Time to start sowing tomatoes, at least it is where I am, as I will this year concentrate on growing my tomatoes only in an unheated greenhouse.
Timing sounds as though it should be down to the nearest hour but it is not essential.
A week or two late is better than a week too early. A late frost is always lurking near to any tomato plant!
I am aiming to plant my tomatoes in the third week of April, this is mainly due to going away on holiday for the first part of the month.
So as I will be sowing the seeds indoors around this time next week, I need to organise myself.
Generally I find a space in the airing cupboard and let the seeds chip, then once the roots have got above half an inch long (1cm) I start potting them up in 3” pots.
My chipping method is to place the seeds onto paper tissues that have been moistened with warm water and then I put the ‘pack’ into a polythene bag.
They stay indoors until the plants have formed their first set of leaves then get moved on to a windowsill. When the roots start poking out through the bottom of the pot it is time to move them into the greenhouse, which we will talk about nearer the time.
20 Feb 2007
7 Feb 2007
New ways of watering tomatoes
New ways of watering tomatoes
In my part of England the water company has just lifted its hosepipe ban, it has been in force for about 20 months.
Has global warming been the cause or is it too many houses using too much water or just seasonal variation? Time will tell.
For the garden and for plants like tomatoes then the reason is less important than the effect. Tomatoes are full of water and nobody wants a shrivelled up tomato.
I have installed a selection of water saving devices. My greenhouse tomato plants are fed by a timed micro jet system that delivers water in micro amounts to the base of the tomato plants.
For outside tomato plants I have installed porous tubing, this allows water to seep out around the tomato and other plants keeping the areas by the tomatoes moist without wasting too much water elsewhere.
Wherever you live this and the water butt are all worth investigating and if you want to get some ideas on cost and availability then the web links to the left on this page will be a good starting point.
In my part of England the water company has just lifted its hosepipe ban, it has been in force for about 20 months.
Has global warming been the cause or is it too many houses using too much water or just seasonal variation? Time will tell.
For the garden and for plants like tomatoes then the reason is less important than the effect. Tomatoes are full of water and nobody wants a shrivelled up tomato.
I have installed a selection of water saving devices. My greenhouse tomato plants are fed by a timed micro jet system that delivers water in micro amounts to the base of the tomato plants.
For outside tomato plants I have installed porous tubing, this allows water to seep out around the tomato and other plants keeping the areas by the tomatoes moist without wasting too much water elsewhere.
Wherever you live this and the water butt are all worth investigating and if you want to get some ideas on cost and availability then the web links to the left on this page will be a good starting point.
30 Jan 2007
Companion plants for Tomatoes
Companion plants for tomatoes.
Every year I forget to plant my companion plants early enough, I get all excited about ordering my tomato seeds. Get the soil and greenhouse ready, Sow the tomatoes then, ah, what about them there companion plants.
They always seem to take longer to establish than the tomatoes so I should plant them earlier. Also what companion plants go with which plants, I had a bit of a mental block and started thinking it was Tansy with tomatoes, but no it's Marigold, but I will need to check just which particular strain of Marigold.
Fortunately I do have a useful book that lists a whole range of companion plants so I know what to plant with what and what to keep away.
Happy plants give healthier crops and that applies to Tomatoes as much as anything else.
If you haven't got a list of companion plants then why not pop over to this web site and for a very modest price they will email you an extremely useful book on companion plants.
Must sort out my Marigolds earlier this year.
Last year I had a few extra tomato plants so I put them amongst my Asparagus, they are supposed to like each other and gee each other along. Unfortunately the general global warming did not agree with either of them and the lack of rain spoilt any meaningful experiment.
This year I have other plans for beating the drought but that can wait until another blog.
So keep coming back.
Every year I forget to plant my companion plants early enough, I get all excited about ordering my tomato seeds. Get the soil and greenhouse ready, Sow the tomatoes then, ah, what about them there companion plants.
