Tomato plants should ideally be placed outside once the threat of frost has passed (Image: PaulMaguire via Getty Images)
As temperatures begin to rise across the UK, the time to start planting tomatoes outdoors is nearly upon us. Tomato plants should ideally be placed outside once the threat of frost has passed and night-time temperatures are consistently above 10°C, which for most UK gardeners will be mid to late May or early June. According to Jane Perrone, a houseplant expert and freelance journalist who presents and produces the indoor gardening podcast On The Ledge, one of the most frequent mistakes gardeners make is planting their tomatoes out too early.
She said on her blog: “Tomatoes stop growing once the temperature drops below 10-12°C at night, and ideally they need 15°C in the day. And frost will kill them, so wait til 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).”
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The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) goes further, advising that young tomato plants should be planted in their final position in early summer once temperatures are “reliably above 16°C (60°F)”.
Those fortunate enough to own a greenhouse, however, can get their tomatoes in the ground straight away, as they will remain shielded from unpredictable temperatures and unwelcome overnight frosts.
Once your tomato plants are well established, encouraging faster growth and a bumper crop of tomatoes becomes the priority, and fertilising your plants remains one of the most effective ways to achieve this. While experts often recommend a tomato-specific fertiliser, you can actually create your own at home using a common kitchen scrap: banana peels.
Banana peels contain high levels of potassium, phosphorus and calcium, which support tomato plants in flowering and bearing fruit.
On YouTube, @kuhinjatanja, also known as My Kitchen Tanja, has demonstrated precisely how to prepare your own banana peel fertiliser. The video description reads: “Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and even flowers grow faster and give bigger harvests with this natural fertiliser. In this recipe, I show how to turn banana peels into a simple liquid fertiliser you can use right away, an old gardener’s trick that pushes strong growth, more flowers and more fruit.”
Tomatoes will ‘grow faster’ with this fertiliser (Image: Helios4Eos via Getty Images)
The YouTube sensation, who has more than 2.6 million subscribers, said this homemade fertiliser makes gardens “literally flourish”.
First, she chops the banana peel into the smallest cubes possible before placing them in a jar.
Following this, she pours half a litre of water over the banana peel and allows it to sit for several hours, ideally overnight.
Apply banana peel fertiliser to plants once a week (Image: svehlik via Getty Images)
After it’s been left to soak, strain the liquid to separate out the banana peel.
She applies banana peel fertiliser to her plants once a week.
“This natural banana peel fertiliser works best on fruiting plants, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, but also on flowers that bloom much more,” she added.
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