Kay Goff is trying to find a tomato variety, Big Seven.

Kay lives in the USA, in the state of Tennessee. The tomato that she is trying to find was offered by a seed company in South Carolina many years ago. She would appreciate any help finding this variety & will pay for seed or plant.

Big Seven Tomato (Latin name - Lycopersicon esculentum) is a heritage, old fashioned variety of tomato:

• good for mid-western climates but can handle many climates as long as the growing season isn’t too short.

• grows to a height of 6 - 20 ft.

• white & yellow flowers appear from early Spring to late Summer

• tolerates heat & humidity,

• prefers full sun or a sunny position

If anyone can help find some seed of the tomato variety Big Seven, please fill in the comment column below & we will contact Kay.

seed tomato

The reason why the tomatoes are wilting is that they were planted into a gro-bag when the compost inside was still solid.

It is vital to loosen the compost in the bag by shaking and kneading it like a pillow.  Otherwise the water is not able to soak into the compost.  Then there is not  sufficient water for the tomato plants, so they wilt.

Now is a good time to plant ‘cut and come again’ salads.

They can be grown in:

• containers
• window boxes
• directly in the vegetable garden

salads need to be shaded from direct sunshine in midsummer.

Thomson & Morgan has a list of “cut and come again” types:

• red Bulls Blood



• Read More »
  lettuce plant

Farming Friends & TopVeg have collaborated to create a How To Grow Tomatoes growing card. Click on the image below to enlarge the picture of the card.

The card may be downloaded, printed off and pinned to the greenhouse wall as a useful reference on how to grow tomatoes. Read More »

plant tomato

NicheSaladLeaves
1 pkt 400seeds £1.89

This exciting blend of salad leaves adds a range of colours, tastes and textures to salads. The blend consists of Leaf Radish, Leaf Carrot, Wrinkled Cress, Kale Red Russian, Red Amaranth, Golden Purslane and Salad Burnet.

The seeds can be sown in succession, outside, from March to September. Seeds can be sown from October to February under glass.

When the leaves are about 4″ high, they are cut off about 1″ above ground level and the leaves come again in no time.

The leaves are used in salads or as a garnish. Click on the image below to find out more about this book:

Growing lettuce leaves in the garden gives a good source off fresh green leaves.

Bush type (trailing) tomatoes generally grow 30 – 40cm tall and about 60cm wide.

Tumbling tomatoes can be grown in: Read More »

Wiggly Wigglers have a great collection of Salad Leaf Seeds to help grow your own salad!

• fresh, crisp leaves
• different flavours and colours
• a selection of various leaves
• no food miles

Read More »

plant seed

This ‘How to Grow Tomatoes’ guide shows that tomatoes are easy to grow but require daily attention.

Sowing Tomato Seeds

• sow tomato seeds from January to late April in small pots or seed trays

• use seed compost

• water compost & allow to drain for 15 minutes

• sow tomato seeds 2.5cm (1in) apart, ½ - 1cm (¼ - ½in) deep

• place containers on warm windowsill or in a heated propagator or greenhouse

Read More »

Now is the time to plant Tom Thumb Lettuce seed on the kitchen window sill for an early homegrown lettuce from the vegetable garden.

As soon as it comes up transfer the lettuce to a frost-free unheated greenhouse, or a very light patch under glass. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin out gradually, but keep them about 15cm (6in) apart. Read More »

Tomatoes need a certain amount of direct sunlight daily. Read More »

tomato