Tomato
How to sow and grow bush tomatoes
This balcony or bush tomato grows to about 50 to 80 cm tall, so it fits well in an MM-Mini or in the back row of a raised bed without a trellis.
The tomatoes are about 5-7 cm across and have an old-fashioned tomato flavour: not too sweet, but very tasty.
More about our Bush tomato
This bush or balcony tomato grows about 50 to 80 cm tall, does not need a trellis, and also grows very well in an MM-Mini.
The tomatoes are about 5-7 cm across and have a classic tomato flavour: not too sweet, but very tasty.
The tomatoes are about 5-7 cm across and have a classic tomato flavour: not too sweet, but very tasty.
- Variety name: Bush tomato 'Maya'
- Family: nightshade
- Number per square: 1
- Height: 50-80 cm
- Start indoors: mid-March through April. Plant outside in mid-May.
- Position: back row, or the row just in front of the trellis row. Also ideal for the MM-Mini.
- Time to harvest: from 16 weeks
- Germination: from 20°C in 6-10 days
- Packet contents: approx. 30 seeds, for 10+ squares
What is a bush tomato?
Most tomato plants grow big and tall and need to be tied to a trellis or rack so they don't fall over.
A bush tomato stays small and compact because the stem is shorter. They grow great without a trellis. They may need a little support from a stick of bamboo when the plant is full of tomatoes, but that's it.
There's no need to remove the side shoots on bush tomatoes. You want them nice and bushy after all.
A bush tomato stays small and compact because the stem is shorter. They grow great without a trellis. They may need a little support from a stick of bamboo when the plant is full of tomatoes, but that's it.
There's no need to remove the side shoots on bush tomatoes. You want them nice and bushy after all.
What do you need to grow Bush tomato yourself?
Tomatoes are started indoors first and are only planted in your outdoor box at the end of May.
Besides the seeds, you need this for starting indoors:
Besides the seeds, you need this for starting indoors:
- MM seed-starting mix or MM coconut seed-starting mix
- MM-Airpots, both small and large
- clear kitchen film (not needed with coconut seed-starting mix)
When the plant can go outside, you need:
- an MM-Mini or one 30 x 30 cm square
- MM-Mix or MM coconut mix
- a sunny spot with at least 8 hours of sunlight per day
- MM plant food
How do you sow and grow Bush tomato?
This Bush tomato is included in the free Makkelijke Moestuin app. The app explains step by step how to sow, grow and harvest it.
Every vegetable goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do in each level and regularly asks you to check whether your plants are ready for the next level.
So you do not need to know in advance how to grow Bush tomato successfully.
But if you would like to read ahead, I will show you what the whole process looks like below.
Level 1: starting Bush tomato indoors
Tomatoes are true summer vegetables and take a long time to grow from seed into a plant with ripe tomatoes. Too long for our climate. The seeds only germinate at around 21°C.
That is why you start them indoors around late March. Around late May, you plant the young plant in your raised bed. To be safe, raise 2 plants, even if you will only need one later.
Here is how to start them indoors:
- Fill 2 Airpots with MM seed-starting mix or MM coconut seed-starting mix
- Sow 1 seed in each pot, 1 cm deep.
- Cover the pots with a piece of clear kitchen film (not needed with coconut seed-starting mix).
- Put the pots in a warm spot in your living room.
Note: MM coconut seed-starting mix does not contain plant food yet. Before using it, add one heaped tablespoon of MM plant food.
Levels 2 and 3: Bush tomato seedlings
As soon as you see the seedlings come up, remove the film (not needed with the coconut mix).
They probably will not both come up at the same time, but after a week they should both be above the mix. From then on, put the pots in the brightest spot you have, but preferably not too warm.
They probably will not both come up at the same time, but after a week they should both be above the mix. From then on, put the pots in the brightest spot you have, but preferably not too warm.
Keep the mix moist and turn the pots a quarter turn every day. This stops the seedlings from growing crooked.
