Keeping Blackberries neat, tidy is an important job to getting great fruit from the plant. Here we are going to explain about pruning blackberries. Pruning your blackberry bushes back each year not only keeps them looking tidy but it also keeps you blackberry bushes looking healthy but it will encourage a bigger crop on your fruit which means more blackberries for your pies, jams, and crumbles.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
When is the best time to prune Blackberries?
Pruning blackberries at the right time of year is important, this will help towards fantastic crops and healthy plants for years to come. If you do not grow your blackberries properly they will run wild.
When pruning back blackberries there are two times of the year when you cut them back. At the beginning of the year you will be pruning the tips of the blackberry bushes and then at the end of the fruiting season you will be pruning back the correct blackberry whips. We will explain the two processes below.
Pruning the tips of the Blackberry Bushes
In the Spring just before your blackberry bushes start to grow you need to prune the tips of all you blackberry canes or whips. You need to do this on every blackberry cane. The blackberry canes need to be pruned back to around 25 inches long. If the blackberry canes are shorter than 25 inches long just prune 2 inches off them.
The reason why we prune all the blackberry canes back is that this will force the blackberry bush to gain more branches on it rather than the canes just getting longer. This will encourage a more heavier blackberry harvest for your pies and crumbles.
Full pruning of the Blackberry bushes
Once your blackberry canes have finished fruiting at the end of the summer your blackberry bush will need a full pruning. Be warned you need to wear thick gloves or you will be covered with the thick thorns from the blackberry bush and they really do hurt.
Blackberries will only fruit on the canes that are two years old. They will not fruit on the canes that have just fruited. Therefore those are the canes that need cutting off. All you need to do is cut the canes off at ground level. Watch out for the thornes.
Growing strawberries is extreamly easy work and the rewards can be amazing from the plants. To get good crops you will need to look after them which includes pruning them and tidying up the strawberry plants. Pruning Strawberries is vital to having a good crop the year after. In this article we will give you all the tips and advice on pruning strawberries for a great crop year on year.
Strawberry plants need a bit of tlc through the summer while they are fruiting before they end for the rest of the season
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
Taking Strawberry Cuttings and transplanting Strawberries
When the Strawberries finish fruiting they will start sending out runners. Strawberry runners are what make more plants. These are expensive to purchase from shops so start your own plants from them. IF you don’t need them still pot them up and give to friends or family. We will explain how to take the cuttings.
When the Strawberries send out the runners they will have a little strawberry plant on the end of it. With this runner you need to either pin it into the soil if you are growing them in the ground or pin it into a plant pot with soil in. You don’t need to use compost they will grow fine in soil. Do not cut the runner off yet. Wait for the Strawberry runner to take root. Once you know it has taken root you can cut the runner off the plant – the same method as an umbilical cord. Leave the strawberry plant to grow and move into its final position in March.
If you are not wanting the runners or willing to grow them for friends or family they need to be cut off straight away as they take the energy from the mother plant that they are attached to.
You can watch our video below about taking strawberry runners.
How to prune Strawberries
Now you have sorted out the runners on your Strawberry plants you now need to prune your strawberries ready for the next year. There are two methods you can use to pruning your strawberries. We will tell you both methods:-
Method one to prune strawberries
Method one is quite easy. All you need to do is cut each strawberry plant down to around 4 inches once they have finished fruiting and all the runners have been taken off the plant. Do this to all the strawberry plants. Clear up all the old leaves and strawberries and put them on your compost heap ready to rot down. If the plant is over 4 years old dig it up and replace it with a new plant that you have grown from a runner.
Method two to prune strawberries
Method two on how to prune strawberries is the fastest method out of them all. Get your lawn mower and set it to the highest cut. Then simply run over your plants. This way it will cut all your plants down at a speedy timing. Clear up all the old leaves and add it to your compost heap to rot down.
