{"id":642,"date":"2010-02-03T11:49:22","date_gmt":"2010-02-03T01:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/?p=642"},"modified":"2021-02-08T22:44:47","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T12:44:47","slug":"growing-your-own-tomatoes-its-easier-than-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/2010\/02\/03\/growing-your-own-tomatoes-its-easier-than-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing your own tomatoes &#8211; it could be easier than you think"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"top\" \/><span style=\"font-size: large; color: #000000;\">Growing your own tomatoes &#8211; it could be easier than you think<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Tomatoes are one of the easiest plants to grow. Here are a few tips that might help get you started. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Once you&#8217;re harvesting have a look at the article &#8216;How to use up all those <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">tomatoes<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">&#8216; <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">for recipe ideas<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> or try out the Green Tomato &amp; Walnut Cake recipe.<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_683\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040331.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-683\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-683\" title=\"Green Beefsteak tomato\" src=\"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040331-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040331-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040331.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-683\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Green Beefsteak tomato<\/p><\/div>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #008000;\">When to grow<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Tomatoes grow best through the summer months in most areas. Spring and early summer are the ideal times to sow tomatoes from seed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">How to grow<\/span><\/h1>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong>Grow from seed by sowing directly into the garden bed or into pots or trays and transplanting when the plants are a few centimetres tall. Or take the easier option and buy seedlings that can be planted directly into the garden or pots.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040349.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-684\" title=\"Tomato seedling\" src=\"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040349-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040349-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040349-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Tomatoes in the garden<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Full sun, 8 hours direct sunlight daily.<\/li>\n<li>Deep, well drained and friable soil.<\/li>\n<li>Dig the soil to one good spade\u2019s depth a few weeks before planting.<\/li>\n<li>Mix in some organic compost or old manure and some Dynamic Lifter and cultivate thoroughly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>In acidic soils (where azaleas, gardenias, camellias grow) add a little lime.<\/li>\n<li>Tall growing tomatoes will need stakes for support so embed a strong 1-2 metre stake beside plant to tie the plant to as it grows to keep it stable and prevent damage from strong winds and to keep fruit off the ground, healthy and clean.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_681\" style=\"width: 231px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040323-e1266760509810.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-681\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-681\" title=\"Green Acid Free tomatoes\" src=\"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040323-e1266760509810-221x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040323-e1266760509810-221x300.jpg 221w, https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040323-e1266760509810-757x1024.jpg 757w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 221px) 100vw, 221px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-681\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Green Acid Free tomatoes<\/p><\/div>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Tomatoes in pots<\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_685\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040346.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-685\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-685\" title=\"Growing tomatoes in pots\" src=\"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040346-e1266762351968-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040346-e1266762351968-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/P1040346-e1266762351968-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-685\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Growing tomatoes in pots<\/p><\/div>\n<p>If you don\u2019t have enough space in the garden to grow tomatoes, try them in containers instead.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use good quality potting mix.<\/li>\n<li>Add some organic compost or old manure and some Dynamic Lifter to the mix before planting.<\/li>\n<li>Plant one of the compact, bushy varieties, such as \u2018Tiny Tim\u2019 or \u2018Tumbler\u2019, which can even be grown in a hanging basket.<\/li>\n<li>Larger varieties need bigger pots.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Watering<\/span><\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>If not enough water when growing tomatoes they can produce tougher skin and less juiciness, making them more mealy or floury.<\/li>\n<li>Water in well after planting then keep moist but not soaking. Keep up a steady water supply at all times.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let them dry out, especially tomatoes grown in pots which can dry out more easily, as it will affect the quality of fruit.<\/li>\n<li>To avoid disease do not water leaves, always water at the base.<\/li>\n<li>A thin layer of mulch (2-3cm deep) will retain moisture in the soil. Use lucerne hay, sugar cane mulch, pea straw or some other coarse organic matter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Keep up the feeding<\/span><\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Fertilise 5 weeks and 10 weeks after planting and then every fortnight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Trouble shooting<\/span><\/h1>\n<h1>Bugs &amp; Diseases<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>Protect plants from pests and diseases with regular use of Tomato Dust.<\/li>\n<li>Low toxicity pyrethrum to control aphids and whitefly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1>Birds &amp; possums<\/h1>\n<p>Use a large bird cage or netting to keep birds and possums out.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Yellowing leaves<\/strong><\/span><\/span><br \/>\nAs plants grow, the lower leaves go yellow and die. That is normal, so simply snip of any yellow leaves. However, if many leaves go yellow or the yellowing is accompanied by unhealthy looking blotches and spots, or if the plant wilts despite regular watering, the plant has probably contracted a bacterial, fungal or virus disease. Check with your local nursery for advice.Usually the plant should be pulled out and disposed of. Don&#8217;t grow tomatoes in that spot again for at least two years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growing your own tomatoes &#8211; it could be easier than you think Tomatoes are one of the easiest plants to grow. Here are a few tips that might help get you started. Once you&#8217;re harvesting have a look at the article &#8216;How to use up all those tomatoes&#8216; for recipe ideas or try out the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,29,59],"tags":[93,141,30],"class_list":["post-642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-information","category-fruit","category-vegetables","tag-food-information","tag-fruit","tag-tomatoes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1173,"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642\/revisions\/1173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}