Growing Gardens

with Anita Morton

Tomato training

This winter I've been conducting a small experiment. I wanted to discover if there was any value in the traditional method of pruning tomatoes to a single leader, rather than just letting the side-shoots grow. As a committed pruner, I have always preferred the 'nipping out the shoots' method, but did it actually lead to a greater yield of tomatoes?

I set out a number of plants - giving them identical treatment as far as fertiliser and water are concerned, but pruning half to a single leader and letting the other half sprout. My first observation was that the unpruned plants seemed healthier from the start. Their leaves were larger and they grew strongly. I had to put in extra stakes around them to contain their rampant growth.

Next, I observed that the pruned plants were setting fruit well before the unpruned plants. I started picking tomatoes, noting down the weight of fruit harvested and the date. Yes, you're right, I am a bit obsessive! The interesting thing was that by the end of my experiment, I found that I had harvested over twice the weight of tomatoes from the unpruned plants than from the pruned plants. The latter bore the first fruit to ripen by one week, but overall the unpruned tomatoes were far more prolific.

So from now on I'm going to curb my pruning instincts and let my tomatoes run rampant. I'll have to give each plant a minimum of three stakes, but that's a small price to pay for getting so many more juicy tomatoes! My all-time favourite variety is Grosse Lisse - it's the tastiest home tomato, but hasn't got much disease resistance. If you're going to put a few plants in this spring and want a tougher variety, try cherry tomatoes or egg tomatoes like Roma and San Marzano.

Lismore Garden Club News

Break out the fertiliser

As the days grow longer and warmer our gardens require adequate feed and water. Spring is the beginning of the main growth period for most plants and it's particularly important that they receive adequate amounts of the right fertiliser along with water if they are to perform to expectations.

If you're in doubt about which fertiliser for which plants and when to apply it, follow this recommendation: fertilise the whole garden with organic fertiliser such as rotted animal manure, pelleted fowl manure or blood and bone in spring, mulch and water. Then around December, fertilise each plant group, eg. roses, fruit trees, natives etc. with their own specific chemical fertiliser. Be sure to water before and after application. This will ensure that your plants get a balance of all essential nutrients for healthy growth.

The Lismore Garden Club AGM is on Thurs, Oct 6, at 1.30pm at the Lismore Workers Club. The September social outing is a morning tea at 9.30am on Mon, Sept 26, at Ron and Nita Burns' home at 53 Kruseana Ave, Goonellabah. Phone 6624 7422. Please bring a plate.

Finally: "Live in each season as it passes. Breath the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit". Henry David Thoreau.

Happy gardening
Ron Burns