Taking care of your tomato plants

Taking Care of Your Tomato Plants

Tomatoes need specific care if you want to get a good crop. In this lesson, you'll learn how to control their growth and feed them properly.

My tomato plants have been in the ground since all risk of frost had passed. When I planted them I installed a long cane next to each plant which supports them as they grow. The plants are tied to the cane with natural twine looped loosely using a figure of eight knots.

Controlling the Growth of Your Tomatoes to Maximise the Harvest

The type of tomato plants I am growing here are cordons or indeterminate tomatoes. This means that if you let them, they will keep growing and growing.

In the UK climate though, if you keep letting your tomato plants grow taller they will put their energy into leaf growth and not into tomato production.

To promote fruit production on cordon tomatoes we always pinch out the side shoots. You will find the side shoots growing off the main stem of the plant in the space between the stem and a leaf branch.

To avoid any damage to the plant, snip this side shoot off with a pair of secateurs. These side shoots can develop quite quickly, so make sure to regularly inspect your tomato plants to remove them all.

As your tomatoes develop, you can also remove any leaves that are shading the developing fruit so that they have full access to the sun. This will also promote good airflow and keep your plant healthy.

'Stopping' Your Tomato Plant

When your tomato plant has developed three or four main trusses it's time to 'stop' your tomato plant by removing its main growing point.

The reason behind this is that the climate in the UK means that your tomato plant will not have time to develop many more ripe tomatoes than this before the daylight hours begin to dwindle in late summer.

To do this, snip off the main growing stem just above the last truss. Your plant will then put all its energy into ripening the tomatoes.

Feeding Your Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the hungriest vegetable crops out there, so to ensure that they produce tasty and ripe tomatoes I feed them every 10 to 14 days.

I feed my tomatoes with organic liquid seaweed which I put into my watering can along with water. I also feed this mix to my courgettes, cucumbers and squashes.