They always seem to take longer to establish than the tomatoes so I should plant them earlier. Also what companion plants go with which plants, I had a bit of a mental block and started thinking it was Tansy with tomatoes, but no it's Marigold, but I will need to check just which particular strain of Marigold.
Fortunately I do have a useful book that lists a whole range of companion plants so I know what to plant with what and what to keep away.
Happy plants give healthier crops and that applies to Tomatoes as much as anything else.
If you haven't got a list of companion plants then why not pop over to this web site and for a very modest price they will email you an extremely useful book on companion plants.
Must sort out my Marigolds earlier this year.
Last year I had a few extra tomato plants so I put them amongst my Asparagus, they are supposed to like each other and gee each other along. Unfortunately the general global warming did not agree with either of them and the lack of rain spoilt any meaningful experiment.
This year I have other plans for beating the drought but that can wait until another blog.
So keep coming back.
23 Jan 2007
Preserving Tomatoes to Retain Their Original Flavours
Preserving Tomatoes to Retain Their Original Flavours
Having harvested your tomatoes down under you may wish to preserve them to extend the tomato season, hope this helps.
When the tomatoes in your garden starts turning red, from coy pink then its time to think about preserving tomatoes.
Waiting till the end of the season is more popular but time so frequently runs out, so do it early on, of course don’t starve yourself of fresh tomatoes.
Proper preservation will retain the benefits of tomatoes for year round use.
Home preserving of tomato needs utmost care to avoid spoilage and risk of food poisoning. For preserving tomatoes at home, the acid level should be safe, pH of 4.6 or less. For tomato plant, the acid level may vary due to several factors like the type of tomato, the soil type, and conditions during the growing season. These variations call for safe preserving of tomato at home and acid is required as addition regardless of the color and type of tomatoes.
Things You Should Do For Preserving And Storing Tomatoes
Research has proved the usage of citric acid as a safe method for preserving tomatoes and tomato products. Citric acid effectively increases the acidity of tomatoes without changing the flavor. You can acidify tomatoes with bottled lemon juice by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per pint or 2 tablespoon per quart and to offset the acid taste you can add a small amount of sugar, maybe one teaspoon per quart. However, you cannot substitute bottled lemon juice with freshly squeezed lemon juice or vinegar.
Tomatoes, which are decayed, overripe, harvested from dead or frost killed vines, late season or exposed to frost are not safe for preserving or tomato juice.
Before preserving tomatoes, avoid adding thickening agents like flour, corn, rice, pasta or starch. Carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions and green and hot peppers, which have low acid ingredients, will decrease the acidity of tomatoes. Do not overuse these ingredients other than recommended in the recipe.
Freezing Crushed Tomatoes
- First, pick fresh good quality tomatoes.
- Wash the tomatoes and dip them into boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or till the skin splits.
- Then dip the tomatoes in cold water to slip off the skins. Remove the cores and cut the tomatoes in quarters.
- Place a large saucepan on the gas and heat rapidly and crush some quartered tomatoes in it.
- Keep stirring constantly and add remaining quartered tomatoes gradually. After adding all tomatoes boil gently for 5 minutes.
- Now fill jars with hot tomatoes but leave ½ inch headspace. Now to preserve add 2 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar. To offset the acid taste you can add 1-teaspoon salt and 1-teaspoon sugar per quart. Now clean the rims of the jar and cap them with properly pre-treated lids.
Wait until completely cold before placing in the freezer.
Use up the frozen tomatoes within one year otherwise quality may suffer if frozen longer.
Using these methods of preserving tomatoes will help retain the lovely taste of tomatoes for long period of time.
Having harvested your tomatoes down under you may wish to preserve them to extend the tomato season, hope this helps.
When the tomatoes in your garden starts turning red, from coy pink then its time to think about preserving tomatoes.
Waiting till the end of the season is more popular but time so frequently runs out, so do it early on, of course don’t starve yourself of fresh tomatoes.
Proper preservation will retain the benefits of tomatoes for year round use.
