Growing Tomatoes: From Seedling to Harvest

Homegrown tomatoes taste nothing like supermarket fruit. With the right variety and a few good habits, even a beginner can harvest bowls of ripe tomatoes from a small plot or a few large pots.

Choose the right type

• Determinate (bush) — compact, ripens over a short period, good for containers.
• Indeterminate (cordon) — tall, needs staking, crops over a long season.
• Cherry — earliest and most forgiving.
• Beefsteak — large fruit, needs warmth and support.

Start with strong transplants

Sow indoors 6–8 weeks before last frost. Grow them in bright light to prevent leggy stems. Harden off gradually. Plant deep — bury the stem up to the first true leaves to encourage extra roots.

Sun, water and food

Tomatoes need at least six hours of sun and consistent moisture. Water deeply at the base, ideally in the morning. Irregular watering causes blossom-end rot and split fruit. Feed every two weeks once flowering begins, using a balanced or tomato-specific feed.

Support and prune

Stake or cage plants early. For cordon varieties, remove side shoots that appear between leaves and the main stem. Remove lower leaves touching the soil to improve airflow and reduce disease.

Ripening and harvest

Pick when fully coloured and slightly soft. At the end of the season, green fruit can ripen indoors on a windowsill or in a paper bag with a banana. Never refrigerate tomatoes; it destroys flavour.