We hope you have found these tips on how to prune strawberry plants and how to take cuttings from the plants. You can check out more tips and advice here.
When you think of strawberry season you will always think of Wimbledon. You know summer has definitely started when you start picking those tasty strawberries on a daily basis. My tip is you can never have enough strawberries. So the key to when feeding strawberries is important so that you get fantastic crops of them. What will you make with all your strawberries?
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
Strawberry Plants
Strawberry plants are tough plants and can be grown in many conditions. Gardeners either grow them in the ground or if you are short of space they can plant them in pots either to have on the floor or hang them on walls and fences. If you grow strawberries in pots they will require watering more when they are fruiting.
Not only feeding strawberries will lead to big crops but other tasks will help gain great crops too.
When you are first deciding on your location for your strawberry plants these need to be planted in a spot that has sunlight for around 6-7 hours a day. This means they cannot be planted in a shady spot as they will not ripen.
Strawberry plants like to be planted in soil that has lots of organic matter added. It needs to be rich and fertile. This will help lead to bumper crops. Make sure that the soil you plant them in is not too wet. It needs to be able to soak away easy when you water them or it rains. They also do not like dry soil. So just water them every so often and every day in hot weather before the sun comes up so you don’t burn the plants.
To look after the strawberries you need to keep them weed free. If weeds grow they will take all the nutrients needed by the strawberries and the vital water supply. Keep checking the plants for any pests like slugs or diseases on the leaves. If you see any foliage or leaves dying snip these off immediately.
When you first plant your strawberries you need to mix your soil with compost and manure this will limit the amount of feeding needed for the plants. At the beginning of Spring you need to be adding lots of nitrogen to your strawberry plants, this also needs to be done at the end of summer when the strawberry plants are sending all the runners out from the plants.
You can feed your strawberry plants with commercial feed. If you are growing your strawberry plants organically you can even get organic food. Why not try making your own plant food and save money.
When feeding strawberries after the first month of them being planted you can add fertilizer to them. The tip for this is one pound of fertilizer for a 20ft row of strawberries. When the strawberry plants have reached one year old this can be done once a year. Feed them after they have finished fruiting around August.
Do not fertilise your plants in Spring as this can encourage the foilage to grow rather than the fruit. It can also damage your crops which will grow. Always feed the strawberries after they have finished cropping for the year.
To apply the Strawberry feed put some round the base of each plant. Remember to give them a water after you have applied the feed to the strawberries
There are many types of Strawberry fertilizers you can use on your plot to feed them with. You can use manure but make sure it has rotted down well. Do not use fresh manure.
If you are wanting to use organic methods to feed your strawberries you can use Fish meal, blood meal, soy meal or alfralfa meal.
We hope you have found these tips for feeding strawberries useful. Make sure you check out all our other tips on our website here.
Words of wisdom can be inspiring and help motivate you especially when gardening. Gardening is extremely good for the mind and body. Find famous gardening motivation quotes below. You can tap them and share them on your Pinterest. Inspire someone else with some motivation
Spring is finishing and Summer is here. With the summer the heat comes and gardening can get hard work in the blistering heat. With this guide, we will help you find perennials and annual plants that bloom all summer making your garden look spectacular and they won’t need much love and attention.
Here we provide you with 12 plants that bloom all summer. Which plants have you got in your garden or will you choose to add to it.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
12 Plants that bloom all summer
Aster
Asters will add amazing colour to any garden with there daisy-like flowers. They come in purple, pink and white. Choose a colour that will suit your garden.
You can either purchase Aster seeds or you can purchase it as a plant from a garden centre or via the link below.
Asters do not like too much heat. You can either plant them in full sun or partial shade.
These will keep blooming in your garden all summer long.
Candy Tuft
Candy tuft is a great plant to cover a gap in your garden. It will create a blanket of white flowers spreading across a big area.
Candy tuft will start flowering from Spring through Summer. All you need to do is keep the ground moist on dry days. This flower will create a blanket of snow looking flowers.
