Tomato Gardening

Tomatoes are probably the most popular greenhouse plant there is! In my opinion tomatoes are the best fruit vegetable there is, especially cherry tomatoes with their sweet but tangy taste. Lovely straight from the vine!

Tomatoes give salads a dash of red colour and are used extensively in cooking. Pasta and pizza are made even tastier with fresh tomato sauce poured over them. And these are just some of the benefits you will get from growing your own tomatoes.

While tomatoes come in many different shapes, sizes and colors there are actually only two different varieties of tomatoes. One is the Determinates and the other is the Indeterminates. Determinate tomatoes grow on vines that stop growing once they reach a certain point. These tomato plants are small and produce compact vines with fruit available early in the growing season. Determinates tomatoes plants can be grown in pots, containers or even in small spaces.

The best way to grow Determinates is to space them between one and two feet apart. Ifgrowing in rows, make sure there is about four feet between each row. With determinate tomato gardening if you wish to plant any other vegetables near the tomatoes, then you will need to keep some additional space around those tomato rows, although, I've been know to plant some lettuce plants in between in the same space.

Indeterminates tomatoes on the other hand continue growing. These are probably the most popular form, especially in greenhouse gardening. They need support in the form of cages, trellises or tied up in some other way. The distance that you should keep between each trellis is about 3 feet. Once the Indeterminate tomatoes have caught on to the trellis, they can be trained to climb the supporting frame, providing you keep them firmly attached. Often as the fruit starts to swell, they need additional tying up to stop the plants from falling over or breaking under the weight of their own fruit!

You can start your tomato gardening with seeds or from small seedlings available in your local garden centre or nursery. The best new tomato plants are those without any yellow speckling on their leaves and with thick and healty stems. Another good check on a healthy tomato plant if you're buying them is to make sure that the plant roots are not coming out of the containers bottom. The root’s growth can tell if your plant will grow successfully or if it isn't going to be a strong plant which will result in a poor harvest.

The best time to start tomato gardening is when all of the other trees in your garden are fully in leaf. By this time the season will be warm and your acclimatized tomato plants will receive about 8 hours or more of life giving sunlight. The roots of the tomatoes should be fully embedded within their soil bed. This lets the tomato receive all the nutrients that it can from the soil.

With tomato gardening you need to keep an eye on the weather. Hot sunny days might be great for you, but they mean that your tomato plants will need regular watering. Once your tomatoes are fully ripe, just pluck them off the vines and enjoy. Often you will get many tomatos coming at once so why not try making your own tomato soup or give them to friends and neigbours.

Tomato growing is very popular amonst gardeners, so if you haven't already give it a go.