Homegrown tomatoes are delicious, super-sweet, and relatively easy to grow and the month of January is an ideal time to plant some.

January is the ideal time to plant home-grown delicious, super-sweet tomatoes. Find an ideal location and see how easy it is to grow your own…

So why not get started and grow some of your own?

As long as the location of your tomatoes is warm, sheltered and gets lots of sun, you can grow tomatoes in a pot or in your garden.

Here’s how:

From seeds:

There is no need to buy seeds, as you can source these from your choice of fresh tomatoes.

Choose some fresh tomatoes that you particularly like the taste of, and then pulp these in a bowl and add a little bit of cold water. Let this mixture stand and after a while, a whitish film will form on the surface of the liquid. After 36 hours have passed, add a little more water to the mixture and stir it in well.

This process will separate the seeds from the pulp and the seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Once this has happened, strain the mixture through a sieve, rinse the seeds under cold water and then leave them on a piece of paper towel until they are dry.

Getting the seeds to germinate:

Sow the seeds into small pots or seedling trays filled with potting soil, and leave them in a warm, sheltered place to germinate.

The tomato is the world’s most popular fruit. And yes, just like the brinjal and the pumpkin, botanically speaking it is a fruit, not a vegetable.

Once they have germinated and have sprouted three or four leaves, then they are ready to transplant into your garden, veggie patch or into a medium-sized pot.

Planting and staking:

It is essential to plant tomatoes alongside stakes, as they are climbing plants.

Training them to grow on stakes has the benefit of requiring less space for them to grow in, and it keeps the plant off the floor with the ability to escape the often adverse effects of damp soil, which leads to disease and more often than not results in the tomatoes rotting.

Each stake should be approximately 1.5m to 2m in length, and it is advisable to use square stakes instead of round ones to prevent slippage.

When the tomato was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, The French called it “the apple of love.” The Germans called it “the apple of paradise.”

Insert the stakes firmly into the ground approximately 600mm apart, and make the planting hole around 100mm in front of each stake.

Carefully transplant the seedlings into the planting hole, being careful to angle them towards the stakes. Pat the soil firmly in place around each seedling and water them well. As the seedlings grow, you will need to tie the stems to the stakes to train them to grow upwards – for this be sure to use soft ties, such as old stockings or pantyhose, and not hard material such as wire or string. 

Watering your tomatoes

Make sure you water your tomatoes regularly and well.

A novel and practical idea, is to include some water reservoirs next to each tomato plant – not only will this ensure that the plants are adequately watered, but it is a good way to fertilise them as well.

Three of the most effective companion plants for tomatoes include Sweet Basil, Marigolds and Mint, which keep aphids, thrips, fruit flies and a host of other pests at bay.

To do this, sink a small flowerpot into the ground near the base of each stake, and then simply fill each pot with water everyday so that it drains slowly into the soil near the plant.

To fertilise during the growing season, simply add water-soluble fertiliser to the water in the mini water reservoirs – this will ensure that it gets to the plant’s root system, where it is most needed.

Also, make sure the topsoil around your tomato plants is well covered with mulch – this will keep the weeds away and it will keep the moisture in the soil.

Keeping your tomatoes bug-free

Although you can buy insecticides and chemical sprays that will keep your tomatoes free from disease and bugs, the best way to grow tomatoes is organically.

One of the most effective organic methods to do this is by companion planting, which means planting pest-repellent plants amongst your tomatoes to keep the insects away.

Three of the most effective companion plants for tomatoes include Sweet Basil, Marigolds and Mint, which keep aphids, thrips, fruit flies and a host of other pests at bay.

It is also a good idea to try your best to attract the “friendly bugs”, such as ladybirds for example, which eat aphids.

To do this, you can soak around two cups of tomato leaves in two cups of water and leave the mixture overnight. In the morning, squeeze the water from the leaves, strain the mixture through a sieve and use it as a spray for above and below your tomato leaves – this will attract bug-eating insects. – Antonella Desi

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