Blog archive: July 2013

This is how I grow tomatoes… First, dig a hole that’s deep. About double the depth, width and size of the root ball of your tomato plant.

Next, gently remove your plant from its pot, and wiggle your fingers carefully through the roots so they can roam wild and free. This part is essential for any potted seedlings, otherwise they retain their root-bound pot-shape under the ground!

Next, pop the plant into the hole, and remove the leaves from the bottom half of the plant. Yes, you heard right… it will look like a lot of the plant has gone, but it’s better this way!

Plant the tomato deep, so the bottom half of the stem is covered with soil. What will happen under the ground is that the little tiny hairs on the stem will grow bigger and bigger until they become roots, searching the soil for moisture and nutrients further and wider than the plant otherwise would be able with the naturally-occurring root ball. And that means double the amount of soil goodness going into your tomatoes, making them yummier and more plentiful!

Once the plant is planted, cover the surface with some kind of plant material to act as mulch. I’ve used lots of different things for this, including cuttings from other tomato plants (which they adore living in!), and my personal favourite, chicken bedding, which is great because it’s a mulch covering and also a rich source of composty chicken poop, thereby feeding the soil as it decays.