While the warmth of Spring is still a ways off, there are many home gardeners itching to get their summer veggie patch going. Right now it may be cold and it wet, yet there are already tomatoes available for sale in nurseries around Melbourne. By using a few tips and tricks, there are ways to plant tomatoes and keep these growing comfortably until the warmer weather allows for open garden planting.
Tomatoes need warmth and some reasonable protection in order to grow and fruit. They are, after all, a tropical/sub-tropical plant. Tomato gardeners like to grow them early because they want tomatoes as early as possible in order to beat the high prices fruit shops charge during the off-season. Also, by starting as early as possible you can stagger several crops and secure a high yielding tomato supply right up until winter.
If you wish to start an early crop of tomatoes, then follow the tips and tricks in this article to get your first seedlings up and running.
1) Plant and grow tomatoes in pots with a quality, premium grade potting mix. As already mentioned, the ground is too cold. By growing tomatoes in pots you can at least bring their root temperature up by a couple degrees. Potting mix is slightly warmer than the earth. If you have garage window or a spare room facing the sun, all the better.
2) As an added benefit, you can prepare a plastic cover to protect tomatoes from the cold mornings. A plastic soft drink bottle cut in half is perfect for the job. Just perforate the bottom half of the bottle and set it on top of your potted tomato plant. The key point is to cover tomatoes and create a miniature greenhouse. After two to three weeks you can plant them out in the garden once the weather warms. By doing this you can be assured of a first crop of tomatoes well before Christmas.
For tomatophiles, our first assortment of tomatoes are in store. As tomatoes are one of our specialties, you can find such varieties as, Bragger, Top Dog, Taurus, Moonshot, Principe de Borghese, Mighty Red, Big Beef, Beefsteak, Il Grande, Champion, Big Roma, Big Bite, Green Zebra, Black Russian, Tigrina and many other varieties of tomatoes. Believe me, we are BIG on tomatoes. Visit our store or contact us via email.
Another great tip you can use is to line the bottom of each pot with some grass clippings before adding potting mix. As the clippings begin to breakdown, they release methane which warms the roots and promotes growth. Only use about an inch or two of compressed clippings, otherwise you may create more heat than the plant desires!
The Plant Whiz stocks many varieties of tomatoes and right now you can find, Apollo, Il Grande, Big Beef, Beefsteak, Grosse Lisse, Champion, Mighty Red, Burke’s Backyard, to name just a few. In fact, over the years our selection has grown to include about 40 to 50 tomato types. These can be found in our store at Preston Markets, Preston where we like to boast we have a tomato for everyone.
Here is some further info on 3 of our best selling tomatoes:
• Rouge de Marmande (Adelaide or Italian tomato) - This variety is actually one of of the earliest fruiting tomato varieties and has a higher tolerance to cold. It is one of the best salad tomatoes.
• Apollo Tomato - A medium sized tomato, round in shape with a hard skin. Great storing qualities, perfect size for sandwiches.
• Moonshot Tomato - Here’s a tomato with a real cult following. Many who cultivate Moonshot tomatoes refuse to place any other tomato in their garden, such is the popularity of this variety. Large and firm, this tomato is suited to early cultivation and has the reputation of being one of the most prolific producers of any early variety of tomatoes.
The Plant Whiz is happy to answer your gardening questions. Effectively, that’s what this site is about. Drop us a line or visit our store at Preston Markets, Preston. (Directly opposite the Preston Railway station) We can help you with all your gardening needs, from products to valuable advice.
We would like to announce the inclusion to our stock of the, Upside Down Tomato planter and we have pre-packaged kits, ready to get you up and going right away. Visit our store or contact us to obtain mail-order details for anywhere within Australia. Contact us for more details!
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