Tumbling Tom is a small, prolific tomato plant that’s ideal when you don’t have much space. It will grow happily in any container as long as it is planted in a rich compost and fed from the time the fruits begin to mature. Two or three plants in a window box will give you a heavy crop of sweet cherry tomatoes all summer.
How difficult is it to grow Tumbling Toms?
Cherry tomatoes are perhaps the easiest tomatoes to grow. Being compact bushes, they don’t need any pinching out. For tomatoes to thrive outside, they need to be in a warm place, against a sunny wall, for example, where the stone or brick will retain the warmth after the sun has disappeared at the end of the day.
If you grow this variety of tomatoes in a hanging basket, you must be vigilant about watering and feeding. It may help to add a small quantity of water-retaining granules to the loam-based compost to ensure that the compost stays moist.
In hot weather, water twice a day. Purpose-made hanging baskets of all kinds are available at garden centres. Some baskets are extremely decorative. Hang the basket from an old cast-iron basket, if you can find one.
How to prepare Tumbling Toms for planting?
Sow the seed from late winter until early spring in individual pots and cover it with compost to exclude the light. If you keep the pots in a warm place, the seeds should germinate in a week. Choose the sturdiest seedling in each pot and discard the rest. Allow it to grow, only putting the young plant outside to harden off when the weather warms up. Bring the plants in at night until early summer, when you can plant them in their permanent growing positions without fear of frost.
Tomatoes like an even temperature, and cold nights make their leaves curl. In fact, the leaves of all outdoor-grown tomatoes can look a bit sorry for themselves as the season develops. Rain, wind, and variations in temperature all take their toll. Luckily, the tomato fruits are usually unaffected. You will notice that the hotter the weather the sweeter the fruit.
Remember to never throw diseased tomato plants into the compost. Burn or dispose of in the garbage to reduce the spread of disease.
How to feed Tumbling Tom Tomatoes?
Fruit-producing plants such as tomatoes need a high-potash feed, that is one containing potassium, to encourage the plant’s development and stamina. Specially formulated organic feeds are available, but you may like to make your own comfrey liquid if you have access to comfrey plants. Comfrey is rich in minerals and particularly high in potash.
Watering your plants well with seaweed solution, and then spreading a layer of sugarcane or lucerne mulch all over the soil is helpful as well.
Little cherry tomatoes are a real treat to eat straight from the plant. Even one small plant grown in a hanging basket or window box will provide you with a good crop of tomatoes during the summer.
