Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables grown by backyard gardeners.

People use all sorts of tricks like staking and pinching out lateral growth. I don't bother with any of that. Instead I just plant them and let them grow naturally, without a great deal of pampering. They usually grow quite bushy and spread out to completely cover their growing area but I'm always happy with the resulting crop.

Prepare the soil well, by digging in lots of organic matter.

Tomatoes are warm season plants. They don't appreciate cold weather, wind or excessive watering of the foliage. It's traditional in Tasmania to plant the seedlings on Hobart Show Day, which is in mid spring. This has little to do with temperature and much to do with the end of the windy period experienced most springs. Plant seedlings about half a metre apart and mulch well, right up to the stems. Try to water the base of the plant rather than the leaves. Drip irrigation would be perfect for tomatoes.

I find that tomatoes pop up anywhere I place compost and I usually end up with a wheelbarrow full of fruit. Harvest your fruit when it's red and ripe. If for some reason you have to harvest green fruit, then place it in paper bags and it'll ripen. If your harvest is too big for you and your family to eat, then give some away or make sauces and preserve it. I make a pasta sauce and freeze it - check out the recipes section of the site.