Tomatoes

What a lovely sunny day to sow tomatoes! blue skies and sunshine at Jacks, with a warm snug tunnel for the gangs first day back. Everyone was in fine form, I think the rest after Christmas does everyone good, myself included, and its worth the wait for brighter longer days.And as it's offically La feile Brida, the first day of spring, its a great day to put in the most important seeds of the summer. After multiple hugs, kisses for Jack and happy new years we got down to work.

even Jack got his hands dirty

I feel sorry for anyone who has never picked a fresh tomato and eaten it straight off the plant. I have erased two sentences already as I tried (fairly hopelessly) to describe what that tastes like. If you could bottle summer then thats it!! Sweet, warm, mellow. Fecking fabulous. And they are so ridiculously easy to grow! If only we had dependable fine summers they would be as popular as the potato. /yeah I know, it would be a great country if only you could roof it....

it's not a glamour shot but you can appreciate the size, this is brandywine in all its glory

Jack had a tunnel full of mexican midget last year and they turned out to be fantastically productive, yielding good sized cherries well into December. I know people are fixated on cherry tomatoes but my favourite of all time has to be Brandywine. Big, fat, pink beefsteaks that are as sweet as one of those little cherries. Even so every year brings its own new variety to try. This year, because Johnny has promised me his decrepid old glasshouse I went a bit mad and got a lot of new varieties; broad ripple currant, Marmande,golden queen,chocolate stripe, black russian, aurora, rubinova, promyk, betalux, seklova and tigerella have been added to brandywine and mexican midget. No its not a big glasshouse. Youre right, I have probably lost the plot.



Tomatoes; sow about 1/4 inch deep into fine sieved compost (remember to get the moisture right before you fill the tray). Lots of heat from underneath, and then take them off the heat into really good light once they start to appear. In a propagator this can happen really quickly, 3 days for some types so keep an eye on them.

This is last years westies gang  putting in tomatoes in Eileens tunnel. It was May 21st. So its about a month from seed tray(February) to the first pot (March) Another month to the second pot (April). And one more month to the tunnel/glasshouse/largest final pot (May).Whatever you do be sure to support them. Eileen uses Bamboo until they are high enough to be tied into strings from the tunnels crop bars on the roof.

If you dont have a tunnel or glasshouse what do you do? In theory tomatoes, especially the bush varieties can be grown outdoors but in practise the first shower of rain on the ripening fruit rots them at speed. The best alternative(when no sunny porch or conservatory are available either) is to put them on the south side of the house, planted richly in a generously big pot, with a big water resovoir and lots of support. Keep them well watered and well fed and keep them in out of the rain. Finally, stick out the child of prague and pray for a fine summer!