RHS Garden Rosemoor in Great Torrington, Devon is highlighting a different plant every month, under the theme of ‘Hero Plants’. By championing plants that are often taken for granted, and directing visitors see the plant at their best, Rosemoor hopes to reignite a seasonal interest in garden plants that have been overlooked in recent years.
This August it is the tasty tomato that we are celebrating. What better subject could you choose for a ‘Hero Plant’ than the delicious, juicy tomato? Not only are they tasty and full of vitamin C, but these days tomatoes are highly decorative as well. The fruits range in size from tiny ‘cherry’ tomatoes, usually grown as ‘bushes’ or ‘tumblers’, to huge beefsteak varieties sometimes weighing in at a hulking ½kg for just one fruit. Size is not the only variable however; tomatoes have also been bred over the years to produce fruits in an amazing range of colours, from yellow through orange and red to deep black-purple, and many, such as the popular striped ‘Tigerella’, have attractive skin markings too.
In Britain tomatoes are usually grown in the greenhouse. However, they can be grown outside in mild sheltered areas, and the protection of a frame or cloche can help in less favourable conditions. Tomatoes are grown as annual plants, and you will need to sow your seed about eight weeks before you intend to plant them in their final positions. Once they have germinated and are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and then grow and pot them on until they are ready for final planting, pinching the side and basal shoots out of taller-growing varieties as they appear. Once they are in their final positions care of your plants will depend on the type of tomatoes you have chosen to grow. Always ensure that they have plenty of water and are well fed, and you should be rewarded with a fine crop of juicy fruits later in the summer.