Levels 4 and 5: Care for your plants on the windowsill
Keeping young plants healthy on a windowsill for a longer time can be tricky. Make sure they get plenty of light and do not get too warm: full sun is good, but no warmer than 20°C.
Turn them a quarter turn every day to prevent crooked growth, and keep the mix moist. For a pot with the traditional MM seed-starting mix, water from above. With the coconut mix, water into the saucer the pot is standing in.
After another 10 days or so, move the plants into a larger pot with fresh mix. This lets the plants make extra roots, gives them fresh nutrients, and helps them grow even better.
Turn them a quarter turn every day to prevent crooked growth, and keep the mix moist. For a pot with the traditional MM seed-starting mix, water from above. With the coconut mix, water into the saucer the pot is standing in.
After another 10 days or so, move the plants into a larger pot with fresh mix. This lets the plants make extra roots, gives them fresh nutrients, and helps them grow even better.
Levels 6-10: Getting used to outdoor air
In the second half of May, let the plants get used to outdoor air: a little longer each day. In the final level they stay outside all day, and you only bring them back inside at night.
Level 11: Plant the strongest tomato plant
Once your plants are used to outdoor air, choose the strongest one and move it to your outdoor box or into an MM-Mini.
Sprinkle 30 ml or 2 tablespoons of extra plant food into the planting hole and put the plant in. From that moment on, there is not much more to do: your plant will grow by itself.
Of course, water regularly. With tomatoes, always water at the base of the plant and never on the leaves.
Levels 12 to 14: Care for your tomato plant
In these levels, you care for the plant and will discover the first flowers. Give a little extra plant food every 4-5 weeks, and in July the first tomatoes will start to ripen.
Once fruit appears, give the plant some support so it does not fall over. A few bamboo sticks work well.
With this tomato, you do not need to remove the side branches or suckers. You want it to grow into a nice full bush.
With this tomato, you do not need to remove the side branches or suckers. You want it to grow into a nice full bush.
Other than that, water regularly and remove weeds and tatty leaves. That is it.
Level 15: Harvest the first tomatoes
Level 15: Harvest the first tomatoes
In this stage, which you reach about 16 weeks after sowing, the first tomatoes are ready. They stay green for quite a while at first, then slowly turn red. That is when you can pick them.
In warm, sunny weather it goes quickly; in cooler weather it takes longer.
Tomatoes taste best when they are fully ripe but still firm. If you leave them hanging too long, they become soft and mealy, so try them as you go.
Pick fully ripe tomatoes from the plant: the stalk breaks off easily. Or use scissors and cut them from the stems.
What can you use Bush tomato for?
Tomatoes can be eaten raw or cooked. They are lovely in salads, sauces, soups and even stir-fries.
Tomatoes provide vitamins C and A, several B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. They are also a source of lycopene.
Cooking tomatoes makes lycopene easier for the body to absorb, while reducing some vitamin C. Enjoy tomatoes both raw and cooked as part of a varied diet.
Cooking tomatoes makes lycopene easier for the body to absorb, while reducing some vitamin C. Enjoy tomatoes both raw and cooked as part of a varied diet.
The final levels
Around late August, the days get shorter again, so the tomatoes take a little longer to ripen.
To help the tomatoes ripen, cut away leaves that shade the fruit so the sun can reach them. Also remove any new flower trusses, because those tomatoes will not ripen in time. That way, all the plant's energy goes to the tomatoes that are already there.
You can keep harvesting until it gets colder. After that, the plant declines quickly and it is best to remove it from your raised bed or MM-Mini.
So, what is stopping you from sowing and growing Bush tomato yourself?
These are tasty tomatoes and fairly easy to grow, and a full bush covered in tomatoes looks beautiful.
Plus, with our app and materials it is almost impossible to fail.
Good luck!
Plus, with our app and materials it is almost impossible to fail.
Good luck!
