Guide to Growing Tomatoes

• Grow tomatoes for their taste and the satisfaction of eating a delicious, fresh, vine-ripened tomato from your own plant. The difference between the shop-bought tomato and your home-grown fruit is like that of vintage wine in comparison with plonk.
• Quite apart from the taste, you have a vast choice of varieties to grow, rather than just the few commercial types available in the supermarket.
• Tomatoes are well-suited for the gardener with limited space. One pot or hanging basket of tomatoes will provide a significant crop.

Sowing and Growing

• There are three main types of tomatoes – cordon, bush or determinate types, and dwarf types. Read about the different types of tomatoes.
• All tomatoes are started off in heat, either in a propagator or on the windowsill. Greenhouse varieties can be started in early March, those for outdoor planting in the second half of March or early April.
• Sow the seeds thinly into a small, shallow pot and move the seedlings into individual 8 cm (3 inch) pots when they are large enough to handle. Read more about starting tomatoes from seed here and here.
• Greenhouse plants will be ready for planting into their final home in early May, outdooor tomatoes at the end of the month. Read advice about planting greenhouse tomatoes, outdoor tomatoes and an extensive planting guide.
• Tomatoes do not grow well below 50ºF (10ºC), nor will they tolerate frost. If May is cold, or brings a late frost, either provide night time heating or bring the plants into the house overnight.
• It is critical to keep tomatoes watered regularly. Irregular watering causes the fruits to split and encourages blossom end rot, where the base of the fruit rots. Read more about watering tomatoes.

Harvesting

• You will most likely have some green tomatoes left on the plants at the end of the season. Use them in chutney or ripen by putting them into a bowl with ripe bananas. The bananas release tiny amounts of ethylene gas that promotes ripening in many fruits.

Pests and Problems

• Tomatoes are from the same family as potatoes and can suffer from blight. They can also suffer from various pests including aphids and white fly. Read about tomato troubles and diseases.

Varieties

• There are hundreds of varieties to chose from, some suited to growing in the greenhouse, others better for outdoors or in a hanging basket or pot.
• They come in different sizes, from the small round cherries up to the huge marmande types, and in different colours, from yellows and reds to green and yellow stripes!

Eating

• Fresh from the vine – the flavour is unbeatable!
• Enjoy your tomatoes both raw and cooked. If you have a glut there are plenty of ways of usings them, including relish and dishes that can be frozen.

My Tried and Tasted Tomatoes

I’ve tried some cultivars and come to the conclusion that it is worth trying out a different tomato each year but always grow the tried, tasted and trusted as well.There are a huge range of different types of tomatoes available in the garden centres and catalogues. Factor in the specialist suppliers and the choice is overwhelming.

Sungold

This is a particularly vigorous cordon variety, being an F1 hybrid and really leaps away. It is one of the first to crop and because it is so vigorous, I have had success both under cover and outside. The fruit is small but plentiful and an orange colour rather than red. Too sweet for cooking, it is gorgeous alone or in a salad. A favourite with the kids. If I only grew one variety this would be it.

It used to only be available from Thomson and Morgan but now seems that other suppliers are offering it as well.

Gardener’s Delight

An old favourite traditional cordon type, prolific and a good performer. It is thin skinned and has a reasonable flavour. Very much the standard, I usually grow this to ensure a supply for fried breakfasts and sandwiches.

Garten or Garden Pearle

A dwarf bush tomato from Thomson and Morgan. Prolific and tasty red cherry tomatoes. One plant is enough so we grow two and give loads away. 

Plum Roma

A bush tomato, generally available. Firm fleshed and good flavour. Ideal for freezing to provide cooking tomatoes later in the year. 

Big Boy

This is the beefsteak tomato producing fruits that weigh upto a pound. I found that I didn’t manage to get a decent crop ripened before the end of the season. May try again but not on the must have list.

Ace

Standard cordon type with reasonable flavour but nothing special.- I believe this is a commercial variety.

Tumbler

A dwarf bush similar to Garden Pearle. Think the flavour of Garden Pearle superior.

San Marzano

Italian plum style tomato, similar to Roma. I have found Roma more reliable. San Marzano are said to have a better flavour but come late so are more susceptible to blight.

Not to grow tomato - Moneymaker

Another gardener’s standard but I find it pretty tasteless even straight from the plant. I really don’t think it worth growing.

RHS Award of Garden Merit

• Gardener's Delight
• Alicante
• Cristal
• Gold Nugger
• Golden Sunrise
• Legend
• Ruby
• Shirley
• Tigerella
• Vilma
• More information on the Award of Garden Merit