Tomatoes - Plum
Type: Vegetable
Rotation Group: 1, Potatoes and Tomatoes
 | | SAN MARZANO(Semi-determinate) San Marzano is the classic Italian plum tomato, used all over the world for making sauces, especially Passata due to it's dry and meaty nature. This prolific tomato will grow in a greenhouse as well as outside and is quick to ripen and crops over a long period. |
 | | ROMA(Semi-determinate) Versatile midi-plum variety with few seeds and bags of flavour, perfect for making passata, other sauces and for soup. Shows good disease resistance to wilt. Grow outdoors or indoors. |
 | | BIG MAMA(Semi-determinate) Prolific crops of large plum shaped paste tomatoes. It can produce fruits up to 140g each. The skin will peel easily after par-boiling and the flesh is delicious used in soups, sauces and salsa dips. Can be grown in the greenhouse or outdoors. |
 | | MONTELLO(Determinate) This vigorous variety is so prolific; producing handfuls of tasty fruit that are so easy to harvest through mid- to late summer. Delicious enough to eat straight from the plant or added to salads; they also make excellent rich Bolognese sauces and soups. Can be grown in the greenhouse or outdoors. |
Site, Soil and Preparation
They are great for growing in pots or grow bags in a greenhouse, but will also do well in a sunny spot outdoors, either in the ground, in large pots or in grow bags against a south-facing wall. Smaller types can even be grown in hanging baskets! A fertile soil is required.
Indoor Sowing
Sow from late February to mid-March if you are growing your crop in a greenhouse, or from late March to early April if you are growing outside. Sow in thinly on the surface in pots or trays of seed compost and cover with a thin layer of seed compost or vermiculite. Keep covered (clear cover) in a warm place of about 18 centigrade - a heated propogator is ideal. Uncover and place in a well lit place (window sill) as soon as seedlings appear.
Outdoor Sowing
To improve success in germinating and to develop hardier plants it is best to sow and bring on tomato seeds indoors.
Thinning
After about two weeks from the seedlings appearing pot them on into individual pots buried up to the first pair of leaves. Keep on a window sill or in a greenhouse above 16 centigrade for a further month.
Transplanting
After about a month the tomatoe seedlings should be ready to plant to their final growing position.
Care
Water tomato plants regularly to keep the soil moist and feed every 10-14 days with a recognized tomato fertiliser.
Cordon (indeterminate) tomatoes will need tying into tall supports and have side shoots removed regularly.
Bush (determinate) tomatoes should not need supports unless they are carrying heavy fruit, when support canes may be needed.
Harvest
Check tomato fruit regularly and pick individual tomatoes as they become fully coloured and ripe.
