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how to be a gardener - The complete online guide BBC Homepage Lifestyle Gardening Part One Part Two Are you signed in? Go here for more information The productive garden Setting up your plot Growing vegetables Growing fruit The kitchen diary Greenhouse growing Tomatoes and cucumbers Peppers and aubergines The herb garden Test your knowledge Go further Plant lists Interactives Glossary Credits Programme information Help with plugins Gardening newsletter Site map
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7 - Greenhouse growing Print page
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Tomatoes Tomatoes You can get tomatoes in a huge range of colours and shapes. In a greenhouse you want to grow cordon types that are trained into an upright plant, rather than bush types that sprawl on the ground. Sow individual tomato seeds into 7.5cm (3in) pots in mid-March, and transplant to 30cm (12in) pots in May. When transplanting, put in a bamboo cane and train the plant to it as it grows. Pinch out all the sideshoots that appear between leaf and stem when 2.5cm (1in) long, and once five or six trusses of fruit have begun to set, pinch out the main stem so that they develop fully. Tomatoes thrive on a regular feed of tomato food, which is high in potassium. (Read more about nutrients in Module 5.)
Cucumbers Cucumbers In recent years F1 hybrid varieties have become available making growing cucumbers much easier. These varieties produce only female flowers. Fruits that are fertilised by male flowers are bitter tasting. Sow individual seeds into 7.5cm (3in) pots in mid-March, then transplant the seedlings in May into a 30cm (12in) pot. You’ll need to erect something for them to climb up, for example, bamboo canes at an angle, or wires attached to the greenhouse roof. Nip out the main growing shoot after five or six leaves have appeared and train the shoots to the support. Water well and feed every two weeks with high potash or organic feed. Previous Next
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7. The productive garden Introduction Setting up your plot Growing vegetables Growing fruit The kitchen diary Greenhouse growing Tomatoes and cucumbers Peppers and aubergines The herb garden Test your knowledge Go further
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