Tomatoes
My father Fred grew the best tomatoes. His secret ingredient was potash, derived from the frequent applications of seaweed and wood ash he piled on his vegetable garden. While nitrogen makes things grow lush and leafy, potash promotes flowering and fruiting and in the case of tomatoes gives them a particularly dense, rich flavour. Once you have eaten a ripe, sweet home-grown tomato there’s no going back. My summer garden just wouldn’t be complete without an interesting assortment of tomato plants. I like to experiment each year with different varieties. In recent years I have taken to planting heirloom varieties such as the prolific Box Car Willie, Brandywine Pink with its large fruit with a dense, meaty texture, and the piquant pale green Aunt Ruby’s German Green. Small cherry types are a great choice if you’re planting in pots or tubs, and they seem to require very little attention aside from plenty of water.
Top tips for tomatoes
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Prepare garden by digging in compost and seeds.
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Grow tomatoes in a sunny spot out of the wind.
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Remember to change the location of your tomato bed each year, to avoid diseases left in the soil from last year.
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Plant the tomato plants up to the first true leaves.
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Stake when planting – this provides support and avoids damaging the roots later on.
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Water the soil (not the leaves) – a good, deep soaking 2-3 times a week is better than more regular light watering.
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Pinch out laterals (side branches that grow from where the leaves meet the main stems of the plant) – laterals suck goodness from the plant and limit fruit production.
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Three weeks after planting first tomatoes plant another round for continuous summer fruit.
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Fertilise to encourage plentiful fruiting.
Tomato types |
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Best for |
Variety |
Description |
Salads
|
Beefsteak |
Large, tasty and fleshy |
| Black Paste | Plum tomato, dark skinned and firm | |
| Oxheart | Fleshy, flavoursome, with few seeds | |
Hors d'oeuvres
|
Ladybug |
Very sweet and a short harvest |
| Sweet 100 | Small, prolific and sweet | |
| Tiny Tim | Delicious, sweet, long harvest time | |
| Tomaccio | Intense raisin flavour and sweet | |
Relish
|
Amish Paste |
Plum-shaped and sweet |
|
Money Maker |
Mid-sized, flavoursome and versatile |
|
|
Russian Red |
Cool-climate, reliable, good flavour |
|
|
San Marzano |
Prolific, bright red, plum tomato |
|
Roasting |
Campari |
Vine type that ripen all at once |
Low acidity |
Roma (low acidity) |
Oval, great for sauces |
In the garden
Tomatoes are relatively easy to grow but need full sun and shelter from wind. Well-fed plants are primed to resist pests and diseases better, so start with a free-draining soil into which you have mixed lots of compost. As some diseases are carried in the soil, it’s best to plant tomatoes in a different place each year. Once the first flowers have set, apply more compost. Standard and bush varieties will require staking. Laterals – the shoots that grow off the main stem – can be removed to keep standard varieties open and to ensure the fruit is exposed to sun and air as it ripens. Late ripening tomato vines can be pulled and hung from their roots and dried; the fruit will keep ripening over the coming weeks.
In the kitchen
Keeping pace with your tomato harvest can be challenging, so look for alternative preparation methods rather than always enjoying them fresh from the vine. Slow-roasted tomatoes have many uses: puree as a sauce for pasta, mix into couscous, use as a base for baked lamb, fish or chicken dishes, serve for breakfast on grilled bread with crispy bacon and a spoonful of pesto, or serve with corn fritters for an easy brunch. Roasted tomatoes also make a wonderful rich sauce which can be frozen and used in colder months to pack a fragrant summer punch.
These are some of my favourite recipes for tomatoes:
Avocados with Tomatoes & Balsamic Dressing
