BBC’s Morning Live featured gardening guru Mark Lane on Friday, offering sage advice about tomatoes. Britain’s tomato season typically sees fruits appearing in gardens from mid-summer, with avid gardeners eager for a taste of their handiwork. But one viewer, Avril, was puzzled by the state of her tomato plant, which sported just a few leaves, all curled and yellowing at the edges.
Mark reacted with concern: “This is what’s known as tomato leaf curl. It’s a nasty fungal infection.” He explained that the problem comes from whiteflies. For already impacted foliage, Lane advised removing it entirely and discarding it in the bin—composting is not an option for infected leaves.
With enough water, humidity and hope, there’s a chance for the plant to recover, Mark assured.
Meanwhile another viewer questioned why seeds planted by her child was showing no signs of sprouting.
The expert said: “I need to be clear it’s too late now to sow your tomato seeds. Tomatoes come from hot climates, they need that long period to grow and then to fruit.
“You could sow them now, you’re probably only going to get the greenery but that’s still great for a seven-year-old because you’re teaching them how to sow the seeds, how to nurture the plant. You’re just not going to get the fruit.”
But, there is still a glimmer of hope for those keen on growing their own tomatoes this year. Mark suggested they simply purchase a more mature plant instead of seeds.
However, these do require some structural support gardeners need to be mindful of: “Tomatoes like this can grow quite tall so you need to make sure they are staked.”
To do this, the expert said you’ll need to have a long bamboo cane and a bit of twine. Begin by making a hole in the soil by your plant, but not directly next to it as Mark warned you don’t want to interfere with the root system.
Position the cane in this hole and then loop a small bit of twine around the stem of your established plant. Cross over the twine so it forms a figure-eight before looping it around the cane too.
Mark noted: “So when you tighten that up, it gives you a little bit of a buffer (between the cane and the plant). As it grows taller, do that again higher up.”
