Allotment Growing

Growing Tomatoes Outdoors

Dwarf Bush Tomatoes interplanted
with lobelia in a planter

I do not usually grow cordon tomatoes outdoors, although some on our site do so and are quite successful. The bush varieties take up much more ground area so these are the ones I grow outside.

Dwarf Bush Variety Tomatoes

As these are bred for growing in a hanging basket or pot that is exactly what I do.

When the roots are starting through the bottom of the pot I simply fill the hanging basket with a general purpose compost combined with some water crystals. These are generally available and just swell up when they meet water. They help ensure there is always moisture available in the compost.

Usually we just grow two tomato plants in pedestal pots – interplanted with lobelia! Attractive and productive. One plant would be enough but I always like to have a spare in case of disaster.

When first planted, I keep a close eye on the weather and bring them in to the greenhouse if a cold night is threatened. By June this is no longer a concern in our area. Apart from regular watering, I only need to feed once a week and pick off the cherry tomatoes as and when required.

Feeding Tomatoes

Feeding is started when the first fruit begin to set – i.e. when you can see tiny tomatoes where the flowers were.

My preference is to use my own comfrey liquid but it is rather strong smelling. The deal with my wife is that I use an alternative commercially available tomato feed at home. Last year I obtained some organic tomato feed based on comfrey but this year we are using Tomorite. I don’t recommend using cheap tomato feeds – the NPK balance is often wrong and you may pay a premium for a decent product but at least it will do the job effectively.

Main Bush Variety Tomatoes

Position and Preparation

These are grown outside on the allotment. The ideal site for tomatoes is sunny and sheltered – a rare combination. The soil should be limed if acid, well cultivated and rich. As my soil is clay I do not worry about sufficient water too much but on sandy soils I would dig a trench, line with newspaper and fill with compost to ensure water was always available.

Having dug over the soil, I laid a cut of wilted comfrey on the surface and covered with weed suppressant fabric two weeks before planting. This has a number of benefits:

• Keeps the weeds from growing and stealing nutrients away from greedy tomatoes.
• Warms the soil due to its black colour and helps maintain an even temperature
• Helps control slugs as they cannot retreat into the soil in day time

After a fortnight, the comfrey was begging to rot down and the soil was warm so I planted out at a spacing of 2 feet between plants. I planted to one side of the fabric and later planted some courgettes on the other side. In hindsight this was a mistake and I should have planted in the middle as the plants overhang to the side and need the space.

Interplanting Tomatoes

Between the plants I interplanted tagetes to deter whitefly. Usually these look very attractive but the variety donated by the flower grower in the family all died off for some reason. Normally marigolds grow like a weed but not this year (2005). I then covered with a cloche to keep the plants as warm as possible.

Feeding and Watering Tomatoes

When the plants were pushing the cloche, these were removed and a lemonade bottle with the top and bottom cut off to form a pipe inserted a few inches into the ground next to each plant. The idea is to give me the ability to water directly to the roots in case of drought, hosepipe ban etc. It also means I can concentrate my fertilising by pouring the comfrey liquid straight to the roots.

Apart from feeding about once a week with comfrey liquid and watering in dry weather, there is nothing to do until the tomatoes are ready to harvest.

End of Season

At the end of the season before the first frost, I harvest all the green tomatoes of reasonable size and these can either be ripened indoors or used in chutney etc.

You can also hang up the vines with fruit on in a frost-free, cool dark place and they will slowly ripen. If kept in a drawer with a ripe banana they will ripen quickly due to the gas given off by the banana.

If a mild frost is threatened you can try covering with horticultural fleece to keep the plant going. My own experience is that when the weather turns, you may as well give in as the low temperatures in the daytime will not favour growth.

If you are growing cordon tomatoes outside, you can lay these down onto straw or suchlike and cover with a cloche. If you don't lay onto something, you'll just be bringing the slugs a meal!

Outdoor Tomatoes	Click on the photo to view larger image
Preparing the soil Having dug over the soil, incorporating compost, I then placed a cut of comfrey on the surface. This will provide nutrients almost perfectly balanced for tomatoes. The comfrey is covered with a weed suppressant fabric which will also help to warm the soil.
Plum Roma Bush Tomato Tomatoes require warm weather and sunshine to do well but these are shaded by the climbing beans to the south. Despite that error in siting, they are doing well and the plants are healthy. The plants are being fed with comfrey liquid on a weekly basis having set fruits, which are swelling nicely.

Growing Tomatoes Guides

• Tomatoes Part 1 - Introduction and Types of Tomatoes
• Tomatoes Part 2 - Sowing and Starting off Tomatoes
• Tomatoes Part 3 - Growing Outdoors, Bush Varieties of Tomatoes
• Tomatoes Part 4 - Grow house and Greenhouse, Cordon Varieties of Tomatoes
• Tomatoes Part 5 - Tomato Troubles and Diseases
• Tomatoes Part 6 - Cultivars, Tried and Tasted Tomatoes
• Water Requirements for Tomatoes
• Heirloom Tomatoes - Heritage Tomatoes
• Tomato Varieties with RHS Award of Garden Merit (Seed Catalogue)
• All Tomato Varieties (Seed Catalogue)