Coreopsis
The Coreopsis is most commonly known as the Tickseed. This flower is a definite favorite with gardeners far and wide.
These beautiful orange and yellow flowers will appear from Spring and will last all the way through Summer. You can encourage more flowers by deadheading them as they die off.
Eryngium
Why not add something a little special to your garden with this blue and spiky flower. This will look beautiful in your summer garden. These grow great in dry soil which is good if you neglect them.
Gallardia
These flowers are perennials with yellow/orange petals and a red centre. These flowers will keep producing even if you don’t deadhead them. They will also still thrive even if you don’t deadhead them. These are the perfect flowers for the lazy gardener.
Globe Amaranth
The Globe Amaranth you can find in lots of different colours from red, purple, pink and white. These flowers do not loose there colour. They are also ideal for growing as cut flowers as they will dry out and look beautiful in any vase.
Hardy Hibiscus
This hardy hibiscus will add lots of colour in your garden. Blooming from august all the way through to September. Plant it in a sunny position to give it the full potential it needs.
Hydrangeas
Nothing can look any nicer than having a hydrangea plant in your garden. This will flower every year. A Hydrangea likes to be planted in a position to receive the morning sun then shade in the afternoon. This flowering bush will brighten up any garden. The colour of the flowers will depend on your soil.
Marigold
Do you want to add some colour to your garden? These will soon brighten up your borders. Marigolds come in orange and yellow. They do not need much attention once they start growing.
Marigolds need to be watered on a regular basis for them to bloom well. Gardeners can use these to deter pests away from there produce.
Petunia
Petunias are one of the best flowers you can add to your garden. Gardeners tend to have them in hanging baskets and tubs as they are a trailing plant. Petunias come in blues, pinks, whites, and reds.
Petunias are an annual flower. They have one of the longest flowering times from mid-spring all the way through summer. They can really make your hanging baskets look amazing.
Puple Coneflower
The name of this flower comes from the shape of the flower. It originally started as purple but you can now get many other colours.
This flower is a perennial flower. Make sure you are careful if you are dividing it as the flower does not like to be moved.
The petals can be used for a herbal tea.
Zinnias
Zinnias are a great addition to any garden adding lots of different colours to your borders and pots. These will require a bit of watering in dry weather and some feed every so often.
We hope you have found these tips for growing plants that bloom all summer. You can find more tips and advice here.
In this article, we are going to share tips and advice on what herbs grow well together. This is ideal when you are wanting companion planting. There are many types of herbs that you can grow, but knowing which ones to grow is another thing.
There are some herbs that are used when planted to deter the insects which attack plants and flowers away. They can even make the taste of some vegetables and fruit better.
When you are using herbs for companion planting you need to choose:-
Herbs that like the same soil conditions
Herbs that like to be together – so don’t like being planted together
Think about spacing when planting herbs. If they are crowded together they will die.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
Companion Planting Herbs
Here we help you with companion planting herbs and what can be planted together with the benefits of doing so.
Basil
Basil is a great herb to grow – it repels insects and also mosquitos. Planting some varities of herbs near it will benefit from this.
Basil is a great companion plant for tomatoes, Chilies, parsley and oregano. If you plant the herb Chamomile nearby it will help the basil grow.
Chives
Chives are one of the easiest herbs to grow. These are know to repel aphids. So if you have a plant that aphids love plant some chives nearby. Chives love to be planted near carrots.
Dill
Unlike the chives dill does not want to be planted near carrots. You are best planting you dill with your cabbages.
Marjoram
Marjoram can be planted near any other plant. It does not have any issues when being planted. You can use this herb with meat, fish, and dairy.
Mint
Mint is getting used more and more especially in those alcoholic cocktales. If you are growing it though do not plant mint anywhere near parsley – it does not like it as a companion. However you can plant the mint near tomatoes and cabbages.
