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Overview
Greenhouse tomatoes are often planted in grow bags, but outdoor crops can also be grown in this way too. A good alternative to a specialist grow bag is to try planting in a 60 or 75 litre sack of multi-purpose compost. This will provide your plants with a larger rooting area and stop them drying out in hot weather, which is better for the plants and means less watering for you.
Do it:
June (or May in a greenhouse)
At its best:
harvest from July to September
Takes just:
30 minutes
How to do it
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Soak pots of young tomato plants in a tray of water for an hour to ensure the compost is fully moistened. This will help reduce root damage during transplanting. -
Lay bag of compost flat in a sunny position in the garden, on a balcony or in the greenhouse. Shake compost inside the bag to create an even, pillow shape. Cut a slot out of the bag to expose the compost for planting them into. -
Loosen the compost in the bag with a hand fork. Push some of the compost into the corners of the bag so that it maintains a good shape. -
Carefully knock the tomato plants from their pots. Allow two plants for a 60 litre bag of compost,or three plants for a 75 litre bag. -
Make a hole in the compost with a trowel and place the young tomato plant in it. Set the plant a little deeper than it was growing in the pot because tomato plants are able to produce roots from the stem, meaning they'll take up more water and nutrients. Water in well. -
Improve the effectiveness of your watering by burying a small flower pot in the compost alongside each tomato plant. Filling the pot when you water means water is directed to the roots of the plant and doesn't run off the surface of the compost.
"Start feeding your tomato plants with a high potash liquid fertiliser as soon as the first truss of flowers appears."
