Tomatoes are a great beginners’ crop. They are easy to grow and don’t take up a lot of space, and although they are best grown in a greenhouse there is nothing to stop you giving them a go outdoors. In the UK they will grow more slowly outside because they won’t be so warm as they are in the greenhouse, but if you have patience and a nice sunny spot in your garden, you may still get good results.
Just about the only place where you won’t have much success growing them is indoors, inside the home.
I always grow mine in pots rather than the plot as they don’t particularly seem to benefit from having any extra space in which to spread their roots, but one thing from which they most certainly do benefit is a bit of careful, regular pruning.
Tomatoes have a habit of growing extra unwanted arms that divert its attention (and energies) from growing what they should: juicy fruits. These extra arms always come out in the joint between the plant’s main stem and one of its existing branches, and they have a tendency to go slightly wild, growing much faster than any of the rest of the plant.
They need to be – quite literally – nipped off at the bud, either between the nails of your thumb and forefinger, of using a pair of scissors.
When you do, you are rewarded by the wonderful, unmistakable smell of fresh tomato plant.
If you don’t know what you’re looking for, this photo shows a good example of an extra arm that has shot out to the left about a quarter of the way up from the bottom of the picture. As you can see, it’s jutting out between the main stem and a much smaller horizontal branch.
It has to go. And indeed it’s gone.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
just asking whot do you do if your tomartos start going yellow at the bottam im i wartering them to mouch coul you give me a tip on whot to do thank you
Have you been adding a feed to the water at all?
I think you’re meant to start adding a nitrogen-rich feed (there are lots of tomato specific feeds on the market, which are either every day or once a week – check the instructions carefully) once the flowers start to show.
Also, check for caterpillars. Easy to spot cos the leaves are munched and there is caterpillar poo all over the place. Found about 20 huge ones in the greenhouse at the weekend. :-< At least the chickens got to have a tasty snack as I picked them off!
Yes – we’ve been feeding them, which makes it all the more frustrating. There are also no caterpillars, so I don’t quite know why we’ve got a poor crop this year. Most disappointing.
The key thing with tomatoes is to water them regularly, so if you are watering them every day, continue doing it every day. If every other day, or every third day, carry on doing it every other or every third day. Tomatoes need regularity if they are to flourish. Sometimes they yellow at the bottom when they are starting to ripen, so it is not always problematic.
Hello Nik,
Nice tomato growing blog too. I’ve always had this doubt of whether to put one support cane for each of the tall branches of the tomato plant or to just use one single cane? Could you clarify my doubt please! Also, 3 years back(must be 2006) we have had loads of tomatoes, but last year and this year we haven’t had many tomatoes, and some plants haven’t even had baby tomatoes and the autumn is here. Is everyone having the same problem. BTW we’re in west midlands.
Thanks in advance
KL