The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

We’re on the cusp of the summer months and I finally get to plant out my Gardener’s Delight tomato plants.

Gardener’s Delight is a Cordon/Indeterminate variety which means they grow as single stemmed plants. Shoots that grow between branches (otherwise known as side shoots) are nipped out so that most of the plants energy will be going into the fruit. You can grow them to any height – and when you’re happy with the height at which they’re growing you can nip the tops of the plant out.

Gardner’s Delight tomatoes reach around a 7.0 on the the Brix scale, making them the perfect tomato to snack on or to mix into a salad. The Brix Rating is a measure given to the amount of sweetness in a particular mixture or item. The higher the rating, the sweeter the fruit. You can read up on the Brix Scale here if you’re interested in reading up on how different factors can effect plant growth and the final outcome of your fruit.

Whether you’re growing your tomato plants outside or in a greenhouse – they need something to grow up against. This not only supports the plant against the elements but also helps the to support the plant when it has the weight of the fruit to contend with. Bamboo canes are ideal for this, they’re available at pretty much any garden center and you can reuse them for years to come.

I’ve got 9 plants in total, so I’ve planted three plants, in rows of three so that there’s plenty for me to move in between the rows, pick the fruit and do some weeding. Planting plants outside is very easy, you just dig a hole big enough big enough for the root stock and bury. When securing your plants to the bamboo stick, first tie the string around the bamboo stick and then to the plant, using a figure of eight in between the two. This knot will allow greater movement for the plant as well as keeping the integrity of the knot.

Tomato plants attract a lot of greenfly and blackfly and you know when you’re plants are being affected because the leaves begin to curl up. The leaves curl up because the aphids are sucking out the sap of the plant, causing the structure of the leaf to buckle. I’ve planted marigolds in the bed as well, and will most likely sow some more as the weeks continue.