Tomatoes are one of the great favourites in Danish vegetable drawers. They can be eaten as a snack or in salads, and they also add a fantastic flavour to all kinds of stews and simmered dishes. Is the tomato one of your favourite vegetables too? Then it's time to put your ambition of growing them yourself into practice!
Although it can be hard to imagine that the sweet taste and intense red colour can be grown in Danish soil, it is actually not that difficult with the right care and the right conditions. And you can be sure that tomatoes taste far better and more intense when they come straight from your own garden.
When can you plant tomatoes outside?
You can grow tomatoes in two ways: from seeds or from tomato plants. Both the cultivation and the planting time depend on which method you choose. Tomato seeds need to be pre-germinated before they go into the soil, so you need to start a little earlier if you want a good harvest.
The most important thing when planting tomatoes is to wait until the night frosts are completely over. We often have to wait until May before we can be completely sure of that. If you pre-germinate, you should therefore get that process going around March.
Pre-germinating the tomato seeds
For pre-germination, you can use a seed tray, a flower pot or a mini greenhouse. Spread sowing and pricking-out compost in the container and make holes 1 cm deep for the seeds. Then cover the seeds with soil and place them at room temperature. It is best to put the container in a white plastic bag until you can see the seeds germinating. At that point, the container should be taken out of the white plastic bag so the seedlings can get plenty of light – preferably on a windowsill.
How do you grow tomatoes in a raised bed?
At last it's time to get the plants into the soil and start growing the right way! It is easy to plant in a raised bed, as you can choose the location yourself and make sure the soil has the right conditions. Tomatoes need to be planted deep, and here a raised bed is also an advantage. As a rule of thumb, only about 1/3 of the plant should be above the soil. Choose the size of your raised bed based on how many tomato plants you want to plant – there should preferably be 50-100 cm between each tomato plant.
How much fertiliser do tomatoes need?
Tomatoes are one of the vegetables that really benefit from fertiliser! The fertiliser helps give them just the right flavour and results in an even better harvest. You can choose a liquid tomato fertiliser, which, as the name suggests, is fully adapted to the needs of tomato plants. Simply mix the liquid fertiliser into the amount of water stated in the mixing ratio and then water the plants as you normally would.
Caring for tomato plants
You need to pay most attention to watering your tomato plants in the early stages, but in general it is important to water regularly throughout the growing season. If you sense that the soil around your tomato plants is struggling to retain moisture, you can spread bark mulch.
After that, all that's left is to hope for a good summer with plenty of sun. Whether the summer has been rainy or sunny makes a big difference to the final result for your tomatoes.
Pruning and tying up tomato plants
Some tomato plants grow so tall that you have to prune them to keep their shape. You do this by removing all side shoots and a selection of the leaves. Go for the leaves that shade the sun too much or are yellow or withered. Remember to check your tomato plants weekly so you can do the work as you go.
It is also a good idea to tie up the tomato plants so they don't fall forwards onto the ground. You can use a stake and tie the tomato plants upright with some string.
Harvesting your tomatoes
The advantage of tomatoes is that you can easily judge whether they are ready to harvest or not. Look at the colour of the tomato and feel its texture to make sure it is just the way you like it. Ideally, the tomatoes should not fall off if they land on a hard surface, but you should still aim to let them hang for as long as possible.
If you want to preserve the good flavour of the tomatoes, simply store them on the kitchen counter after harvesting. Their shelf life is longer in the fridge, but be aware that this may affect the good flavour. You need to have harvested all your tomatoes before the frost, as tomato plants cannot survive in sub-zero temperatures.
Get inspiration for other vegetables in raised beds here.