Home preserving of tomato needs utmost care to avoid spoilage and risk of food poisoning. For preserving tomatoes at home, the acid level should be safe, pH of 4.6 or less. For tomato plant, the acid level may vary due to several factors like the type of tomato, the soil type, and conditions during the growing season. These variations call for safe preserving of tomato at home and acid is required as addition regardless of the color and type of tomatoes.
Things You Should Do For Preserving And Storing Tomatoes
Research has proved the usage of citric acid as a safe method for preserving tomatoes and tomato products. Citric acid effectively increases the acidity of tomatoes without changing the flavor. You can acidify tomatoes with bottled lemon juice by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per pint or 2 tablespoon per quart and to offset the acid taste you can add a small amount of sugar, maybe one teaspoon per quart. However, you cannot substitute bottled lemon juice with freshly squeezed lemon juice or vinegar.
Tomatoes, which are decayed, overripe, harvested from dead or frost killed vines, late season or exposed to frost are not safe for preserving or tomato juice.
Before preserving tomatoes, avoid adding thickening agents like flour, corn, rice, pasta or starch. Carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions and green and hot peppers, which have low acid ingredients, will decrease the acidity of tomatoes. Do not overuse these ingredients other than recommended in the recipe.
Freezing Crushed Tomatoes
- First, pick fresh good quality tomatoes.
- Wash the tomatoes and dip them into boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or till the skin splits.
- Then dip the tomatoes in cold water to slip off the skins. Remove the cores and cut the tomatoes in quarters.
- Place a large saucepan on the gas and heat rapidly and crush some quartered tomatoes in it.
- Keep stirring constantly and add remaining quartered tomatoes gradually. After adding all tomatoes boil gently for 5 minutes.
- Now fill jars with hot tomatoes but leave ½ inch headspace. Now to preserve add 2 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar. To offset the acid taste you can add 1-teaspoon salt and 1-teaspoon sugar per quart. Now clean the rims of the jar and cap them with properly pre-treated lids.
Wait until completely cold before placing in the freezer.
Use up the frozen tomatoes within one year otherwise quality may suffer if frozen longer.
Using these methods of preserving tomatoes will help retain the lovely taste of tomatoes for long period of time.
22 Jan 2007
Tomato Harvesting – A Guide To a Better Harvest
Tomato Harvesting – A Guide To a Better Harvest
Now I know up here in the Northern Hemisphere we have yet to plant our tomatoes, way down South it is tomato harvesting time, So for all you in the Southern Hemisphere that have cleverly found my blog, first well done, second here is something more topical for you.
Tomato harvesting is the time to reap the benefits of extensive labor. Moreover, if the tomato is garden ripe fresh red, then the harvest brings in extra pleasure. The best time for harvesting tomatoes is when the quality is at the highest. For tomato plants, the best quality manifests when the tomatoes have turned red on the vine and are just a little soft when squeezed.
Tips To Harvesting Green Tomatoes Near The End Of The Season
It is essential to harvest all your tomatoes, even the green ones before the frost hits.
The Best Tips For Tomato Harvesting
- Give the roots a little tug to disturb them. This yank will send the signal of “finish” to the plants and will make them understand that it is time to go to seed.
- Reduce watering when the tomatoes have reached almost full size. This will help the tomatoes ripen to red before the first frost hits
- If all these fast methods of outdoor tomato ripening fail then you need not worry. You can easily ripen your green tomatoes indoors. Place them in a cool and dark place like in your basement or garage.
- You can also keep them on a tray covered with newspapers or in brown paper bags. Check the trays every week and remove any ripe fruits or fruits that have already begun to rot. The newspaper covering can speed up the ripening process as it can trap the ethylene gas that the tomatoes give off. If you keep tomatoes in brown paper bags with apple or banana the ripening process will become faster with the ethylene gas given off by these fruits. Let a week pass by and they will start blushing! I mean they will start turning red.
