Tomatoes are easy to grow from seed. You can sow seed from late March if you are growing the plants outdoors, or late February in a greenhouse.
Fill the pot almost to the top with seed compost, level the compost and place the seeds on the surface, then cover.
Place on a warm, sunny windowsill and cover with a polythene bag. Tomatoes need at least 180C to germinate.
Transplant into 5-9cm pots once two leaves have formed.
Wait until the risk of frost has passed in your area (late May to mid-June), when the roots of the tomatoes have filled the pots and the first flowers have formed, before planting outside in the ground, or in pots or growbags.
Vine or cordon tomatoes will need to be supported by being tied to stakes or canes pushed firmly in the ground. Make sure you put toppers on canes to protect from eye injuries.
When they are about 2.5cm long, remove the side shoots regularly. Side shoots grow where the base of the leaf joins the main stem. Bush or hanging-basket tomatoes do not need to have side shoots removed.
Tomatoes need watering on a regular basis. Feed every 14 days with a balanced liquid fertiliser suitable for tomatoes.
Start picking when the fruit is ripe and fully coloured.
- Adapted from Royal Horticultural Society advice, www.rhs.org.uk
