HOW TO RAISE TOMATOES.

Observer, Volume XL, Issue 11, 15 November 1919, Page 29

HOW TO RAISE TOMATOES.

A Profitable Vegetable. i often wonder that more people don't grow vegetables for sale. 1 Uimk it must be more or less a question of pride. It does not sound so commercial to sell liowers as vegetables, and probably that is the reason tliat many women add to thenpocket money by the former method, whereas very few attempt the latter. J! 'or mysell I see no ditference. in each case one is selling something and getting money for it; therefore, why should one iorm of vegetation be different to another? i have Known a woman who made quite a nice little sum annually by the sale of tomatoes, and so, in case others might like to try, lam going to give my experience as a successful say it with pride) grower. * * • Early tomatoes realise the best price. There is a great fascination about tomato-growing, and I found that, by my method 1 always had a good crop. The tomatoes were finely flavoured, clean and bright in colour, and 1 could gather them from the vines as I could apples from a tree. A good crop does not depend entirely upon the soil. Before I became expert 1 used sometimes to have an almost entire failure on rich ground, with all foliage and no tomatoes ; then, again, nearly all the tomatoes would rot on the vine before maturing. Then I hit on the right way of cultivation, and every season I had an abundance of good tomatoes. * * • You want a sunny spot, but if possible it should he sheltered; however, as the plants are to be well staked, that is not absolutely essential. In preparing the ground, dig it deeply, and use plenty of fertilisers; then mark off in rows three feet one way and four the other way, which will leave plenty of room. It is a fatal mistake to overcrowd the plants. When the ground is marked off, place a stake or small pole about five feet high for each plant. When the plants are large enough to put out, set them four inches from the stakes on the south side, and as they grow train them to the stake, using cither raffia or strips of cloth; the latter is the better method, as it lasts longer. The raffia is apt to rot and let the plants down, and string is too harsh. * * * Sometimes,, when the vines are inclined to overdo it, two branches will start from the top. In such a case I always clipped off one branch, and allowed the other to grow to the height of five feet, but no more. After that, I clipped the tops and kept them clipped, this hastens the ripening, and keeps all the strength of the vine for the fruit instead of letting it run into useless foliage. When the plants are about eight inches high, little runners, or shoots appear in the forks of the plant. Herein lies the whole secret of successful or unsuccessful tomato plants. These runners should at once be cut off, as they sap the main vine, using up for shoots tlie strength that should go into tlw tomatoes. * * * Do not disturb the fruit buds or blossoms which you will find in the same fork, but whenever the runners appear, cut them off and allow only one main vine to grow. This is the secret which brings large clusters of fruit instead of barren plants. My fruit is early, clean, and handy to pick, and some of it last season looked so good that I was tempted to put it in a show.