Growing tomatoes

About tomatoes

Tomatoes can be the most rewarding of vegetables. They are easy to grow from seed, and can be grown in any size garden providing they are in a warm, sheltered spot. But it's important to choose the right variety, suited to the space you have available, and the location.

Greenhouses and polytunnels offer the best conditions in the UK for producing a summerlong feast of tomatoes. But outdoor ripened fruit can be worth waiting for. There are varieties suited to growing indoors and outdoors and some bred especially for containers and hanging baskets. Whichever variety you choose, all need fertile soil, and plenty of regular sun, heat, food and water to produce sweet, juicy fruits.

What to do

How to sow seeds

• Fill a 7.5cm (3in) pot with compost, lightly firm and water.
• Scatter seeds thinly (most germinate so only sow a few more than you need) and cover with a thin layer of vermiculite.
• Label and put on a windowsill to germinate. Seedlings should appear within two weeks and be large enough to move into separate pots in about eight weeks.
• To do this, hold seedlings carefully by their leaves and gently lever up with a dibber. Make a hole in a 7.5cm (3in) pot filled with compost and carefully lower in the seedling.
• Gently firm, making sure roots are covered and water. When roots come through the drainage holes put into a 12.5cm (5in) pot.

Planting in growing bags

• When the first truss or 'branch' of flowers has appeared, tomatoes are ready to go into growing bags.
• Prepare the bag by shaking and kneading it to break up clods of compacted compost and form into a hummock shape.
• Puncture the base to make some drainage holes and cut out the pre-marked planting squares. Scoop out compost for the tomatoes to be planted.
• The top of the root ball should be beneath the top of the bag and have a light covering of compost. Firm in and water.
• Put a growing bag frame over the bag and insert a cane next to each plant.
• Secure this to the frame and as it grows, tie the tomato to the cane every 10cm (4in).

Growing tips

• Unless you're growing a bush tomato, the aim is to create a single-stemmed plant.
• To do this, snap out shoots that grow in leaf joints and when your plant has produced four sets of flowering trusses, pinch out the growing tip.
• This will ensure all its energy goes into producing fruit. Water plants daily and once flowers have started to appear, feed with tomato fertiliser every week to ensure the best fruit.
• If you find yourself with a glut of green tomatoes at the end of the growing season, try putting a few in a kitchen drawer with a banana to encourage them to ripen.

Find out more about growing veg from Dig In.

Five to try

There are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes, from tiny cherry tomatoes to huge beefsteak types. Why not try a few different varieties every year.

• 'Cream Sausage' - creamy coloured, plum shaped and very sweet
• 'Black Russian' - a large, dark skinned variety
• 'Gardeners Delight' - popular for its abundance of sweet fruit
• 'Sungold' - masses of cherry-sized fruits ideal for salads
• 'Marmande' - a classic beefsteak tomato

See more tomato varieties in the Plant finder