F1 Hybrid: 1st Generation of Controlled Cross Pollination
Tomato Seeds - Sowing Instructions
Sow: February to April
Harvest: July to September
Keep plants moist at all times
View how to grow tab for full growing instructions
Tomato Seeds - Uses
Ideal for salads
Great for general cooking
Tomato Seeds - Advantages
Recommended for beginners
Excellent flavour
Good disease resistance
Succeeds equally well in soil or in grow bags
Can be grown outdoors in May
Index
Sowing Instructions
How to Transplant
Crop Maintenance
How to Harvest
Tomatoes are mostly grown in a greenhouse. It is warmth and not direct sunlight which promotes fruit ripening. Tomato plants can be grown from plants bought from garden centres in May or raised from seed in February.
Sowing Instructions
Sowing Time: Sow indoors in February
Sowing location: Sow in 24 cell trays or 9cm pot indoors, under cover
Sow 3 seeds in each pot & thin out later
Or sow 1 seed per cell
Sow seed 0.1cm deep in 3 inch pots using potting compost
Place in propagator
How to Transplant
Prick out into 9cm pots once large enough
April / May transplant again into larger, 1ltr pots using potting compost & place in greenhouse
Some varieties can be grown outdoors in May
These include Sungold F1 & Alicante
Growing outdoors
Transplant seedlings in late May
Position in a warm, sheltered & south facing sunny location
Plant into soil which is fertile, moist and drains well
Add well rotted farm-yard manure to soil before planting
Keep soil moist throughout growing season
A regular water supply is essential for a successful crop
Crop Maintenance
Feeding
Use a liquid feed. Once first flowers appear, use tomato feed, or fertilizer high in Potash
Read instructions provided on fertilizer label
Feed once each week
Watering
Avoid irregular watering: If plants dry out, fruits can shrink leading to splitting
If over watered, tomatoes can develop ‘blossom end rot’, a black mould on base of fruits
Keep soil moist, water once a week
Supporting
Tie main stem to a cane or support plants by tying them to greenhouse crossbars over head
Do not tie twine too tight around stem
Pruning
Reduce the number of fruiting stems to speed up ripening
Plants can be pruned so that only the main stem and 4 or 5 side shoots remain
Remove any remaining side shoots as they appear (from the base of every leaf), this is known as pinching out
Cut off yellowing leaves and those shading lower ‘trusses’ of fruit
How to Harvest
Harvest after 25 weeks
Tomatoes require heat for fruit to ripen
Maintain regular watering at time of harvest
If fruits are still green, ripen indoors
Placing tomatoes in a warm location next to bananas helps speed up ripening process