As the weather begins to warm-up and salad returns to the menu, have you ever thought about growing your own fruit and vegetables? If you haven’t tried this before, tomatoes are a good place to start as you don’t need to have a green thumb to produce some fantastic vegetables that your neighbours will envy. Here is a list of our top 10 tips that will help you grow your own tomatoes:
- No matter which type of tomato you decide to grow, your plant will need plenty of sun, heat, food and water.
- Like most fruits and vegetables, tomatoes will grow best in a sunny and sheltered area.
- Tomatoes planted in the late winter should start off in your home or in a greenhouse. This will protect your plants from the weather and insects.
- Your goal is to create a single stemmed tomato plant unless you are growing a bush tomato.
- You can create a single stemmed tomato plant by removing the leaves and shoots that grow at a 45° angle between the main stem and plant branches.
- To increase the fertility of your soil, add compost, which you can purchase at your local garden centre. You can also use household compost such as used coffee grounds to increase the richness of your soil.
- Tomato plants need plenty of room to grow upwards.
- It is also important to support your tomato plant as it grows to prevent it from falling over.
- Your tomato plant should be pruned regularly to increase growth.
- If you have some green tomatoes left over at the end of the season, put a few in your kitchen drawer with a banana to encourage them to ripen.
