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Update. After writing this post and finding more information about tomato growing I found a fantastic guide to getting the absolute most from your tomatoes. It is full of great information on all aspects of growing tomatoes. It is really cheap because it is an e-book, which means you get it delivered straight away by email.

For the Joyful Tomato Guide to Growing Fabulous Tomatoes Click Here!

I have tried to give as much advice as I can here but the book goes in to much more detail than I possibly can. I can’t recommend it enough. It only costs the same as a few pounds of rubbish tomatoes from the supermarket and the advice is invaluable.

Since growing tomato plants is one of the first successes I had in the vegetable growing realm I thought it was about time I wrote about growing tomatoes.  Although I am growing tomatoes in Spain my tomato growing  tips and information should be useful wherever you can grow them.

Tomatoes are only half hardy in temperate zones.  Frost will kill them, so make sure you have an idea of the local frost dates before planning your tomato bed.

I admit I do not grow all my own tomatoes from seed.  I buy (VERY cheaply) varieties which are Catalan-mountain-wind-proof from our local market.  That way I get a guaranteed supply of three different tomatoes which thrive without any interference from me.  Ones for storing, ordinary ones and giant oversized ones.  All are delicious but relatively ‘ordinary’.  Each year we also plant seeds of a few varieties we hope will be more interesting but not necessarily quite so well suited to the environment here.  Last year it was a few varieties of plum (which didn’t really like it here) and this year it will be a few cherry types which seem to appreciate the finca more.

I strongly reccomend growing a few basics which you just know will thrive in your region and then experimenting with some more interesting specimens.  But please no ‘Gardener’s Delight’, the basics don’t have to be THAT basic!  There are loads of places stocking heritage tomato seeds now which is fab as it gives us all much more variety to choose from.

Growing Tomatoes from Seed

Plant seed in trays, indoors or undercover outside, in Spring eight weeks before the last frost date.  Seeds need temperatures between 24 and 30ºC.  This should tell you whether outside sowing is suitable for your location.  Seeds should come up within around a fortnight.

Pot up into individual pots once the seedlings have two or three true leaves.

Planting Tomatoes

Plant out your tomato plants when they are looking sturdy and have been hardened off.  You should be sure any frosts are over. This is impoartant for good tomato growing.

Tomatoes like good rich soil so make sure plenty of compost or manure has been incorporated in the tomato bed.  If they have ample nutrients, tomatoes will crop very heavily for you.

Plant the seedlings about 18″ apart in deep beds or 30″ apart in conventional ones.  Plant them quite deeply so they can send out extra roots from their stems and give themselves more support.

Looking After Tomato Plants

There are two main types of tomato plants.

The Cordon or Indeterminate plants are trailing straggly things which need lots of good support to keep them upright.  Make sure you put strong supports in as you plant the tomatoes to prevent any root damage.  Canes should be joined at the tops into tee-pees or tripods.  Locally we have so much wind the tomatoes are traditionally supported by three canes around each plant.   These individual tripods are then joined at the top and midway up them with horizontal canes.  In less windy climes you shouldn’t need quite so many canes per plant.

They will also need to be pinched out once they reach the top of their supports to stop them growing upwards further.  In cool climates with short summers this may be done after the 4th truss has set.  Throughout the growing season any side-shoots between the leaf branches and the main stem should be pinched out to stop the plants getting too straggly.  Make sure the tomato plants are kept well secured to their supports as they grow.  When they are growing full-throttle in the summer, you may have to do this a few times a week!

The Bush or Determinate tomatoes are much more self sufficient.  They tend to need less support or pruning and will stop growing when they reach their pre-determined height.

The Cordon’s are well suited to climates where sunshine is at a premium as their less-dense foliage helps fruits ripen.  Bush varieties are great in situations where there is plenty of sunshine as the shade of the leaves will be less of a problem.

