Apart from stuffing ourselves silly at Ruby’s on roast turkey and vegetables – and double helpings of trifle for dessert – it was a reasonably quiet day.
I did get out in the garden and fluffed about picking what tomatoes remained, a few other vegetables (small pumpkins!!) and half heartedly collected a variety of seeds that seemed ready (Beans, sunflower & marigold)
Pumpkins store well for a long time – in a dry well aired area on their sides.
I picked a variety of laterals off my waning tomato plants with the hope I may be able to nurture a few through the winter to get a head start next season. For those of you just heading into the warmer spring weather that have not tried growing tomatoes from laterals – here is a bit of a guide.
I am not good at growing tomatoes from seed. I haven’t given up and am saving several seeds from fruit this season. However, I have no trouble snapping a lateral off an established plant and growing a new one.
This season I spent approximately $5 on three new tomato plants and the rest of the 20-something plants came from laterals or self seeded.
First, if you are not sure which branch is a lateral, check the photos below
While it is not essential, I put my laterals into a jar or glass of water to watch the process of the roots forming, simply because I enjoy it!
You can plonk them straight in the ground and have the same success as long as you keep them watered.
Depending on how warm it is, roots can start showing as early as a week, but not unusual for them to take a couple of weeks.
To me its like magic watching the process! I have found the plants grown from laterals quite vigorous and produce well… don’t forget free, which is about as economical as you can get!
Well – we have a cool night here so the fire is on and beckoning me to go and stare at it! Pip is already snugged up in his sleeping bag
Cheers
Thank you for this info! I’ve always called them “suckers” and pinched them as soon as they appear. I may try to grow a few this year. Will you keep them under grow lights over the winter or do you have a greenhouse?
No worries! Give it a go and see what happens. I think you will be surprised how easy it is. Last winter I kept two alive – once the roots appeared I potted them and let them dawdle along on the kitchen window sill. I eventually moved them upstairs where it was a bit warmer. So no special lights, and the hot house over winter would have been too cold as its not artificially heated. One eventually died, but the other went happily into the hothouse early spring and grew up to the roof – I am still picking tomatoes off it – so it was well worth the effort.
Thanks for the tomato tips. Am going to give it a go. What fun gardening is.
No worries… hope you have some success with doing this. I love how those laterals just produce roots while I watch (almost!)