Discover how to grow tomatoes yourself...

... enjoy the red fruits of your labours by learning how to grow tomatoes.

Tomatoes like warmth and protection from cold winds so pick a warm site on a south facing wall. If you can't manage this then protect behind glass or plastic.

Home grown outdoor tomatoes can be great with a bit of care.

Rotation: 'Other', so anywhere that has not grown tomatoes or potatoes - as these are both members of the family Solanacae and both get blight.

Soil preparation: well drained organic rich soil is preferred. Soil should be prepared in winter by mixing in plenty of compost in a planting hole for each plant. Cover soil with black plastic or weed membrane or mulch to warm the soil, keep weeds down and conserve moisture. Alternatively, use Grow bags or 23cm (9") pots or tubs with a rich organic compost/ soil mix and good drainage for growing tomatoes.

Sowing/ planting:

• buy a good outdoor variety as seed or small plants in pots. Plants should be dark green and sturdy
• sow your own in early spring by placing 3 seeds in moist compost in 8cm (3") pots and keep at 20C - germination takes 8-10 days
• discard all but the strongest seedling from each pot, grow on and harden off ready for planting out in early summer
• planting tomatoes should be done in a protected place on a south-facing surface when the first flowers of the first truss have opened and the risk of frost has passed

Good maintenance is key to how to grow tomatoes well:

• watering: keep soil/ compost moist at all times by watering roots, keep leaves dry
• pinch out side shoots in leaf stalks as they appear
• remove yellow leaves below trusses
• fertilizer: feed every 14 days with liquid tomato feed over season
• disease control: avoid watering leaves, remove and burn diseased leaves and stalks

Harvesting: Pick your tomatoes as they ripen - enjoy fresh. If the season is late and you have many green tomatoes these can be ripened by placing them with ripe fruits in a fruit bowl or box. Check to ensure they stay dry and disease free as ripening can take weeks. Enjoy the fruits of your labours!

For more information

• on how to grow vegetables other than how to grow tomatoes
• to return to the home of easy vegetable gardening