Growing Tomatoes

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Thought to originate from Peru, tomatoes are one food crop grown by more people than any other. Growing tomatoes starts with choosing the perfect variety for your needs. Are you interested in a small cherry variety, a paste tomato for sauces or a larger slicing variety? Will you grow it in a pot or the ground, and what kind of support will work best for you.

Determinate tomatoes only grow to a fixed mature size and set all their fruit at once. They are a good choice for container growing. On the other hand, indeterminate tomatoes continue to extend in length throughout the growing season and are sometimes called vining tomatoes.

It’s best to use a finer, sterile seed starter mix in a 4” container. Dampen the soil starter and drop the tomato seed on top. Cover with a light coating of the soil starter and wait. Typically it takes five to ten days for the seeds to germinate and the first leaves to appear. A light source or bright southfacing window is key. I like to give small regular doses of a balanced organic fertilizer through this growth stage.

GROWING TOMATOES

Mid May is the time to plant your tomatoes out, make sure to pick off all the lower leaves and plant them deeply, leaving only four or five inches above the soil. This bare stem will produce roots all along its length and create a much stronger plant.

Once your plants are in their permanent home and start putting on some good growth, it is time to begin pruning. Pruning encourages early ripening at the expense of heavy yields. Any yellowing leaves or any leaves below the first set of flowers should be removed. The tiny suckers that grow between the stem and larger leaves should be pinched out.

Whether you want to grow tomatoes from seed or seedlings, we have a great collection of heirloom varieties grown from our own saved seeds at the Food and Farm Hub at 2431 Beverly Street, Duncan.

Jan MacKirdy Farm Manager at the Cowichan Farm & Food Hub