When growing mint you are best growing it in a pot as it will spread worse than a weed.
Oregano
Oregano is a great companion to all vegetables. It does not have an issue with any. If you want to grow it with another herb from it with basil. It will help repel the insects that damage plants.
Parsley
Like we said further up do not plant the parsley anywhere near mint. It will not like it one bit. Parsley is extremely easy to grow. You should have no trouble growing this in the garden.
Rosemary
Rosemary can be grown as a companion herb with sage and thyme. Rosemary is easy to grow and can survive in dry soil.
If you want to grow it near vegetables you can grow it near cabbage, beans and carrots. Rosemary actually deters the dreaded carrot fly, cabbage moth and bean beetles.
Sage
When growing Sage it can be planted near cabbage and carrots. It will help deter carrot fly and cabbage moth.
Tarragon
Tarragon is straight forward to grow and can be planted near any vegetable or herb.
Thyme
Thyme can be planted near sage and rosemary. Only water thyme when the soil is completely dry not when it is wet.
You can find more tips and advice on growing fruit and vegetables here.
Wolf Garten is one of the leading suppliers of tools in the UK and around the world. They look at the issues you come across in the garden and create the best tools for the issue. The best thing about Wolf Garten tools is that you only need a couple of handles – a long one for jobs that you will be standing up for and a small one for your jobs where you are kneeling down for. The heads on the tools fit all the handles so you only need to fetch the tools down to the allotment that you require or for your garden.
On this page, we will go through all the Wolf Garten Tools. We will find the best price for you to purchase the amazing tool through Amazon so you know it is safe and secure. We have reviewed each product and let you know what the customers think of each one. Which Wolf Garten Tools will you be adding to your collection?
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
When choosing the right garden tool to do the right job you certainly need to look at Wolf Garten Tools they make the best loppers around. Wolf Garten loppers will chop through nice thick branches smoothly. If you are using loppers with longer handles you will be able to get more leverage. These loppers will be great for cutting through branches.
Key Features:-
Ten Year Wolf Garten Tool Guarantee
900 mm in length
Non – stick blades
Plastic Handles
Price Range:-
The price you are looking at paying for The Wolf Garten loppers online is around £70. You can check out the latest price on Amazon below. Click on the link and it will take you straight through to purchase them
Review:-
Online nearly 700 people have purchased these garden loppers and it has a average rating of 4.8 out of 5 which is fantastic for a product. Here is what one of the customers said:-
These cutters are truly bad-to-the-bone and have saved me hours of sawing, cutting and chopping when getting rid of a LOT of hefty tree branches in my garden. I can chop up a hefty 10 metre branch and all of its branches in record time, with ease. You will need strong arms though, these cutters are heavy, but you see why when you start using them, and the extending arms on these make ANY other cutters are a total waste of money! The handles on these are mega strong too, I’m talking lean on them with all your might to chop a hefty branch kind of strong!
Wolf Garten Rake is a fantastic add on to any allotment and garden collection of tools. You will certainly make use of this tool. You will need to make sure you have a Wolf Garten Handle as it does not come with the tool. Once you have got a handle you will not need to purchase another.
This rake will glide through the soil with its curved teeth. The rake has a working width of up to 40cm covering a large area at a time. Us this rake for on the soil, lawn, and on the soil – keeping your garden looking neat and tidy.
Key Features
This Wolf Garten Rake has many features:-
It has a 10-year guarantee
It is part of the Wolf Garten Multi-Change range which means the head can be used on any of the Wolf Garten handles.
40cm working width.
Rake teeth are curved for easy use.
Price Range
The price you are looking at for this Wolf Garten Rake is around £25. You know you will get a ten year guarantee so any issues you can get it changed. Find out the up to date price below from Amazon. Click on the link to go through and purchase it from Amazon.