- Light, not warmth is essential for ripening of tomatoes so you do not have to put them on a sunny windowsill. It is better to place them away from direct sunlight where the temperature range is 65 to 70 degree F.
- If the temperature is above 86 degree F, the red color of tomatoes will not form easily. So if you live in an area which has very hot summer then don’t leave the tomatoes on the vine, otherwise it will get a yellowish orange look. It will be better if your tomato harvesting job when they are pink and let them ripen indoors in cooler temperatures.
- There is another process to ripen green tomatoes. Pull the entire tomato plant from the ground and hang it upside down in a cool dark place like a basement or a garage. Don’t hang them too high because as the tomatoes ripen they will fall and too much height can damage your beautiful tomato bodies during fall. You can put an old blanket under the plants on the ground if the surface is hard. You will get better tasting tomatoes as the tomatoes ripe on the vine thus ensuring natural growth of natural sugars.
- If the weatherman suddenly predicts the first frost when your tomato plant is loaded with green fruits, don’t panic. In a light frost you can easily protect the plants by covering them with plastic, burlap bags, big boxes or old sheets. This effort can save your tomato plants because usually the second frost comes after two or three weeks after the first one.
So make your tomato harvesting perfect in any climate.
Now I know up here in the Northern Hemisphere we have yet to plant our tomatoes, way down South it is tomato harvesting time, So for all you in the Southern Hemisphere that have cleverly found my blog, first well done, second here is something more topical for you.
Tomato harvesting is the time to reap the benefits of extensive labor. Moreover, if the tomato is garden ripe fresh red, then the harvest brings in extra pleasure. The best time for harvesting tomatoes is when the quality is at the highest. For tomato plants, the best quality manifests when the tomatoes have turned red on the vine and are just a little soft when squeezed.
Tips To Harvesting Green Tomatoes Near The End Of The Season
It is essential to harvest all your tomatoes, even the green ones before the frost hits.
The Best Tips For Tomato Harvesting
- Give the roots a little tug to disturb them. This yank will send the signal of “finish” to the plants and will make them understand that it is time to go to seed.
- Reduce watering when the tomatoes have reached almost full size. This will help the tomatoes ripen to red before the first frost hits
- If all these fast methods of outdoor tomato ripening fail then you need not worry. You can easily ripen your green tomatoes indoors. Place them in a cool and dark place like in your basement or garage.
- You can also keep them on a tray covered with newspapers or in brown paper bags. Check the trays every week and remove any ripe fruits or fruits that have already begun to rot. The newspaper covering can speed up the ripening process as it can trap the ethylene gas that the tomatoes give off. If you keep tomatoes in brown paper bags with apple or banana the ripening process will become faster with the ethylene gas given off by these fruits. Let a week pass by and they will start blushing! I mean they will start turning red.
- Light, not warmth is essential for ripening of tomatoes so you do not have to put them on a sunny windowsill. It is better to place them away from direct sunlight where the temperature range is 65 to 70 degree F.
- If the temperature is above 86 degree F, the red color of tomatoes will not form easily. So if you live in an area which has very hot summer then don’t leave the tomatoes on the vine, otherwise it will get a yellowish orange look. It will be better if your tomato harvesting job when they are pink and let them ripen indoors in cooler temperatures.
- There is another process to ripen green tomatoes. Pull the entire tomato plant from the ground and hang it upside down in a cool dark place like a basement or a garage. Don’t hang them too high because as the tomatoes ripen they will fall and too much height can damage your beautiful tomato bodies during fall. You can put an old blanket under the plants on the ground if the surface is hard. You will get better tasting tomatoes as the tomatoes ripe on the vine thus ensuring natural growth of natural sugars.
- If the weatherman suddenly predicts the first frost when your tomato plant is loaded with green fruits, don’t panic. In a light frost you can easily protect the plants by covering them with plastic, burlap bags, big boxes or old sheets. This effort can save your tomato plants because usually the second frost comes after two or three weeks after the first one.
So make your tomato harvesting perfect in any climate.
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