Guide to growing Tomato Tasting Collection

Guide – how to succeed with your tomato cultivation.

Tomatoes are easy to grow and often yield a large harvest. Plus, there's something really special about homegrown tomatoes - they taste better and are more beautiful than any other tomatoes when you know how much love has gone into them. If you're going to grow tomatoes, you should invest in growing several different varieties, with varying flavors, colors and uses. Then you'll get the most out of both growing and cooking. Here we share all of our personal tips and tricks for succeeding with tomato growing.

 

Growing accessories you need to have at home

·       Well-fertilized, good quality planting soil

·       Pots for transplanting tomatoes in sizes 10*10 cm, 15*15 cm and 30*30 cm.

·       Plant nutrition – liquid or pelleted chicken or vegetable manure.

 

Growing location

Tomatoes thrive best in a sunny, warm and wind-protected location. Preferably at least 6-7 hours of sun/day.

You can grow them in a greenhouse, in the open field or in a larger pot outdoors (at least 10 liters).

 

Sowing

·       Pre-grow the tomatoes indoors. If they are to be grown in a greenhouse, you can start as early as March. If they are to be grown outdoors, you can start pre-grow a few weeks later.

·       Place the growing briquettes on a tray or in a trough and pour lukewarm water onto the tray so that the water is sucked up from below. Fill with water until the briquettes have swollen to their full size. Pour off any excess water.

·       Sow 1-2 seeds/briquette about 0.5 cm deep. Mark the sowing with a marker where you write the variety and cultivation date.

·       Cover the seeds with transparent covering with air holes - a glass dome, a plastic lid or a plastic bag that you have made holes in. Place the seeds in a warm place - over a radiator or on a heated floor - for faster germination.

·       Keep the seeds moist at all times – but not soggy, as this can cause the seeds to rot.

·       When the seed comes to life and a green shoot emerges, place the seed in a place with plenty of daylight.

 

Transplanting – in three steps

Tomatoes develop best when transplanted into progressively larger pots.

If you replant them directly into a large final pot, the plant will focus on forming roots instead of leaves and growth.

 

Transplantation 1:

·       When? Approximately 3-4 weeks after sowing when the plant has two pairs of leaves.

·       Pot : 10×10 cm filled with nutritious potting soil.

Transplantation 2

·       When : 2–3 weeks after transplanting 1.

·       Pot : 15×15–30×30 cm filled with nutritious soil.

Transplantation 3

·       When : 2–3 weeks after transplanting 2.

·       Pot : 30×30 cm filled with nutritious soil.

 

Tip !

·       Plant deeper each time. Tomatoes form new roots along the stem → resulting in more compact and stronger plants.

 

Harden off – accustom the plants to outdoor life

·       When the risk of frost is over, it is time to start accustoming the plants to outdoor life. Start with 1 hour outside per day and gradually increase the time.

·       Avoid direct sun and wind for the first few days

·       After about 4–7 days, the plants are ready for planting out.

 

Prepare the growing site

It's almost time for the tomato plants to move outside, but before that you need to prepare the growing site. Tomatoes can be grown in many different places – in pots, in a pallet collar or in a flower bed. Below are our tips on how to prepare these different growing sites.

Grow in a pot

·       Minimum size: 10 liters, preferably larger. Fill with nutritious potting soil.

Cultivate in pallet collar

·       A standard pallet collar (80×120 cm) holds approximately 200 liters of soil.

·       You get the best results with a double pallet collar, meaning that you load two pallet collars on top of each other. This will increase the soil depth and give the plants more room to grow.

Soil recipe for a double pallet collar:

·       5 bags of potting soil

·       2 bags of cow manure

·       1 bag of biochar

Prepare existing bed (open land)

·       Clear weeds

·       Loosen the soil 20–30 cm deep

·       Fertilize. You can use pelleted chicken manure or vegetable fertilizer (follow the dosage on the packaging) or well-rotted manure (horse/cow) at about 1–3 liters/m².

·       Improve soil for better structure by adding compost, bark mulch or biochar.

 

Transplantation

Greenhouse : May (but watch out for frost!)

Outdoors : early June

·       Finally plant the tomatoes in well-fertilized soil. Plant them a little deeper than they were previously. The distance between the plants should be about 40–50 cm.

·       Support the plant with a stake or tie them up with string.

 

TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BEST HARVEST

Watering

·       Water with lukewarm water.

·       Maintain even moisture, this reduces the risk of cracked tomatoes.

Nutrition

·       Fertilize regularly throughout the season.

·       Use liquid plant food diluted in water. You can also make your own food from, for example, pelleted chicken manure or nettles. Read more about fertilizer on our website.

Top the plant

·       If the plant becomes tall or rickety → cut off the top above the 2nd or 3rd pair of leaves. The plant will then be more compact and stable.

·       You can put the top of the plant in water. It will then start to form roots along the stem and voila, you have created a new tomato plant!

The plant thief

·       Pinch off side shoots between the stem and leaves. This will cause the plant to focus more on producing fruit than leaves.

Thin leaves

·       It is a good idea to remove large leaves later in the season as they tend to shade the fruit and slow its ripening.

Pollination

·       If you grow in a greenhouse, you will need to help with pollination.  Lightly tap each flower with your finger or shake the plant gently. If you are growing outdoors, this will be done by insects and the wind!