardeners Delight (2 rows)
Tomato - Sungold (1 row was in fact the entire pack of seeds)

All tamped down and labelled up - waiting to be finely riddled with John Innes Seedling compost to barely cover and into the Propagator they'll go.

Then had a bit of fun with our Eco-Pot Maker making some individual pots out of Saturdays paper - I was getting about about 8 large pots out of a single sheet so reckon I could make about 1400 large pots from a single paper - not bad value for money and they will all compost themselves into the ground! I planted up 11 (well I can't break the pattern now) Asparagus Pea seeds, making a neat and measurable little hole with the Dibblet. I've never grown this veg before but supposed to taste like a cross between, guess what - asparagus and peas.

Finally - I couldn't sign off without sharing a pic of our beautiful snowdrops - what an unexpected delight for us down south in March!

Oh - and another pic of a delicious side salad of picked leaves -just look at the variety and all over-wintering uncovered (except on the worst jack frosty nights). Just in case you were wondering - the leaf top centre is torn - not nibbled....