Review
There have been over 60 purchases of this item online. The average rating of the product is 4.8 out of 5 which is fantastic for a gardening tool. Here is one of the customer’s feedback:-
I now have a range of Multi-Change implements, including long/short handles, two weeders, a hoe, small rake, lawn edger, leaf rake, and yard brush. Yes, they are slightly more expensive, but the quality shines through. This rake is well-made and strong, not too heavy, and a good width for minimizing effort. Besides doing great work in the borders, it also performed well while we were replenishing our drive with three tons of gravel. The plated finish seems very durable too
This has to be one of the best tools from the wolf Garten Range. The Wolf Garten soil miller is part of the Wolf Garten Multi-change tool range, meaning it can connect to any of the Wolf Garten handles – they are interchangeable. This soil miller will glide through your soil aerating it , crumbling the soil and pulling weed roots up. It also has a hoe on it to cut the weeds down. This is one tool every gardener needs.
You will need to purchase a Wolf Garten Handle to connect the tool to it.
Key Features
Comes with a 10 year Wolf Garten guarantee.
A favorite for any allotment holder and gardener.
Cuts through the soil and hoes the weeds.
Fits over 50 Wolf Garten Handles.
Price Range
For the Wolf Garten Soil Miller, you are looking at around £45 – it may sound a lot but with the 10-year guarantee and how good the tool is, it is defiantly worth the investment. You can find out the current price on the Amazon link below. Click the link to go through to Amazon to purchase the product.
Review
Over 405 people have purchased this product online. It has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 which is great for a gardening tool. It shows that it does the job intended. Here is one of the reviews from one of the customers:-
Great tool for the allotment, not to be used when soil is too wet though, as it just clogs up. it’s super at breaking the soil up with the spikes and the other part unearths weed roots, especially nettle runners which my allotment had loads of, this tool also acts like a hoe and removes new regrowth also, always pulling up roots and great for drainage. It breaks up the soil leaving it soft and manageable like compist- I have clay soil too. it acts as a hand held manual rotavator which is just what I wanted because of it being used on my allotment – no electricity and no need for petrol so it’s environmentally friendly and a good work out! It’s also good for weedingin between crops and leveling the soil, it’s a very useful tool you’ll not want to be without it. we’ll recommended!
Watering and feeding your plants in a greenhouse and a polytunnel can be extremely time consuming. If you have an allotment it can mean going down everyday or even twice a day to water the tomatoes and cucumbers in extreme hot weather. Here we will be showing you the best drip irrigation system for a polytunnel and a greenhouse to save watering everyday and feeding.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
Items you will need for drip irrigation
Here we list all the items you will need to connecting your irrigation system up in your greenhouse and polytunnel. You may think it’s quite an expensive set up. Just remember that once you have purchased it you will not need to goto the plot everyday and it will last you years.
Waterbutt
This is to store your water in. You can obviously choose a bigger water butt if you prefer.
Irrigation tube
This is used for the water to be transferred from the water to the irrigation drippers.
Drippers
These drippers connect easily to the irrigation piping. Adjust the drippers to how much you want it to drip.
Water butt connector
This is what the irrigation pipe connects into.
Water butt connector to irrigation
You will need to unscrew your tap on the water butt and replace it with this piece.
Water irrigation stopper
Video of how to set up irrigation
In this video below we show you how to set up your irrigation in your greenhouse and polytunnel so that you don’t have to keep watering your plot all the time.
This method of setting up drip irrigation on the allotment works perfectly for me on my plot and saves me so much time watering and feeding my plants on the allotment. Your tomatoes and cucumbers can take the water in slowly to the roots rather than just soak the compost.
We hope you have found our system for the best drip irrigation system useful.
