Starting tomatoes from seed is the best way to get plants already suited to the place where they will grow. Shop bought plants can be in shock. However, starting seeds indoors can be tricky especially when extra cold outside results in the house heating system being turned up. The lack of sunshine indoors and chills …Read More about Starting some tomatoes
Growing Tomatoes
Early tomatoes
While it is still still too early to start summer tomatoes from seed indoors (end of February), it is well worth starting some Russian and Eastern European tomato seeds. These are early tomatoes that need 8 weeks indoors before slowly moving outside. As their names imply (eg Sub-Arctic Plenty) these are more sturdy plants that …Read More about Early tomatoes
Kitchen gardening
Doing a bit of kitchen gardening in the city provides access to fresh produce on a daily basis. While being able to pull together a fresh salad from the garden at a moment’s notice is very satisfying, the real art of the kitchen garden is to produce a range of crops that can be preserved …Read More about Kitchen gardening
The best paste tomatoes
The San Marzano paste tomato is considered the best heirloom variety for sauces and making paste. Originally from Italia, the San Marzano and its cousin the Roma are the two best producers for the small city garden or balcony. These reliable croppers produce well even in mixed summers. For making sauces and tomato paste these …Read More about The best paste tomatoes
Picking tomatoes
Picking your own tomatoes is very satisfying. Fully mature tomatoes is a sign of a healthy plant often despite weather conditions and the limiting factors of a small city garden. When the tomatoes are heirloom varieties the whole exercise is one of helping to preserve a rare breed. All the seeds from these plants can …Read More about Picking tomatoes
Raised bed tomato plants
2017 is setting up to be another good year for growing tomatoes outdoors. The heat wave earlier in the year got the plants off to a good start with all the plants in the raised bed now setting fruit. The weather is now a bit changeable so some overhead protection against heavy rain can help …Read More about Raised bed tomato plants