As the summer reaches its peak, many gardens will be showing signs of an imminent harvest with tomato plants leading the charge. So what do we need to do to help the fruit plants perform their best? Luckily Monty Don is here to answer that.
Tomato plants are the perfect starter for vegetable gardening for beginners as they don't require too much maintenance but provide an impressive harvest when the time comes.
Despite being straightforward care-wise, Monty Don has shared his tomato-growing advice once again for ensuring you get the most out of your plant this season.
It's time to get the gardening gloves on and show your tomato plants some much-needed attention before the risk of blight gets to them.
Monty Don's advice for outdoor tomatoes
When it comes to gardening advice, there's no one we trust more than guru Monty Don. This is why we desperately wait each month for his July blog post full to the brim with tips and tricks for getting the most out of our garden.
Starting July's post, Monty says, "The vegetable garden in July has lots of salad leaves, peas, beans, new potatoes, beetroot, garlic, carrots and artichokes, cucumbers, courgettes and tomatoes. We harvest basil by the trug load and make pesto to eat fresh and to freeze, storing that lovely oily taste of summer for the dark winter evenings."
Whether you're already well on your way with succession planting or are still getting to grips with having your allotment, there's work to be done with vegetable patches this month. Especially your tomatoes, according to Monty.
"I do not plant my outdoor tomatoes until June. But once they are in the ground they will grow strongly and need regular tying up. This is, of course, if you are growing cordon tomatoes rather than bush or determinate varieties. The latter can be propped up rather like an herbaceous plant rather than tied regularly in," says the professional gardener.
If you're in a position to start tying your tomatoes up then make sure you're not making this common mistake with supporting climbing plants. Your tomatoes will also need a little more attention than simply being tied up.
Monty explains, "As I tie them with soft twine I pinch out the side shoots and then water them. I do not feed the outdoor ones as our soil is plenty rich enough and they had a good mulch of compost just before planting, but the indoor tomatoes will have a weekly seaweed feed at the same time."
Aside from planting and feeding your tomatoes where necessary, Monty warns that from late July the risks of blight increase. He says, "Dependant as it is upon the combination of high humidity and warm days and nights."
To keep your outdoor tomatoes safe, Monty recommends providing good ventilation and stripping off the lower leaves as the fruits develop which will help with this. It also aids in the ripening of the tomatoes and gives them maximum exposure to the sun which will speed up the process.
This method is similar to how to deadhead your plants and the benefits that come with it. Taking leaves or growths off a plant can allow it to redirect its energy to more important parts such as the flowers and growing fruits.
Tomato tying gardening essentials
RRP: £11.96 | These Gold Leaf RHS collections Chelsea Ladies Comfortable Leather Gardening Gloves are perfect for any job you need to tackle in your garden, even adding twine onto your tomatoes.
RRP: £11.99 | Having a high-quality pair of secateurs can make a simple job all that much easier, even if you are just using them to cut through twine. These will also come in handy for pruning and deadheading plants.
RRP: £8.99 | Looking for another reel of twine for your tomatoes or string beans? Look no further, this natural jute twine is perfect for the job and is 3mm thick so it'll withstand whatever the UK weather throws at it.
Once you've got your tomatoes ready for their last stage of growth why not take Monty's rambling rose pruning advice and prolong your flowering rose climbers?
