Ailsa Craig

Description
A traditional favourite suitable for growing in or outdoor, producing uniform, medium sized fruits with exceptional flavour and deep red colour.

Best time to plant
In a greenhouse in April If you have a harsh frost the plants will turn blue and you may lose some of the leaves, but the plant should still grow out of it when it warms up. If the main stem collapses then you have lost your plant but that is unusual. If you're planting outside then the 3rd week in May is the best time to plant them after the frosts have gone.

Harvest
Roughly 8 weeks after planting. Once the tomatoes are red and swollen.

Growing Instructions
Plant 45cm apart in well drained soil/large pot/grobag in your greenhouse. If you don't have a greenhouse, you can grow on in a conservatory/window until all frosts have passed then slowly acclimatise them to the outdoors over 4-6 days and find the sunniest/warmest position you have in your garden. Keep the young plants well watered until established and in dry weather. As they grow they will need support, we do this by using string attached round the grow bag stretching up 6 feet high, tied to a string stretching the opposite direction, using one string per plant, train each plant clockwise round the string. Pinching out the side shoots as they grow up. Once it reaches the top of your string, hang it over and let the tomato plant grow back down, still picking the side shoots out. Feed only once you see 3-4 tomatoes starting to swell NOT BEFORE (this is because the plant will not want to reproduce if its being fed and watered nicely). Remove any rotting/dead leaves as the plant grows. The 2nd week in August pinch the growing tip out, this will encourage the top fruits to increase in size and set before the end of the season. WHAT ARE SIDE SHOOTS? The main growing stem of the tomato has branches coming out of it, at the start/base of that branch you may have what looks like a mini tomato starting to grow, this is a side shoot, the picture above shows exactly what to pinch out.

Tip
Irregular watering can cause all sorts of problems, make sure you try to water and feed the soil evenly, try to keep it moist (but not soaking/soggy) DO NOT use farm yard manure on your tomatoes and cucumbers, as farmers sometimes use a hormone weed killer on barley/wheat/straw that is then used as bedding. This will dramatically harm your crop!