Oxheart tomato: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you sow oxheart tomatoes under cover?
Start your oxheart tomato seeds in late winter or spring, according to available shelter and possible planting dates. In a cool region, avoid starting too early if you cannot keep plants warm and brightly lit for several weeks.
Prepare small pots with drainage holes or a seed tray with fine, free-draining compost. Moisten before sowing, distribute seeds without crowding and cover thinly following packet instructions. Maintain steady warmth around 18 to 21 °C. Record the exact cultivar and sowing date.
Watch for emergence and keep compost moist without standing water. Remove any cover once shoots appear. Provide plenty of light to develop sturdy stems rather than long, weak ones. Turn pots if plants lean towards the window.
With two true leaves, move seedlings to individual pots while supporting their small root balls. Hold a leaf gently without squeezing the stem. Increase pot size if roots lack room. Continue growing under cover, then harden off before planting when soil and nights are warm enough and frost is no longer a risk.
How do you plant oxheart tomatoes?
How to care for this plant
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Remove side shoots
If you train an indeterminate tomato on one or two stems, look for small shoots between a leaf and the main stem. Remove only those you do not want to keep, preferably while small, without removing flower trusses. Leave determinate bush tomatoes to branch naturally. If you do not know your variety's growth habit or prefer to let it grow freely, do not prune routinely. Between reminders, check new shoots when harvesting.
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Install plant supports
If your tomato variety needs support, fit a sturdy stake or string when planting. Tie the stem loosely and check ties as it grows. Bush varieties may not need staking.
How do you harvest oxheart tomatoes?
