The next of the 4 plots in the 4-year crop rotation is nightshades, which are a wide variety of flowering plants. These plants are planted in the plot where brassicas were planted the previous year. Onions & roots will follow them the year after in this plot, with legumes the year after that.
The beginner plants that I’ve chosen for this category are potatoes and tomatoes. Although these are in the same plot, they do ideally want to be separated. As mentioned in my crop rotation post, you’ll want to either do 8 plots (2 for each section in the crop rotation) and put tomatoes in one and potatoes in the other, or grow them in the same plot separating them by 10 ft (ideally). If you are sowing tomato seeds inside, then ideally you’ll sow in compost, in either modular trays or small pots.
Potatoes
Choose a variety based on what you want out of your potatoes. There are early varieties and main crop varieties. Early varieties are for smaller new potatoes, and main crop varieties are for larger potatoes you’d use for most other things. Within main crop potatoes, different varieties are suited for different ways of cooking potatoes, so choose based on which variety is good for how you want to cook your potatoes.
When to plant
If you are growing early varieties, then you’ll want to plant them in late March or early April.
If you are growing main crop varieties, then you’ll want to plant them in mid April or late April.
You can chit potatoes 4-6 weeks before you plan on planting them outside if you want to get them off to an earlier start (it can also lead to more reliable ‘germination’). To chit potatoes, place them in a seed tray or old egg box, one per hole, with any side with ‘eyes’ on the potato facing up. The ‘eyes’ are where they start to sprout from, which is why you want those facing up. You want the starter potatoes to be roughly the size of a golf ball, so any potatoes around that size you can leave as they are, but if there are bigger ones with ‘eyes’ on multiple parts of the potato, you can cut them into 2 or more pieces, ensuring any pieces are roughly golf ball sized. Leave the potatoes in a cool, frost-free area with plenty of light, but not in direct sunlight. If the shoots are at least an inch long, and it’s within the planting window, they can be planted outside.
Where to plant
Potatoes want to be planted directly into the ground, in their final growing position. Dig a trench around 6 inches deep and place the potatoes at the bottom of the trench, sprout side facing upwards. Cover the potatoes with an inch or more of soil. Alternatively you can dig holes in a row at the right spacing and plant them individually.
If you are growing early varieties, space them around 1 ft apart, with 2 ft between rows.
If you are growing main crop varieties, space them 15 – 18 inches apart, with around 24 inches between rows, as they’ll get bigger than early varieties.
You can cover the potatoes with a mulch layer instead of soil.
Growing
Although they are planted out early, shoots won’t like a hard frost, so it’s ideal to protect them if possible on nights when you might be getting a frost.
As the stems of the plants grow, it’s a good idea to mound up the soil around them, both to protect the shoots from frost damage, and to ensure the potatoes aren’t exposed to direct light, which can cause them to grow green and become inedible. If you are practicing no-dig, then do the same but mound up mulch instead of soil.
Harvesting
If you covered your potatoes with mulch then you should be able to just pull them up by the stem. If they are covered with soil, then you’ll need to dig down, starting just off where you think they are so you don’t skewer them.
Early varieties can be ready to harvest from June, potentially as late as August, depending on when you planted them. They are ready from as little as 12 weeks from being planted. Check the variety you have chosen to see the time it will take for them to be ready to harvest.
If you are growing main crop varieties, then they will be ready to harvest at some point between late August and October, usually taking 15-18 weeks from being planted. Check the variety you have chosen to see the time it will take for them to be ready to harvest.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes, like potatoes, have different varieties suited to different ways of eating them. Cherry tomatoes are good for salads and sandwiches. Larger varieties, like beefsteak, are good for burgers, salsa or for eating fresh. With plum varieties being good for salsa or cooking sauces and stews. This is how I choose the varieties to grow.
When to plant
If you will be growing them in a greenhouse, then sow seeds inside from late February to mid March.
If you will be growing them outside, then sow seeds inside from late March to early April.
Where to plant
Sow seeds inside, 1-2 per module in a modular tray, or 3-4 in the middle of a small pot.
Plant seedlings out after the last frost, spacing them 18-24 inches apart and in a sunny, sheltered spot if possible. Most varieties of tomatoes will need or benefit from growing support, so place these at each plant at this stage. You can use things like bamboo canes, fences, or pruned branches.
Growing
Check which variety you are going to be growing, as bush tomatoes are more compact and you should allow their side shoots to grow. Whereas if you are growing non-bush tomatoes (cordon), they will grow as tall, single-stemmed plants, and you’ll want to regularly pinch out any side-shoots that form.
Harvesting
While it varies based on variety, location, and time of planting, you can likely expect your tomatoes to start ripening from July onwards. Pick individual tomatoes when they are ripe.
At the end of the season, you may still have tomatoes on the plant that aren’t ripe. You can pick them and lay them somewhere warm and dark in a breathable container, like a cardboard box or paper bag. You can speed up ripening by adding a ripening fruit to the container, as that will release ethylene gas. Bananas are commonly used. They can also be ripened in a sunny place, but this can harden the tomato.
I am proud to be affiliated with JustSeed, a company that I have bought seeds from for a few years now. I believe in what they are doing over there, and if you are going to buy seeds, garden tools, or seedlings, then please consider checking them out and using my link below to do so. Thank you for supporting me.
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