There are actually hundreds of varieties of tomatoes to try growing at the allotment or the garden. You have all your popular varieties including Alicante, Shirley, Marmande, Roma, Sungold. One of the most popular varieties of tomato to grow in the Uk and abroad is the Moneymaker tomato. Moneymaker tomato is a great variety of tomato to grow in a polytunnel or a greenhouse if you have one. Did you actually know you can grow Moneymaker tomato outdoors in the UK climate? However, you will probably have more success growing Moneymaker tomato in a greenhouse or polytunnel as the climate and the temperature will be better for them to establish and get better crops
One of the reasons Money Maker tomatoes are popular to grow is the size of the tomato. Moneymaker tomato is a small cherry-sized tomato. These are ideal for snacks, children’s pack-ups. Moneymaker tomato plants will produce 100’s of tomatoes probably inundating you with too many to handle so you will end up giving your tomatoes away to friends, family, and neighbors. Making you one very popular person.
In this article, we will be explaining all about how to grow moneymaker tomatoes, the history of them, and the benefits of growing moneymaker tomatoes in a greenhouse, polytunnel, and the garden to help produce a successful tomato crop every year.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
If you are looking for a guide to read on growing tomatoes that you can refer to at any time. The below tomato book is available on Amazon to read.
Money Maker Tomato History
Moneymaker tomatoes have been around since around 1913. They have always been a popular variety to grow as it always produces great crops, it does not get affected by diseases and can cope with the UK climate so can be grown outdoors or indoors.
What are the health benefits of MoneyMaker Tomatoes?
Tomatoes are a healthy option for meals and drinks. Tomatoes have many great nutrients in them. They are a great source of Vitamin C and other antioxidants. They help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
How to grow Moneymaker Tomato
When choosing a variety of tomato to try growing it’s always good to know where you will be growing it first as some varieties will not grow outdoors. You will gain better crops of tomatoes by growing them in the greenhouse or the polytunnel. In this guide we will give you a step-by-step process of growing moneymaker tomato plants from sowing the seeds, potting on the plants, and harvesting the tomatoes.
When to Sow, Plant and Harvest Moneymaker Tomato
Here is an easy table to show you the dates you need for your tomatoes. This chart is for the UK – remember that this is a guide and will all depend on the weather and how warm it is.
Sow
February to April
Plant
May – June
Harvest
July to October
Best place to grow Moneymaker tomato
The best place to grow your tomatoes is always inside a greenhouse or a polytunnel. The temperature in them is a lot warmer than outside making it ideal for great crops and fantastic produce. You will certainly be picking hundreds of tomatoes off your plants with just 5-6 plants.
The best place to grow tomatoes outside is against a wall in a sunny position.
Best soil to grow moneymaker tomato in
The best soil you can grow your tomatoes in is compost. This will provide the best crops. You can either grow your tomatoes in grow bags or you can grow them in tubs. Just make sure the tubs have drainage holes in them. If you are growing Moneymaker tomato in the ground make sure you have improved the soil by adding well-rotted organic matter to it.
How to sow moneymaker tomato seeds
Sowing moneymaker seeds could not be any easier. We include a video below to help.
First, you need a seed tray with a layer of compost in. Sprinkle the tomato seeds evenly across the top of the compost then cover with another layer of compost. Sprinkle the compost with water – do not overwater them. If it is still cold in your greenhouse you can cover the seed tray with a layer of cling film. This will keep the soil warm and moist and help germination.
Planting your Moneymaker Tomato
It will take around 14 days for your tomato seeds to germinate. Leave the plants until they get quite big in the seed tray – around 8cm tall. Once they are big enough to handle you can pot them on into plant pots to grow and develop further – you only need plant pots that are around 8cm. Keep watering the tomatoes on a regular basis and keep them in a sunny position in the greenhouse. Always pot up more tomatoes than you actually need just in case any die – you can always give friends and family spare ones.
When the Moneymaker tomato plants reach around 15cm tall you can now plant them in their final destination. Either transplant them into grow bags – usually, you can get three in a grow bag. The other option is to grow them in a big container and add your own compost or a flower bucket. Just make sure there is drainage holes in the bottom or you could waterlog your Moneymaker tomatoes.
