Tomatoes

The glorious tomatoes!  This will be a long chapter as tomatoes can prove to be a difficult crop. 

I have two seasons for tomatoes,  the Summer crop which is bountiful and allows you to grow any type of tomato, and the winter crop which yealds much less and only the hardy ones are fit for this season.

Three years ago I started off with seedlings I bought from a garden centre, and as I progressed I realised that some of the varieties I had were far more suitable for my environment than others, so I saved the most beautiful one of each variety, (the one that is closest to the main stem).  I kept a watchful eye on it  till it is over ripe and nearly wrinkled. Then I open it and squeeze the seeds over a clean kitchen paper and leave it in a sunny windowsill till seeds are completely dry.  Around the first week of March, I make a small space in my garden,  add some compost and turn the soil well.  Then I sow the seeds and lightly mix with the soil, water carefully and wait for about 3 weeks till they reach 25cms.  I keep watering them every day during these 3 weeks, and before i transfer the small plants to their permanent place, I make sure that I water them properly so that I can easily lift the plant and all the roots.

I sow the seedlings around the last week of March,  along the drip line and approximately 1 metre apart.  I put yellow powder in dewy mornings,  each 10 days and I keep doing so till I see the first tomatoes.

Yellow powder help protecting the plant from many deseases and viruses, but the most important thing is that you keep the seeds of  healthy plants from one year to another.  Each year they become more resistant and they will yeald more fruit.

Make sure that the soil is rich with nutrients and fertilizers as tomatoes will grow bigger and nicer.  I try as hard as I can not to spray with pesticides, and when I see a plant struggling I'd rather take it off than applying the odd stuff.

Tomatoes like to stay next to Green Peppers, Aubergines and Sweet corn.  Make sure to rotate and plant them in different places each year.  Also feed the soil well after pulling out the plant.



Recipe Suggestions
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Sun dried Tomato and Olive Ciabatta
Robust Tomato Sauce for Pasta