Tag along with a tomato

How to go tomato with Markus

Get the ingredients
To start cultivating tomatoes you need this: tomato seeds (Markus is using the tomato seed “Bronzy”, sowing soil, small pots (a rootmaster works too!), grow lights, and vermiculite (helps to air the soil and simultaneously retain moisture and nutrients in the soil).

Step 1: Pre-cultivation
There are two ways of doing this.

A) The conventional way: put your tomato seeds in a pot with soil.
B) Markus way: Put the seeds on wet toiletpaper. Yes, I said it. Toiletpaper. This is a little trick I learned from a friend that actually works quite well. When you see small sprouts coming up from the paper, put the paper with the sprout into a pot with soil. It’s sort of a pre-cultivation to the pre-cultivation. Preferably, for both A and B, the soil shouldn’t be too nutritious in this first stage.

Step 2: Sort out the drainage
A good way of doing that is to use seed pots with holes in the bottom for good drainage. Tomatoes like moisture, but they can’t swim. This way you make sure they get what they need, without overdoing the watering.

Step 3: Ventilation and light
Give your friends good ventilation, a lot of light and warmth. Around 20-25 degrees celsius is a good temperature. Use grow lights to make sure your plants get all the lights they need.

Step 4: Important to know
Carefully think of where you’re placing the plants. Tomatoes like it warm, so putting them next to a badly isolated window leaking cold isn’t going to make them happy. I recommend using grow lights. With this light you can place your plants in areas they otherwise wouldn’t like.

Step 5: About replanting
Replant your tomato plants in larger pots as they grow bigger. Also make sure to regularly take away sprouts between the leafs to save the plants’ energy.

One last piece of advice
Let your plants grow strong for 6 to 10 weeks before planting them outside. When you do, start by “learning” them to adjust to the new environment little by little. Put them outside every time each day, before you put the outside for the rest of the season. When the risk of night frost is over they’re ready to go.

10 solid tips when replanting your tomato-friend

How’s it going with your new little friend? Hopefully, you are getting along well, which means it is time for the next step of the journey – replanting. Check out these 10 tips to get started right away.

1. Before replanting
This may sound harsh but stop watering the tomato two days or so before replanting. Why? It will make the stem becomes more flexible and easier to replant.

2. Rickety plants
It is common that the plants have grown tall and a bit wobbly during pre-cultivation. That’s easy to fix. Tomatoes form new roots along the stem, which is quite clever, so when you replant your tomatoes, make sure to bury the wobbly stem deep down in the soil. New roots will form and make the plant more sturdy.

3. Give your buddy a view over the edge
Plant your friend in the new pot so that the top of the plant looks up over the rim, and that most of the stem is underground.

4. When to replant
You know it's time to give your friend some more space when you can see real tomato leaves on the stem, apart from the first so-called “heart leaves”.

5. Find the right pot
A 12 cm in diameter pot is a good general measure for your friend to move into. It has enough space for the plant to grow strong until you replant it in a larger pot where it may grow big.

6. Prepare the soil
The soil needs to be nutritious and also have good drainage. Enrich the soil with compost if possible.

7. Time it right
Make sure that the frost has passed before you place your plant outside. Your friend is not keen on being cold.

8. Find the sun
Choose a spot where your friend gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. Tomatoes like to be warm and protected from heavy rain, and strong winds.

9. Nurture your friend
Water with plant nutrients throughout the growing season to ensure your friend grows strong enough until harvest.

10. Stay with it!
It might feel overwhelming and energy-consuming right now. But all the energy you put in now will pay off when you start getting rich and tasty tomatoes.

6 ways to support your tomatoes this summer

One of the best things about having friends? Supporting each other! During summertime, your tomato friend is looking for some extra support. If you provide it, your tomato plants will grow upright, stay healthy, and produce a bountiful harvest. Sounds like a great way to say thank you! Here are 6 ways to help your tomato friend out:

1. Support growth with a trellis
Secure your tomato vines to the trellis of your choice using jute twine, or plant ties. This method maximizes space, improves air circulation, and makes harvesting easier. Trellis comes in several varieties such as steel, bamboo, and in different shapes.

2. Feed your friend
Use a fertiliser to feed your plant friend. Tomato plant food is specifically designed to boost the growth of your tomatoes, by providing necessary micronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

3. Keep it warm…
Tomatoes need warmth in order to grow. If it starts getting cold outside, make sure to protect your plants from cool temperatures or late frosts with cloth or jute fabric.

4. … but also moist!
Tomatoes require consistent moisture, especially during summer. Water deeply and evenly, aiming to keep the soil consistently moist but not soaked. Make sure your friend is comfortable!

5. Prune to perfection
Regularly remove suckers (side shoots) that emerge from the leaf axils of tomato plants. This has many benefits, such as directing the plant's energy towards fruit production and improving air circulation, hence reducing the risk of disease.

6. Protect it from pests
Monitor your tomatoes regularly for common pests like aphids, caterpillars, and tomato hornworms. Slug barriers, insect traps, and other helpful tools can be used to keep your friend safe.