Time and again tomatoes top the polls of our very favourite homegrown crop. It's no wonder - with such a veritable smorgasbord of varieties in a universe of sizes and shapes, there's always going to be something new for us to explore.
But tomatoes have us playing a guessing game most seasons. Will they or won't they ripen before blight hits? Will those final trusses colour up in time? And just how many trusses is it safe to leave in the hope they'll all develop to glorious maturity? Some years we hit the jackpot and are almost overwhelmed with fruits. What then?
Ripening tomatoes is a bit like conducting an orchestra. There are lots of moving parts and getting your plants to crescendo, on time, requires a little skill and wrangling.
THE ROAD TO RIPE
Getting tomato plants to the point of perfection includes the basics: the sunniest, warmest position you can muster, frequent watering to support steady growth, and regular feeding to encourage flowers and fruits. There's little point skimping on the tomato feed - the small cost will be repaid many times over in the abundance of what you pick.
With steady watering and feeding, you're already doing all you can to smooth the path to mature fruits, bursting with taste and filling the air with that heady aroma. Then once the fruits start coming, it's your delicious job to keep picking; removing the load from the plant, diverting its energy into the next truss.
Denne historien er fra September 2024-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
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Denne historien er fra September 2024-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!