General Tomato Care

• Whichever type of tomato you grow, make sure you regularly remove diseased or damaged foliage and keep plants tied in to their supports.
• Fruits should be harvested regularly.
• Where lack of sunshine is a concern you can gradually remove the leaves from the lower half of the plants, allowing light in to ripen the fruits.
• Water weekly with a manure soup or other all-purpose liquid feed.
• In hot, dry climates tomatoes may need to be watered more regularly.  Here we water every morning during the dry summer but little in Spring or Autumn when the weather tends to be more humid.  The soil should never completely dry out.  Irregular watering is very bad as it may cause fruit to split (these should be harvested immediately before any insects get in).  Unstable moisture levels can also cause blossom end rot where the fruits blacken and stop growing.  So if you live somewhere not too hot or dry, refrain from watering unless the weather is really unusual.  That way the plant roots will work their way down to the deeper soil where humidity is pretty constant.
• Smokers should refrain from smoking on the vegetable plot and wash their hands before handling plants.  Otherwise disease may be passed from the closely related tobacco to your tomato crop.

Planning to Grow Tomatoes?

Grow as many tomato plants as you have space for.  As once you grow your own tomatoes you will be loath to give over hard earned cash for the tasteless, hard supermarket fruits again!

You cannot really have too many tomatoes because they are so easy to freeze, bottle or dry.  Blitz them up and heat treat to bottle your own passata even!  Or you can search out thick fleshed varieties such as Garden Peach.  These can be hung (by the truss) for months somewhere relatively cool for use throughout the winter.

Tomatoes tend to breed true to type, so you can collect seeds easily.  Simply wash seeds from fully ripe fruit. and dry for use the following year.  You may discover a new variety if you have different types planted together but usually the seeds are the same as the fruit you collect from.

Tomato Problems

Now this really does depend on where you live. Generally outdoor tomatoes seem stronger and less prone to problems than greenhouse grown specimens.  A few of the most common problems with tomato plants follow.

Blight is a big issue in humid summers.  Never plant tomatoes or potatoes on the same ground in consecutive years.  At the first sign of the disease (yellow-ringed brown spots) remove infected leaves.  You can save the crop if you are vigilant.

Tobacco Mosaic Virus is easily passed to the tomatoes from your cigarettes so don’t smoke near the plants and wash hands before handling them.

Wilting can be caused by nematodes actually boring into the vascular system of the plants.  Planting French marigolds amongst the tomato plants will discourage these tiny pests.

Wilting caused by the fusarium virus is easily avoided by adhering to good crop rotation.  All members of the Solanaceae family (aubergines, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes) should not be planted in the same soil in consecutive years.

Cut Worm will literally slice your young plants in two.  It is easy to avoid by placing a toilet roll or sprinkling wood ash around the young plants.

Adhere to simple crop rotation and keep clearing away fallen fruit and diseased leaves and the chances are you won’t have any problems with your tomato plants.  Generally they are a reliable crop as long as the frosts don’t get them.  If you refrain from growing similar plants in the same ground in consecutive years you are unlikely to have any serious problems with outdoor tomatoes unless blight affects your area.  In which case Bordeaux Mixture is the usual ‘organic’ preventive.

If you want more information (with pics) try the RHS website; tomato problems, virus diseases of tomatoes and blight.

Grow Some Tomatoes!

Even if you don’t normally please grow some tomatoes.   Don’t worry about all the problems you could have.  Generally they are reliable and extremely heavy croppers.  Even if you only have a patio try some of the small bush varieties.  They can even be grown in hanging baskets.  I started with tomatoes in pots on walls.  They are so prolific you cannot fail to be impressed by the results.  So go on grow some tomatoes this year! I hope this tomato growing tips article has been helpful.

Yes, I really do enjoy tomatoes!

If you enjoy the site why not make your Amazon purchases through these US or UK Amazon links? It costs you nothing more and means we can buy some more seeds!

For the Joyful Tomato Guide to Growing Fabulous Tomatoes Click Here! For a few dollars it really is the ultimate guide to getting the most from your tomato growing efforts.