Looking after your Moneymaker tomato
When growing any variety of tomato plants they require a lot of love and attention to get great crops.
One of the main jobs in looking after your moneymaker tomato is to keep them watered they are extremely thirsty plants. They often require a drink of water every day. In extremely hot weather, they might want a drink in the morning and at night.
Make sure that you support your moneymaker tomato plant by placing a cane in the ground at the side to fasten it too as they are top-heavy and can snap. You would not want to lose all your produce from the plant if it snaps and breaks.
As the moneymaker tomato plant is growing keep snapping off any side shoots that grow this then lets the plant put in all the energy into growing the tomatoes on the main stem.
If you notice any yellow leaves growing on the plant these can be cut off just in case they are diseased.
How to feed Moneymaker Tomatoes
Moneymaker tomatoes will need feeding to encourage great crops from your plants. The best thing you can feed your tomatoes is Tomato Feed including Tomorite – this is a liquid tomato feed that can be added to your watering can. The best time to start feeding your moneymaker tomatoes is when they start to flower. Feed them once a week then when the tomatoes start to appear on the plants feed them twice a week.
Here you can find Tomorite available to purchase on Amazon:-
Harvesting Moneymaker Tomato
The best part of growing moneymaker tomatoes is harvesting them. These tomatoes taste absolutely delicious. You won’t just end up eating one but lots. When one turns red they will all start turning red. Pick the tomato off when it is fully ripe do not leave too long or it will go soft and split. If it is at the end of the season and they are not ripening hang some banana skins in the greenhouse or pick them and put them and place them in a draw with a banana.
Money Maker Pests and Diseases
As with most tomatoes Moneymaker tomatoes are still prone to be affected by pests and diseases. These include:-
Moneymaker Tomato Pests:-
The pests which are common to affecting Moneymaker tomatoes are:-
Aphids
Leaf Beatles
Slugs
Snails
All bugs can be prevented from attacking your crops.
Moneymaker Tomato Diseases:-
Moneymaker tomatoes can be affected by late blight this is when the disease is spread by soil that has been hit by the water and splashed onto the plants. When watering make sure you are careful and don’t have too much pressure on the hose or watering can. If you were to spot any plants that have been affected by blight remove them immediately as it can kill crops overnight if not controlled.
The best way to protect your moneymaker tomato plants from disease is to make sure that there is good airflow in the greenhouse and polytunnel, and great drainage the best way to water your moneymaker tomatoes is to use drip irrigation.
Purchase Moneymaker Tomato Plants and Seeds
Here you can purchase your Moneymaker tomato seeds and plants through our website. The links will take you to Amazon so you know it is safe to purchase.
Seeds:- The link below you can purchase moneymaker seeds these are the best ones worth growing where you will have great success.
Plants:- Here you can purchase Moneymaker tomato plants that are already growing so it saves you the hassle of sowing the seeds:-
We hope you have found this information useful on how to grow tomato plants in the garden, greenhouse, and polytunnel. You can find out more tips and advice here.
Moneymaker Tomatoes Questions
Here we answer some of those Money Maker questions that you may have.
What type of Tomatoes are Moneymaker
Moneymaker tomato plants are a cordon variety of tomatoes. This means you should keep pinching off the side shoots to help them grow tall and less bushy. However, if you do let them grow bushy they will produce fruit still just not as much and they will ripen later.
What size are Moneymaker Tomatoes?
The size of money maker tomatoes is 9cm. These make them perfect for snacks or to have as a side with your meal.
How tall are Moneymaker Tomato plants
Moneymaker tomato plants can reach a total height of around 5ft. Make sure you support them with a cane to stop them from falling over and snapping.
Gardening With Ben Podcasts
Did you know that I am an award-winning podcaster winning the award for best Gardening Podcast in the Grow your Own Magazine Awards 2021? You can listen to our regular gardening podcasts on any platform Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Alexa plus lots more – search Gardening with Ben and you will find my podcasts. You can listen to my latest podcast below:-
Click the subscribe button on my podcasts to stay updated with new episodes.
