Growing tomatoes | 4Food

Growing Guides How to grow tomatoes

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Date Published:: 15/10/2007

How to grow tomatoes

Easy to grow but difficult to resist, there's little that can beat the taste of a vine-ripened tomato, eaten when still warm from the sun.

Staggeringly, there are more than 3,000 varieties available but the real decision is whether you want to choose a vine or bush.

Vines are ideal for greenhouses but need a cane to support them and some tending to, whereas bush types are more compact and need less attention.

Recent years have seen canny seed companies develop bush types best suited to pots and hanging baskets, so virtually anyone can enjoy their own home-grown tomatoes.

The key to a successful crop is to keep the soil moist - but not waterlogged - at all times. Regular feeding, using a specialised tomato feed (available from any garden centre) is also essential.

What you will need

A packet of seeds
Seed trays or small pots
Seed and cutting compost
Potting compost
A propagator (an electrically-powered, heated container, available from garden centres)
8cm (3in) pots and potting compost
30cm (12in) pot
Bamboo canes or stakes (for taller varieties only)