Tomato Growing

Welcome to Tomato Growing where I share my experience of growing tomatoes, especially outdoors. Bush varieties are my favourite so I’ve included quite a few of these on the website. 

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How many of us have actually tasted the full flavour of a home-grown tomato just picked from the garden? If you have, then you will know that there is a world of difference between some of the bland tasting specimens in the supermarkets and your own produce that is also guaranteed to be healthy.

 

You can grow your own tomatoes outside in pots & containers (you don’t need a greenhouse or conservatory) and growing cherry tomatoes can be done on a balcony, window-box or even a sunny windowsill.

So, if you would like to discover real tomato taste, and be able to eat your own home-grown for up to four months each summer, then I hope you’ll browse these pages and have a go yourself at tomato growing.
 

Popular Links for Mid Season:

 

Watering Tomatoes

Tomato Growing Problems


 

Tomato Growing Tips

Feeding Tomatoes


 

If you are new to growing tomatoes from seed it’s a good idea to start with an easy variety to grow.

A good selection of
tomato seeds and other vegetable seeds can be found at Seed Parade.
 
In the UK I would recommend the bush cherry varieties of Tumbler, Tumbling Tom, Red Alert and Garden Pearl. These bush types are sometimes called “determinate” and do not need their side shoots pinched out.

Among the easy to grow tall varieties, Alicante, Moneymaker and Gardener’s Delight are very dependable. These are also called “indeterminate” or “Cordon”.

The season so far has produced its usual challenges, namely, a hot spell in early summer followed by a very wet period in August. In the UK we’ve gone from plants getting grilled to a period of plants getting soaked. You may need the box below!
 

---- Help!  ----

      

If you have a long question, you may prefer to use the email link below:
nick@tomatogrowing.co.uk

Choosing The Right Varieties for Your Part of the World

Many tomato varieties are best suited to the weather conditions of the countries and regions they originally came from. For example:

  • Siberian can cope with lower temperatures because it was developed that way - the name says it all!
  • Moneymaker is an old English variety that excels in a moderate climate and is very reliable.
  • Marmande originally came from France and requires the weather of the Southern Mediterranean to reach its full taste.

So if you grow tomatoes outside, choose varieties that will cope well in the weather conditions of your area.

You may also wish to choose a selection of varieties such as a cherry, a medium/salad and a large/beefsteak variety for slicing or the barbecue. Some large tomatoes can be eaten like melons they’re so juicy!

Bush varieties are great to grow in large pots and containers and can be positioned almost anywhere around the garden or patio without needing a wall to lean against. The plants themselves can be small or large (as well as the fruit) so a pot on a windowsill or a large container may be required.



 

A Selection of Tumbling Tom red and yellow, Maskotka and Garden Pearl.

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Choosing which varieties to grow each season is one of the most enjoyable jobs to do in the Autumn and Winter. You can browse the seed catalogues, or surf online where you will find a huge collection of tomato varieties from different seed companies. There is a very good selection of plug plants and seeds at the links above.


           Seed Sowing Time:  Mid-March to end of April (UK).
       You can sow into May if you choose a variety that matures early or
                                 you have a greenhouse.
      
For outdoor growing - always germinate seed indoors and in new compost.


Tomato tips for Mid to Late Season
 

How to avoid:

Tomato Blight

Blossom End Rot
 

Info. on:

Watering Tomatoes

Feeding Tomatoes
 

 


The Benefits of Growing Tomatoes in a Greenhouse

Extend the growing season with a greenhouse or polytunnel.

 

Seed Sowing Times - When To Sow

To produce a crop of ripe tomatoes, seeds need to be sown no later than the beginning of May in the UK (the best time is two months before your last frost date). It generally takes around two months from sowing to flowering, and two months from flowering to fruiting ... depending on the variety.

For outdoor growing, sow (indoors) at the beginning of April to produce fruit around the beginning of August. Sowing early (the beginning of March for example) to produce an earlier crop is a good idea if you have the time and experience to cope with the difficulties of the cooler, less favourable conditions.

Cherry bush varieties are ideal for sowing early as they are easier to manage because of their size and height. You can also sow as late as the middle of May if you choose a variety that is quick to mature like Red Alert.


I remember that when I first started to grow tomatoes I couldn’t work out from which part of the plant the fruit would grow from!

I still get excited when I see those little pea-like tomatoes appear and I’m amazed that I was able to produce a crop with the very little knowledge I had in my first season - more nature’s doing than mine!

Are tomatoes easy to grow? -  they can be if you choose the right variety. Try the cherry bush variety Tumbling Tom which comes in both red and yellow versions.

It’s best to use new, multi purpose or grow bag compost in a large pot or container and keep the leaves out of the rain. More
tomato growing tips here.

Tomato plug plants are also a great way to begin growing tomatoes and avoid some of the problems associated with growing from seed.

Three Ways to Control Tomato Problems this Season

Free Tomato Growing Newsletter - top tips for the tastiest tomatoes this season!

 

Tomato Blossom Drop
Blossom Drop - a very    common problem and caused by flowers not pollinating.

Spray Tomatoes
Spray with water and
tap plants gently to help pollination.

Stages in the Life of a Bush Tomato Plant.

Propagator for sowing tomato seed

A propagator with lid is a very useful item. You can sow a few seeds in each cell and the air humidity beneath the lid helps the seedlings discard their seed shells or husks.

Tomato Seedlings

As the seeds germinate they produce their first leaves called seed leaves.

Tomato Seedlings & Roots

In the pic above the seedlings are removed from the cells and planted into individual pots.

Tranplant Tomato Seedlings

Transplant so that the leaves are just above
the soil surface. In the pic above, the first true leaves are beginning to grow. This is the time that I like to give them their own home!

Bush Tomato Flower Clusters

The seedlings grow and after potting into larger pots, about six weeks later you will see clusters of flower buds forming on the end of leaf stems.

Removing side shoots from bush varieties is unnecessary.

This is the behaviour of a bush variety. However, indeterminate, cordon varieties grow their flowers on trusses off of their main stems.

Tomato Set

The flowers open and when they begin to die away, they are replaced by pea-size fruit.

Tomato Micro Tom

As the fruit grows to maturity the tomatoes ripen. This is Micro Tom, as its name suggests it is a very small variety but great to grow on a sunny windowsill.

 
        Tomato Seeds

Tomato Growing Books
A useful source of information and they make great gifts too!

 

SB Plant Invigorator
Stimulate your toms and control aphids at the same time, non-toxic and environmentally friendly!

Tomato Blight
Control this most destructive fungal disease with the new replacement for Dithane.

Blight Testing Kit
Find out quickly if your toms or potatoes have blight in order to be able to treat them early!
 


      
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