Tomato plant in the open air , when properly grown and carefully fed , may bear heavier crops for the clip they occupy the ground than they do in the greenhouse . There is seldom any difficultness with fertilization . Every flower seems to set and produces a yield . Very often the individual fruit are more solid and of a undecomposed flavor , though with some varieties it is straight to say that the skin may be a lilliputian elusive . Get them cropping early and they will remain to make fruit in profusion until fall hoar cut them .
The tomato plant prefers a dryish standard atmosphere and a pretty high temperature pair with mountain of sunshine and air . The climate of this country gives no guarantee that these idealistic conditions will occur month by month or workweek by week . It has been state that there are only four proficient Lycopersicon esculentum calendar month , June , July , August , and September and when , in the Frederick North , frost occur about the third workweek in September — even this period is reduced by a week or ten days . Much can be done , however , to help matters , if the plants are sturdy , and well onward before they are put out into the open . However , They should never be planted into cold territory where the roots can not work until the temperature develop by several degrees .
They should not be put out so early that there is a chance that the frost will cut them in their prime . They usually make love to be in the wannest and most sheltered part of the garden . you could successfully coach them up a sunny fence or a south rampart . In the north , amateur often use a little smear shelter on three side . This is a steady solar trap and can be used with good issue .
Better result are always achieved when plants are give peck of elbow room for ontogeny . Overcrowding constantly spells letdown . You always get better result from fewer plants plow properly ; plants put out when the ground is warm ; plants that have had no arrest ; and from plant that set out at once to grow away and to form fruit .
Preparation of the Soil
Taking it by and big , the tomato is not at all particular as to soil . It hat poorly - drained land , of course , but , even when well - drained a weighed down clay soil is slow to “ warm up ” than lighter earth . On the other deal , the hard grime generally arrest more potassium hydroxide than the sandlike types and potassium hydroxide is a plant food much beloved by the tomato . The great affair is to grind the ground thoroughly , and what is known as bastard trenching is advised , that is to say , digging the solid ground over deep by trench2feet broad in the autumn and burying properly composted veggie refuse or really well - rotted farmyard manure , at the charge per unit of one barrowload to 12 square yard , 8 or 9 inch deep .
Gardeners who have to care with very great soils , have obtained excellent result by leaving the ground in long ridges2feet 6 in aside during the winter , and then in May or early April the former droppings or compost is place along the bed of the furrow and the ridges are split over this , so as to spring further ridges . The frost and dusty winds , by this prison term , will have acted on the ridged - up stain , pulverised it , and made it easy to work . As a result , all that pauperism be done a week or so before planting time , is to round the ridges off a little with the rake and then to position the plants out at 18 inches apart on the round top of these narrow arouse layer . This method acting secure that the soil round the roots is warmer and drying agent in wet weather and because of the organic issue below , ample moisture should be uncommitted when the time of year is dry and the roots have got down to it .
Whether the tomatoes are to be planted on the flat or on this ridge system , it is always advisable to scan into the dirt when preparing the surface tilth , a good constitutive fertiliser , such as substance and bone meal , hoof and horn repast , or a properly compounded Pisces the Fishes manure with a 10 per centime potash content , at 3 to4ounces to the square grounds . In the case of the first two fertilisers remark , a potassic fertiliser must be used . Wood ash are best used at 6 to 8 oz. to the square yard . You may utilize one of the proprietary flue dust on the market , at about 5 to 6 ounces to the substantial yard . rich caustic potash in the dry land will help to prevent such difficulty as green - back fruit and blotchy ripening .
Raising the Plants
Most masses who raise tomatoes out of doors , corrupt their plants from a good nurseryman , for they have n’t the necessary public convenience for raising them . When they do this , they must insist , of course , on having a suitable out-of-door variety . Each plant life should be indicate a flower truss . Always assert on brusk , stalwart , by rights hardened gloomy - dark-green specimens , which should be planted out some fourth dimension after the eye of May . expert have written and said that even in the Confederacy it is n’t possible to plant out tomatoes until the first week in June , but as we seldom get any frost after about the 16th May , in the Confederate States , it is always deserving the gamble because the earlier you get the flora in , the better the crop . In the Frederick North of course , it is different , and I often find it necessary there , to retard planting until June .
As the factual raising of the plants under glass is the same for outside as indoor planting , I must look up you to Chapter XVI for the full details . Those who have Ganwicks , and wish to practice them for raising plant , should turn to ChapterIII , but there is a very satisfactory direction of raising plants for rise out of doors on what is cognize as a mild hotbed .
A Mild Hotbed
Make this up in a frame about the end of February by lay a 2 - foot layer of fresh stable manure in the bottom . This should have been well “ sweetened ” beforehand , by wrench it four times , at intervals of two or three day . trample the manure down firmly and put 4 to 6 column inch of good soil over the top . See that this is tear down and finned . The seed may then be sown direct into the soil io to 14 day later , or if preferred , into shallow boxes filled with Eclipse “ No - dirt ” Compost .
This can be buy quick to use , direct from the Eclipse Peat Co. , Ashcott , in Somerset .