Allotment Book
Are you thinking of starting an allotment? The best book on the market that you can purchase is Allotment Month By Month: Grow your Own Fruit and Vegetables. In this book, it will give you all the tips to start growing your own fruit and vegetables. You can click the link below where it will take you to Amazon to purchase it.
Wild Rocket is great to grow in the garden or herb patch on the allotment. It is perennial so will grow every year producing crops to use in your salads. Wild rocket is more peppery and fiery than the average rocket that you purchase in shops. To purchase wild rocket in shops is a lot more expensive but so easy to grow. So why not try growing your own? Wild Rocket is also known as a wall rocket.
There are many differences between the salad rocket and the wild rocket the leaves are a lot finer on the wild rocket than on the salad version. They are also a lot stronger in taste.
When using a wild rocket to eat you can use it in exactly the same way as the salad version but be warned it is a lot hotter in taste.
When planting a wild rocket (Wall rocket) plant it in a dry shady spot – ideally near a wall – hence the name it gets.
Keep picking the wild rocket often and it will soon grow new leaves on it to eat. Trim it back in autumn for another great harvest the year after. Find out how to grow a wild rocket below.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
How to grow Wild Rocket and Salad Rocket
Rocket is an extremely hardy leaf that can be added to your favorite salad bowls to add that extra peppery taste to it. This will certainly make a salad bowl tastier. You can grow this in pots or straight in the ground – the choice is yours. If you grow salad rocket in bowls you can move it into the greenhouse as it gets cooler to keep it growing for longer.
Sowing Rocket
To sow rocket you can grow it in soil that is well drained. It needs to be either in full sun or partial sun to help it grow. When you decide to sow rocket you are best starting it off in a greenhouse as it is warmer and it will germinate faster.
You can sow rocket from the end of February as long as it is in a greenhouse and warm to help it germinate. If you are sowing outdoors sow from June when the chance of frost has passed. You can sow rocket up until September for late crops.
Growing Rocket
Once your seeds have germinated and are big enough for transplanting you can now look at potting them up if you are growing in seed trays. If you have sown the rocket seeds outdoors space the plants at around 10-15cm so they have room to grow and keep them weed-free.
Looking after Rocket
As the rocket is growing keep the plants moist and well-watered when the weather is hot and dry. If you see any flower buds appearing on the rocket pinch them out to stop them from setting to seed. If you do want them to set to seed leave a couple of plants so that the seeds spread and more plants grow. If you are growing them in the ground be careful they don’t all set to seed and take over your garden.
Harvesting Rocket
The best part of growing something is harvesting it. To harvest rocket, all you need to do is just pinch off the leaves as and when you require some for your salad. You will be picking it up for weeks over the summer. If you pick the rocket leaves while they are young the leaves have a much milder taste.
Pests that affect rocket
The only pest which likes to attack rocket is the flea beetle. The way you can prevent this is by growing the rocket under fleece. This will protect them from the flea beetle.
Problems that affect Rocket
Rocket can be affected if you grow it too close together. Make sure that you thin it out and have the right spacing between them ideally 10-15cm. If you leave them to close together they will often go to seed and flower.
Rocket can also bolt. Make sure you keep it watered in dry and hot weather. If you don’t keep it watered your rocket can often taste bitter.
Purchase Rocket
Rocket can be purchased here on our site. We recommend some good varieties to try and grow.
Wild Rocket:- The one below is wild rocket – this one is the stronger tasting leaves. This one is a great one to try and grow.
Salad Rocket:– If you are wanting to purchase the salad rocket seeds which you often see in supermarkets this is the variety that you are wanting to grow.
We hope you have found this useful for growing Wild Rocket and Salad Rocket. You can find more hints and tips on growing herbs, fruit, and vegetables here.
