We live and learn. Nearly all of our “sales” so far have been the result of advice provided by us and based on a knowledge of the “customer’s” requirements. The Garden Codger will continue to report what plants are available, but we would like to stress that advice is also on offer. Just let us know your requirements and we will do our best to help – even delivering to the door wherever possible
Sowing and reaping
As it tells us in the Bible: if you don’t sow, you won’t
reap. We have now done six weeks of
lockdown (we started a week early). Trying to think ahead I rummaged through
every seed packet in the shed and sowed every seed I came across in the
greenhouse. The result? A lot of seedlings! And, I am pleased to say, lots and
lots of tomato seedlings. Most people like tomatoes and, hopefully, this will
be the year you try growing your own. It
is not difficult. You do not need much space. In fact, you do not even need a
garden. A porch or a balcony will do the trick – proved it gets sun for a good
part of the day. There are two ways to grow tomatoes. The best way for a novice
is to start with a potted bush tomato. Looking at that first:
Bush tomatoes
As the name suggests, the bush tomato grows in a bush shape
and does not require any pruning. You just let it grow! Place the pot in a
sunny spot and keep it watered. After flowering, tiny green tomatoes will form
in trusses. At this stage you start feeding – a couple of times a week. Buy
liquid feed, dilute, and apply. You can obtain tomato feed at most supermarkets.
Unless you are growing on an industrial scale, one bottle is enough for the
season. I find the Wilko version cheap and does the job fine.
[Tip: although the
directions will focus on tomatoes you can use this feed on almost anything you
want to grow]
Cordon (or vine) tomatoes
These require more work – and probably give more interest, too.
By pinching out the side shoots the aim is to produce a single stem that grows
up and up – as much as a couple of metres. The technique of pinching-out can be
learned by looking at videos on the internet. By the way, I recommend those produced
by Charles Dowding, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N586k4Jv1Xg
Although cordon tomatoes are normally grown in a greenhouse,
most summers are warm enough to get good, but later, results growing outside. In
or out, the long stem, or vine, needs strong support. Again, YouTube abounds
with information. Seasoned growers will want to know what varieties will be
available from this quarter so look again tomorrow. I find that tomatoes growers
have strong preferences!
Almost forgot to say: for amatuer growers, the fruit of cordon tomato plants tend to be bigger. Usually, bush tomatoes are bred to produce bite-size, sweet fruit. The cherry tomatoes that are much in favour
 |
| Long season variety - cropping April to October |
Rhubarb and Custard
We have just picked and eaten our first rhubarb of the
season. Although we can’t supply the custard, we have a couple of nice rhubarb
plants potted up and ready to go at Garden Codger’s Nursery. Get in touch in the usual way if you are
interested. And, don’t forget, we’ll do our best to provide any other plants
you need. I've just had a request for a Rudbeckia and I thought they were all gone - but managed to find one. So, it's worth asking. See the photo below
All for now from the Gardening Codger
No comments:
Post a Comment