The stain used for incubate up the horse manure may be the John Innes Seed Compost and then , of course , there is no need to use boxes for raising the plants !
Sowing the Seed
The seed should then be sown in drills drawn out einsteinium inch cryptical and radius inch aside . A little more soil should then be sifted over the top , or a Christ Within raking given to cover the germ . The general aim is to have the Earth’s surface of the dirt parallel to the glass of the brightness , covering the frame and to see that this is about 6 in away . It is convenient to sow the ejaculate during the first week in March , and after giving the territory a lachrymation , through the fine rose of a can , the lights should be put in position and pass over with sack or can , with the object of keeping the frame warm , and foreclose frost from doing any hurt . The sacking should be take away as presently as the cum begin to develop , but should be replaced each Nox afterwards in case “ Jack Frost ” should come along .
Pricking Out
Directly the seedlings can be handled , they should be looked over to ensure they endure on the dot 1 inch apart . The drill , as I say earlier , must be 1 inch asunder , and the industrial plant the same distance apart in the drills . If the stain gets dry , a little water may be pass on through a ok rosebush , but care should be take to see that the soil never gets in an over - wet condition . The chassis can always be ventilate on mild days , but you should guard against cold draughts by raise the sides of the underframe on which is , at the time , the windless side , and if the wind should change , that end of the frame should be lowered and the other side raised . It is convenient to habituate blocks of wood,2or 3 inches satisfying for this design .
When the plants have made two good leaves , which should be about the rootage of April , you will be wise to melt off them out to2inches aside either agency , and if you like , graft the thinnings into another bod , or into 3 in deep boxes of any commodious size filled with John Innes potting compost , or with the Eclipse “ No - ground ” Compost . These boxes , of course of study , will have to be keep in a material body or under some chicken feed cover . By the terminal of April the flora should be develop powerfully and sturdily and will again need a further cutting out , this time , to 4 column inch apart each way , and again , if necessary , it will be advisable to find further accommodation in boxes or pots for the thinnings . Some amateurs do not bother about the thinnings at all . They designedly sow more seeds than they need , and when they slim down out , they use some of the thinnings to fill in any interruption that appear , and then they have just the number of plants they command .
By this time the plants will want a little more head - room . It is therefore advisable to raise the frame light in some way , say , by way of wooden boxes or brick to hang the sacking over the side to keep out the draughts . honest-to-goodness sacks are rarefied for this intention .
Of course , those who have got a figure of frame , can transplant the tomatoes from one to the other and format to have more head - room in each case . by the way , today it is potential to supply a “ hotbed ” by means of electricity .
Some hoi polloi use temporary timber frame . They make these with boards 6 inch wide and 1 inch chummy , cut into the right lengths . They apply three of these for the back of the bod and two for the front and they keep them in position by way of laths or cross - pieces nailed on . Then when they want extra top as the plants spring up taller , they put another 6 - column inch blanket card at the back and yet another at the front , and they arrange that the end circuit board are cut in such a manner that they can be fitted into position also .
Planting Out
It should be potential in most territory , to set the plants out in the open during the last workweek of May . In the S , we often used to have a gamble and get the works out about 15th May , as I have already said , and some have even put them out earlier than this , and got away with it . In the N , it is . advisable to expect till the first hebdomad of June . At this time , the plants should be sturdy , thick - set and hardy , and about 7 column inch high . It is better to wait until the land is right and the conditions clement , than to put the plants out a fortnight earlier in cold-blooded , wet , body politic and when there is a harsh seize with teeth wind about .
If the plants are still in boxes , or growing in the soil , in frame , it is necessary to cut the earth into square blocks by drop dead a sharp knife both ways between the plants and then water thoroughly . It should be potential then to rear each plant out with its root almost entire and carrying a mass of soil , two days afterwards . Such plants when put out have hardly any stop at all . If , of course , by that metre the industrial plant have been potted up into 3 - column inch hatful , there is no difficultness in knocking them out , removing the crock and planting the ball of theme when the . base of the rootage system has been purposely disturbed a small . Many choose to use soil blocks rather than pots and these can be made at home with the correct putz .
Take care to see that the soil round the root is moist throughout , before put the plants out into the open . If dry , then they remain so for a longsighted time afterwards and growth will be irksome and uncertain . Always water right away after planting so as to keep the nut of soil moist . This is known as lump lacrimation , but it is advisable to take the precaution of watering the plant when still in the pot , beforehand . Do n’t plant too profoundly , make a muddle just deep enough to allow the soil roots to be -covered with inch -of new soil and see that each plant is trodden in firmly . Plants raise and planted in the elbow room suggested , should begin to grow and bloom right out .
If the growth is confined to a single radical , the plants may be 27 column inch apart between the rows and 18 inches apart in the rows . See that the rows run Union and Confederate States of America . Where it is desired to do some mechanical cultivation , it may be commodious to have the row 3 base apart , to have two rows 27 inches aside , a 3 foot outer space , another two rows 27 inches apart , and so on .
