What I Know About Growing Tomatoes
Tomatoes are probably my all time favourite vegetable (or should I say fruit) to grow. Growing from seed gives you such a good return on investment - and who doesn’t like to get a good bang for your buck?! They flower and fruit fairly quickly, and make for the perfect garden snack when you are pottering around in the Summer. Home grown tomatoes taste so much better than shop bought ones, they have so much more flavour and colour, you won’t ever regret growing them yourself.
If you’ve not grown them before then do not fear, I think they are one of the easier and more reliable vegetables you can grow. Below is everything you need to know to get started.
How do I start growing tomatoes?
You have two options - buy a starter tomato plant, or grow from seed. I usually grow most of mine from seed (you can start this process as early as February), but if I see an unusual tomato variety plant at my local garden centre then I might add it to the collection too.
Growing tomatoes from seed is not as scary as it may sound. There is so much satisfaction that comes from growing things from seed, I’d recommend it to anyone. I’ve always found tomatoes are pretty reliable and would say 75%+ of the seeds I sow grow into fruiting plants.
There is no shame in buying starter plants either. This is how my entire first vegetable garden was built. Garden centres will give you the best range of tomato plants, but places like Homebase, B&Q, Wilko and even supermarkets sell off plants in late Spring.
Where should I grow tomatoes?
It’s important to think about where you will grow them in advance. Tomato plants need sunlight, space and steaking. Most commonly you’ll have seen tomatoes grown in grow bags which is great if you have the ground space, but I’ve often found that grow bags don’t give you the depth of soil you need to steak the plants as they grow taller.
I’ve found my tomato plants like to be in containers and it makes it easy to move them around as needed through the season, and I can easily use tomato frames or garden canes to support them. My first year growing tomatoes I had them in my raised beds and they were all very close, I couldn’t reach all the tomatoes very easily, and had to use string to tie them back off the other veg growing nearby. Please learn from my mistakes and find somewhere more spacious for yours to grow.
What type of tomatoes should I grow?
In short, the choice is yours. I never realised until I started gardening just how many types of tomatoes there are out there, all readily available to buy as seeds. So shop around and select a good variety and check the recommended sowing and harvest months to ensure you’ve got an even spread. If you are limited on ground space then look at tumbling or hanging varieties that will flourish in hanging baskets or window boxes.
I’d recommend trying three types of tomatoes each year as a minimum:
1 that has a reputation for bountiful produce, like Moneymaker or Gardener’s Delight
1 larger tomato variety, like Beefsteak or Costoluto Fiorentino
1 novelty tomato, like Indigo Pear Drop or Green Zebra
I usually plant 12 seeds in total, and plan to keep 6-8 plants for myself and give the rest away as presents or as a swap for things my friends and neighbours have started to grow.
When should I plant tomatoes?
If you are growing from seed then you can start as early as February, but if you missed this early opportunity you can still sow tomato seeds as late as April. Alternatively if you buy starter plants you’ll usually see these in garden centres in May.
To sow tomato seeds you just need a simple seed tray on a warm and bright windowsill, or in a heated greenhouse. Fill your starting containers with seedling soil and make a hole in the middle no deeper than half way down. Place one seed in each hole then cover with more soil. Water from the top and leave for a few days in the sunshine to germinate and start to grow. Once small shoots have appeared water from the bottom (in a tray or dish underneath) so the weight of the water doesn’t snap the tender shoot.
How do I pot on tomatoes?
As part of the process when growing tomatoes from seed you will need to ‘pot on’ each plant as it grows out of each space. You can usually tell if a tomato plant is ready to pot on by seeing a few stray roots poking out the bottom of the pot they are in.
It’s important not to size up the pot too quickly, you want the plant to be strong enough and ready for the bigger size before you move it on. After the seed tray I usually pot on twice before the final container. If you want to skip a step then go straight for small containers and start two seeds off in each one. I reuse pots year on year and you can even pick up empty pots at the checkouts of most garden centres so it doesn't need to be an expensive outlay.
Seed tray > small individual pot > medium individual pot > final container or grow bag
Potting on is a fairly quick job in the garden (depending on how many seeds you planted). Here is how you can do it:
Fill the new size pots about a third of the way up with fresh compost and soil
Take care when removing the tomato plant and soil from its starting place, easing it out slowly
Remove the bottom two leaves from the plant and place it in the new pot fairly deep
Carely fill the new pot with a mix of compost and soil, pressing firmly around the base of the stem to ensure it is supported
Water them (gently so as not to break the delicate new plants) and leave them in direct sun to grow on once more
How do I look after a tomato plant?
Pinching out is the unique tomato growing skill you need to learn to get a good harvest - and it’s very easy. Once your tomatoes are in their final pot or grow bag then you’ll need to keep an eye on side shoots that will start appearing between the main step and the fruit bearing branches.
If you don’t pay attention and pinch out your side shoots then the energy in the plant is spread too thin between the stems and will result in slow ripening, small tomatoes and a difficult plant to support. NOTE: If you are growing bush or dwarf tomatoes (also known as determinate) then you do not need to pinch out the side shoots on your plant (check your seed packet to confirm).
When it comes to watering your tomato plant, in my experience they can be a bit dramatic if they don’t get enough water. A hot day can see a perfectly happy tomato plant go from standing tall to looking pretty limp. On super hot days you might need to water them in the morning and evening. Once a week I like to mix water with tomato or vegetable feed to give the plants a little boost - it definitely makes them happier and you can pick up liquid concentrate feed cheaply from places like Wilkos or The Range.
When should I harvest tomatoes?
Depending on when you sowed your tomato seeds, harvesting can happen throughout July-September. On the whole, only harvest tomatoes when they are red (unless you are growing a type that has an alternative colour). I’ve had to teach my toddler that if they are not red they are not ready yet - a phrase he now repeats back to me daily when we go to check the plants. When you are picking tomatoes they should come off with very little resistance if they are ripe, and you can swipe them with a little twist and pull action.
At the end of the season the plant itself might be discolouring and dying but still be holding on to some unripe tomatoes you don’t want to lose. You can still pick these and stick them in a paper bag (or fruit bowl) with some ripe bananas and they will turn red eventually. If you don’t have bananas in the house then place the green tomatoes in direct sunlight on a windowsill and they will ripen soon enough.
What do I do with all my homegrown tomatoes?
The nature of tomato plants often means you will get a plethora of ripe tomatoes all at once so it’s important you know what you want to do with them. Storing them is an option, but it’s limited to a fairly short time frame. Use your vegetable draw in the fridge to prolong them, or leave them on the plant until you are ready to eat them fresh.
If you are interested in doing a bit more with your tomato harvest than just having them in a salad, then have a think about the diverse range of recipes that make tomato the hero. Here are some of my favourites…
Tomato Chutney - if you receive chutney from me at Christmas you know it’s been a good tomato growing year. I make it in October so it’s ready to be eaten in December and makes the perfect homemade gift during the Christmas period.
Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce - with tomatoes that are on the turn I will often roast them with a bunch of other veg and herbs to make versatile sauces for pasta dishes in a rush. They freeze well in small pots or even freezer bags sealed and laid flat.
Homegrown Tomato Soup - make this with one of the final tomato hauls and you can enjoy steaming homemade soup as the seasons change, and stock your freezer too.
There are so many more tomato based recipes to enjoy, look up tomato traybakes, salsa, curries, tarts, ratatouille, and stews for more inspiration.
I’d love to hear more about your experience growing tomatoes.
