adminHome & gardening With Talent Gore
GROWING tomatoes, through indoor container gardening, is a great way to keep fresh, juicy tomatoes on your table all year long.
But, there are a few common pitfalls that you need to be aware of.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common issues, and what you can do to make sure that your indoor tomato plant stays healthy and productive.
If you’ve seen massive, thriving tomato plants in a garden, you probably noticed that the plants were located in full sun.
Tomatoes require a lot of sunlight – at least six to eight hours of full sun every day.
Some of your tropical house-plants might thrive in the darker rooms of your house, but tomatoes will not.
If you want to grow tomatoes indoors with natural light, you will need to situate your plant in a large and very sunny window that faces to the south or southwest.
If you don’t have a large and sunny south-facing window that gets at least six hours of full sun, you should consider purchasing an indoor grow light to keep your plant happy and healthy.
l Be sure to provide ample fertilisation
In very rich garden soil, you might be able to grow tomatoes with minimal additional fertiliser.
But, the environment in an indoor container is different from rich garden soil.
Think about the size of a large tomato in your hand.
Tomato plants produce those large tomatoes using nothing other than sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil.
Make sure that there are plenty of nutrients available in the soil so that your tomato plant can continue to produce large fruits.
Start fertilising as soon as your plants are five or six inches tall, and then fertilise once a week.
Even if you’re accustomed to using solid fertiliser pellets in your garden, you should consider using liquid fertiliser indoors to reduce insect infestation issues.
l Container size
Tomatoes have large and expansive root systems.
They will do well when they have ample room to spread out without becoming bound up around the outside edges of the container.
There are two things you can do to encourage a healthy and well-distributed root system.
First, find a very large container for your mature plant.
The container should have a volume of, at least, five gallons, or be at least 24 inches in diameter.
In smaller containers, your plant will quickly become root bound.
If this happens, your plant will likely become stressed, and it may not produce fruit.
Second, don’t just plant your immature plant directly in that large container. Start in a smaller container, about 1-gallon.
When the tomato’s roots reach the edge of that small container, move it up to a larger pot, about two gallons.
Finally, when the tomato’s roots have reached the edge of the two-gallon container, you can move it into its final home in the five-gallon container.
l Choosing the right varieties
Your chances of success will be infinitely greater, if you choose a variety of tomato that is well-suited to growing in a container indoors.
Some varieties are more likely to thrive in relatively low light with a limited amount of soil available.
Choose small, upright varieties that won’t grow to take up your whole room.
Some great choices are Red Robin, Florida Petite, Patio, and Tiny Tim.
There are also several hanging varieties that can thrive indoors.
Just be sure that the structure you use to hang the pot can support the weight of a large container.
When choosing your plant, pay attention to whether the variety you choose is determinate or indeterminate.
Determinate tomatoes stay more compact, and yield all of their fruit at one time.
Indeterminate plants grow larger vines, and they produce fruit continually throughout the season.
l Best of luck with your indoor tomatoes!
Follow the guidelines above, and you’ll be able to enjoy fresh juicy tomatoes grown right inside the comfort of your own home.
Keep a close eye on your plant as it grows.
If you see signs of stress or disease, take action immediately to remedy the situation. – Gardener Corner.
RECIPE OF THE DAY: Coated garlic flavoured Matemba (Kapenta)
l ingredients
l 250g Matemba (Kapenta)
l 1 1/2 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
l 2 eggs (beaten)
l 2 cloves garlic
l 1 tsp black pepper
l 1 tsp salt
l Oil for frying
l 1 tsp mixed herbs
l 2 cups boiling water
Growing up Matemba was one of my least favoured foods. This is apart from the fact that it is one of the most readily available brain foods in our Zimbabwean context. In other words, Kapenta promotes the good health and functioning of your brain.
After experimenting and trying out this recipe I can now somewhat withstand them and even like them, I must add.
The rewards of experimentation!
You can really have this coated garlic flavoured Matemba as a snack or as part of a main meal served with sadza and rape in white sauce.
l Quick Instructions
1. Gather ingredients
2. Put Matemba in a bowl and add the boiling water. Leave them soaking for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes drain.
3. Put flour in a bowl, add 1 tsp salt, tsp pepper, tsp mixed herbs and mix. Set-aside.
4. Pat dry Matemba and work in batches, dip them in egg and mix.
5. Take set-aside flour and put in a flat wide plate. Take egg dipped Matemba and coat with flour. Heat oil in a pan.
6. Add garlic to oil and swirl. Add successive batches of coated Matemba and fry until golden brown.
7. When golden brown, remove from the pan. Repeat until batches are finished. If eating Matemba as a snack, for presentation purposes, take one vegetable leaf and fry a minute on each side. Remove from pan and place your garlic coated Matemba on top.
However, if you want the leafy vegetable to be edible, steam it for 2 minutes first and then fry it for another 2 minutes.
8. Ready to serve!
Online Reporter