Planting and growing your own tomatoes is an enjoyable and fulfilling experience that results in fresh, tasty, and healthy fruit that surpasses the flavour of store-bought options. One of the perks of growing your own tomatoes is the wide array of varieties available, such as cherry, plum, and beefsteak, each offering unique tastes, shapes, and uses in cooking. However, to get any variety of tomatoes to flourish, there is one thing gardeners need to make sure they do this month.
Monty Don's Urgent Warning
Sharing important jobs to do outdoors, Monty Don took to his gardening blog to reveal that now is the time to be planting tomatoes. However, this task comes with a warning gardeners need to take notice of. Monty pointed out that tomatoes should only be planted in the greenhouse at the start of May, and gardeners should avoid planting any outside until late May.
He said: “It is time to plant out tomatoes in a greenhouse – although wait till the end of the month for outdoor ones. This is because tomatoes hate too much temperature fluctuation, and May nights can be chilly – especially if the days are warm.”
Expert Opinion
Jane Perrone, a gardening expert who presents and produces a houseplant podcast and has written a range of gardening books, agreed with Monty as she claimed that this is the “number one error” tomato growers make in May. She said: “The number one error in the month of May is being lulled into a false sense of security by the weather and planting tomatoes out too early. Tomatoes stop growing once the temperature drops below 10 to 12°C at night, and ideally they need 15°C in the day. And frost will kill them, so wait until the frost risk is completely over before sending them outside for good – which is the end of May in my neck of the woods, which is southern England.”
Consequences of Planting Too Early
Planting tomatoes in gardens too soon in May, when the soil is still too cold, can hinder their growth, disrupt pollination, leading to lower quality fruit, and even raise the chances of fungal diseases in plants due to the moist weather. However, when tomatoes are planted outdoors in late May, the likelihood of frost damage is minimal since the weather tends to be much sunnier and warmer.
Tips for Greenhouse Planting
For those who are starting early and planting tomatoes in the greenhouse, it is important to incorporate a good amount of soil mixed with plenty of compost. Additionally, if you are using a pot, make sure it is at least 30cm deep to support healthy root growth. Monty said: “Plant them deeply, burying them right up to the bottom leaf, as the buried section of stem will develop extra roots.”
