Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
For strong plants without the risk of stunting, tomato seeds should be sown in
modules around the middle of March and given a warm and well-lit spot, such as
an indoor windowsill, until they can be brought out to the tunnel some time in
April. For the earliest tomatoes and best yields, however, they need to be started
in late February. This can be managed by putting the modules in a watering tray
on top of a heating mat when they come out to the tunnel in March, provided that
you take care never to let them dry out. However, unless the spring is a bright
one, the plants tend to become leggy and you will lose the advantage of planting
early. To be sure of success with early plantings you need to use grow lights too,
and although this carries an energy cost it is much lower than shipping an
equivalent amount of food from a warmer climate.
Andy says:
“Having had variable success with early sowings in the past, I usually sow
at the very start of March. If the spring turns out to be dull and my plants
go leggy, I can always buy some replacements from a nearby nursery,
where the owner uses heat and light to bring on large numbers of plants
very efficiently. Always remember to inspect plants carefully to make sure
they're free of pests and diseases, and quarantine them on a warm win-
dowsill for a week or so if you can.”
Mark says:
“I still strive for an early harvest, especially as a cool, damp summer will
invariably result in widespread blight later in the season. So, I hedge my
bets. I start a couple of plants indoors under a single fluorescent light in
mid-February, along with some peppers, aubergines and a few lettuce. Then
I plant more in the propagator in March.”
Growing
Potting on tomatoes is a little different from potting most other plants, in that
you do not aim to match the previous soil level. Instead, place them deep into the
compost so that the stems are covered to just below the topmost clump of leaves.
This may sound strange, but tomatoes are one of the very few plants that can
tolerate really deep planting and will develop roots all along the length of the
buried stem, giving a much stronger plant. You don't have to go quite this deep,
but the plants will tolerate it; nip off any leaves that would be buried by the
compost. To avoid compacting the compost and exposing some of the roots,
water the pots from the top once to settle the compost, but after that water them
from below by standing them in a saucer or shallow dish for a while, or place
them on a capillary mat.
Flowers will generally form six to eight weeks after potting on, and fruit a further
six to eight weeks after that; so a February sowing can give you ripe fruit as early
as June. Wait until the first flowers have formed before you set tomato plants out
