Advice on growing tomatoes from Baytree Garden Centre in Weston

Here's the weekly Out in the Garden column with Mark Cox, of Baytree Garden Centre in Weston...

I have to admit that whilst standing there in the courtroom opposite the prosecution I felt very confident.

The prosecution team obviously meant business as they all wore those really expensive little legal wigs with black robes.

As to not be intimidated I too sported a wig though mine was made from a used mop that T-Dog had smuggled out of C Wing and then trimmed.

Billy volunteered his overgrown big toe nail which T-Dog skilfully used for the trimming of the aforementioned mop head.

My black robes were slightly harder to fashion but Billy and X-Man, two geniuses it must be said, had glued several black bin bags together in art class for me.

In the dim light of the courtroom my bin bag robes looked amazing.

Sadly every time I moved I sounded like a huge crisp packet and to make matters worse my wig, which was now beginning to dry, was giving off the distinct aroma of wet dog.

Before I could even give my opening statement, the Right Honourable Judge Mr Lock Imup told me that I was in contempt of court and that I should be remanded in custody for another week. “The wearing of fancy dress is not acceptable in my courtroom,” he said.

With his words echoing in my ears, I was led away.

Upon my return and before I’d barely had time to change, Mr McKay, my warden, had whisked me off to his greenhouse to start sowing his tomato seeds which eventually will be planted outside once they are ready in a few months’ time.

As a keen gardener, Mr McKay had several large heated propagators which are essentially small greenhouses where you can control to a certain extent the temperature inside. Propagators are not expensive and once you’ve purchased one it will last you for a long time.

To start with I filled what seemed like hundreds of little seed cell trays with general all-purpose compost. Once they were filled I sowed one seed into each cell, sprinkled a thin layer of vermiculite on top and followed with a good watering to each cell before placing the tray into the propagator.

If you don’t have a propagator you can cover the seed cell trays with a little bubble of cling film. The cling film will reduce moisture loss and increase the humidity inside. Then place them on a warm sunny windowsill.

Because Mr McKay had several heated propagators all I had to do was load them up, close the lid and switch it on. In a few days the seeds will begin to germinate and push their first leaves up through the compost. When they reach about 2-3cm in height they will need to be transplanted from their cells into individual 5cm pots.

Potting on follows the same process above. You’ll fill the pots with damp all-purpose compost topped with vermiculite. Though when you do transplant the young seedlings to their new home you’ll have to be really careful not to damage their tender roots in the process.

I will show T-Dog, X-Man and Billy how to pot them as they will need potting on several times more before they can be planted outside into Mr McKay’s vegetable garden.

Fingers crossed I’m not the one potting them on as that will mean that my court case has not gone well again.

#Free the Gardening Four!