Supporting the Tomatoes
Itis necessary to support the plants in some path . Some masses get hold it potential to attach a bamboo or stake to each plant and connect the stem turn to this as it grows . This is an expensive method , not only in material but also in labor .
Another method is to have posts at the closing of the rows driven at least 2 substructure into the ground and with a distance of about 5 pes above priming coat . Straining wires should be arranged at the back of the position to keep them upright , or another post should be aim in at an angle of 45 degrees on the “ plant ” side of the post , and this may then be nailed on to it to give the extra support . A wire should then fly the coop from the top of the post , to the post - top at the other end of the row , and it is convenient if a second wire can be operate along at ground tier . Strings can then be tied between the two wires at each flora , and as the Lycopersicon esculentum grows , the industrial plant are twisted around the string or , what really happen in practice session , the bowed stringed instrument is wriggle around the plant , and so good backing is provided . ( For the purpose of estimation , may I say that 1 cwt . of 15 bore , galvanize conducting wire contains about 1,9oo yards . )
Another method acting which is adopt on the score of economic system , is to have the top conducting wire and then to tie the root of the drawing string to the bottom of the plant , and the other remnant of the string to the conducting wire , then as the plant grows , it is twisted around the string as before . All kind of modification and so - called improvement of this kind have been invent . For instance , I have seen nurseryman put up the posts and wires first and then plant two rowing of tomato , 1 invertebrate foot aside on either side of the wire , “ staggered ” . bowed stringed instrument are then taken from the top wire down to the plant , and as the plants grow they are trained by the twisting method up the strings . It will be seen that in this method acting the plants bend somewhat inwards from the unexpended or right , count on which side of the telegram they have been set . You are , however , capable to use one wire support for two row .
Some people favour to have two prow per plant , and say that this gives them a heavier crop . When this is done , the plant should be set 2 infantry , or even 2 feet 6 column inch out from one another in the rows and one of the basal shoot should not be rub off . The side ontogeny is mostly trained sheer and the main maturation at an slant of 45 degree , either up a strand or along a bamboo campaign into the undercoat at this angle .
Cultivation and Training
Regular hoeings should be carry out among the plants to keep down the weeds . Directly any fruit is see , top dressings of organic matter , such as sedge peat may be given along the rows and around the plants to supply what gardeners call a mulch . All kinds of substances have been used with achiever , for instance properly composted vegetable refuse , lawn mowings , spend mushroom beds , old hops manure , fine divided fleece misleading or malt culms .
The side shoots should be pinched off on a regular basis , upkeep being taken not to damage the flower trusses when these shoots are being removed . It is convenient to do this with a acuate thumbnail and index . Never let side shoots to grow more than 1 inch or so prospicient , except , of course , the bottom one , when you are develop on two stem .
Do n’t take away any leaves until they are starting to turn icteric . Remember that the foliage fabricate the work out sap that sweetens the fruit and causes them to intumesce . Ifthe leaves seem to be very thick , and it is thought imperative to let in sunlight and air , it is better to cut one or two back to the main base than to slaughter the foliage by half indiscriminately .
splice on a regular basis where bamboos or stakes are used . You need a new raffia or “ twist ” tie every 6 or 7 inch . Always leave a space for the shank to swell , but do not make the tie beam so slack that the plant can swing about in every wind . When the plants are growing up drawing string , it is only necessary to give a small twist around the stem once a week or so , as the works grow .
Feedingtomato plants
In improver to the dung and Pisces manure give to the ground before the plants are set out , it is advisable to feed during the summer with a fluent manure like Bio - Humus , this being a liquidness with an “ organic fundament ” . works can be given a feed once a fortnight from the time the first trusses are set , until , say , the midriff of September .
Tomatoes do not like a very acid soil when uprise in the open , so hydrated lime may be pass on at 3 to 4 ounce to the solid pace as a top fertilisation after the land has been dig and prepared in the winter .
Stopping or Timing
When plants are to be grown entirely in the open air , it is necessary to “ time ” or stop the flora during the first week of August . The way to do this is to cut off with a sharp tongue the main stem at one leaf above the last truss of flowers , and after this to see that no further side shoots develop . It is inevitable that this block should encourage excessive side shoot , and a sharp eye has therefore to be kept on the plants , once they are “ timed ” .
Picking
assemble the fruits directly they are ripe , and in dominion where the birds are a nuisance , it may be necessary to pick when the fruit is half right and to continue the ripening under cover . It is hotness that helps to ripen tomato more than actual sunshine . If , at the terminal of September , there are still fruit on the “ vine ” the trusses should be cut off whole and cling up on wires of the greenhouse or on drawstring near the window of some room in the house .
It is potential to pick the fruit and wrap them in paper and store them in a loge in the spare - room and then employ the fruit as it is required . I have had good mature tomatoes kept in this path until virtually the end of January .
Varieties
Itis very difficult for lector to make decisions about varieties , for the old byword “ one man ’s gist is another man ’s poison ” is almost as true of Lycopersicon esculentum varieties for mature in the open as of any other garden content , which is affected by ground , climate , aspect , discourse by the gardener , and so on .
