There are so many benefits of growing tomatoes in your garden. Obviously the main one is that you end up with fresh, juicy tomatoes to eat, but that's just scratching the surface. The beautiful green, red and yellow colours that you can grow, that unmistakable fragrance that they give off and the endless possibilities of what you'll do when you harvest.
While tomato plants do require some attention, they are not actually that difficult to grow - as we're about to show you. We're going to walk you through the entire process from how to get started, right the way through to how to harvest and store tomatoes. We'll cover growing from tomato seeds and from young plants - everything you need to know about how to grow tomatoes.
Getting started
The first decision you need to make is which variety of tomato plants you want to grow. There are two main groups:
Indeterminate tomatoes (or cordon tomatoes): These grow to be very tall, and are therefore great if you don't have much ground space. They are fast-growing tomatoes, but will require support and regular maintenance.
Determinate tomatoes (or bush tomatoes): This type of tomato plant is more compact, ideal for hanging baskets or a window box where their stems can trail over the edge. They don't require as much maintenance, but may need a little bit of support when they start to bear fruit. These are best for people just getting into gardening.
Which group you opt for will probably be dictated by what space you are going to be using. Within each of these categories, though, there is a huge selection of different tomato varieties - so many more than is available to buy in most supermarkets. What size, shape, colour and flavour do you fancy?
When to plant tomato plants is the next big question - and this helpful little table can help you out there. The main thing you need to know is whether you are going to grow tomatoes from a seed packet or whether you buy tomato seedlings - here's a handy chart to use as a guide.
Sowing tomatoes
Tomato plants are one of the easier plants to grow from seed indoors. As the table above suggests, you can sow from February to April, but if you sow in February or early March, keep them inside, and after that keep them in a greenhouse to protect them from frost.
They'll need some moist compost and temperatures of around 18 °C, so a warm windowsill is perfect. Consider using a heated propagator if you are worried that they won't get warm enough. Give them a bit of water every few days.
You can expect to start to see seedlings within two weeks or so, at which point they'll need as much light as possible.
Planting tomatoes
Whether you are planting tomatoes that you've grown from seed, or tomato seedlings that you've bought, you can plant tomatoes after the last frost in May or early summer.
Planting tomatoes outdoors
A sheltered-yet-sunny spot is best if you are going to plant tomatoes outdoors. In terms of what to plant into, tomato plants are quite flexible in that regard. You can plant in grow bags, directly into the ground, in pots or these window grow bags.
Plant them deep, so the leaves are just above the surface of the soil, and add in plenty of well rotted garden compost to your potting soil or garden soil. You may need to harden them off, by slowly introducing them to the outside (bring them in at night), just to make sure they make the adjustment.
Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse
If you want to plant your tomato plants in a greenhouse, the process is basically the same, but just make sure that the heat isn't too much for them. Start them off in shade to help them adjust.
Growing tomatoes
Watering tomato plants
Tomato plants need quite a lot of water - that is where all the juiciness of the fruit comes from. It's best to water a small amount regularly, rather than a huge amount infrequently, so make sure you keep on top of it. Water all around the soil, not just by the neck of the plant. Tomato plants need a good spread of soil moisture.
Feeding tomato plants
For the best possible results, feeding tomatoes every couple of weeks with a high potassium fertiliser should encourage a more bountiful crop.
Pruning tomato plants
You don't have to prune tomato plants, and you shouldn't prune determinate tomatoes, but some people like to prune indeterminate tomatoes to encourage bigger tomatoes. The best way to do this is to remove any flowers until the plant reaches around 30 cm in height. Make sure you have the right cutting tools for the job.
Training tomato plants
How you train tomato plants depends on what category they fall into:
- Indeterminate tomatoes require support to help them grow tall and strong. Tie them to the supports with string. The more support they have, the more energy they can put into fruit production.
- Determinate tomatoes generally won't require support unless they grow very large, or they start to struggle under the weight of their fruit. Short vertical canes will suffice.
Harvesting tomatoes
You'll find ripe tomatoes from around the middle of summer, but this can vary depending on the size and variety of your tomato crop - so keep an eye out. Cherry tomatoes ripen quicker than larger varieties - those green tomatoes will turn red before you know it!
Harvest tomatoes one by one, as soon as they gain their full colour (again this will vary) - they'll keep for about a week at room temperature. If you find you have an overwhelming amount, consider making a tomato sauce and pop it in the freezer to avoid waste. Perfect for a pasta dish at a later date!
Tomato growing problems
Tomato blight
This is a fast-spreading disease that you can identify by brown patches that will appear over the entire plant. If you see it developing, harvest any ripe fruit that you have, and trim off any affected leaves to slow the spread. Don't use that soil for growing tomatoes next year, as the disease may still be there. Tomato blight is usually worse in damp summers.
Pests
Whiteflies and greenflies are a major threat to a tomato plant - use a pest control spray on the leaves to protect your crops.
Leaf problems
Look out for curling leaves, which could be caused by aphids or cold nights, yellowing leaves, which might mean your plants need a magnesium feed, and distorted leaves, which could indicate a disease.
Also keep an eye out for blossom end rot, which is when you have dark patches on the base of the fruit. This could indicate a calcium deficiency, which can be eased with mulching.
And don't stop there...
Once you've got your tomato plant up and running, you'll have unlocked a whole world of possibility! Take full advantage of every growing season and start a veg patch. There is nothing more satisfying than a delicious meal, made with ingredients from your own garden.
