How do you go about growing your own tomato plants?

Question

Hi everyone, I'm hopeless at gardening & looking after plants, but would really like to grow my own tomato plants..after eating some pretty tasteless ones bought from the supermarket today. Please can you advise when the seeds need to be planted.. is it possible to use the seeds from tomatos or do I need to buy seeds in a packet. We have a conservatory and I was thinking this might be a good place to grow them?? Thank you.

Answer 1

You can grow them from seed or you can buy young plants.

To grow them from seed, you start in January and you need a seed tray full fine sandy compost. Sprinkle the seeds lightly on it and keep it moist until the plants have formed a second pair of leaves. Then transfer them to pots.

To grow from plants, buy the plants in March or April (handy if all your seedlings died). You can grow them in a conservatory in large pots full of general purpose compost, or in growbags. Keep them well watered and train them up canes. Pinch out the side shoots (and wash your hands well or you'll finish up with green towels). When they start fruiting, feed them with liquid fertiliser. When the fruit goes red - eat them.

Answer 2

For the first time you would be better buying seedlings in spring and planting them in a tub or grow bag in your conservatory. They need feeding with a tomato food and will need staking as they grow to support them. You can remove the lower leaves as the tomatoes grow to make sure all the goodness from the plant goes into the production of the fruit.

Answer 3

I'd get the packets from the store, but you can plant tomatoes from seeds pretty easily. Get what are called peat pellets (they're coin-shaped, but they expand when you add water). There is a small indentation in the center--place the seed in there. Then put them in small containers (plastic egg cartons work great) and set them in full sun. When it gets warm enough, you can plant them outside if you want, but if you just want to repot them and leave them inside where there's lots of sun, that's OK, too.

There are several varieties of tomatoes which are easy to grow and very good. Big Boy, Early Girl, cherry or grape tomatoes, and Romas are very good. Cherry and grape tomatoes are great to just pick off the vine and eat them by the handful, and Romas are especially good to cook with, because they have thicker walls, so they're firmer.

Answer 4

If you have dried or rotting leaves, it's best to remove them. Any close to the ground should be removed anyway because there is a risk of disease from the soil getting to your plants, this is just generally good practice. If you are in the UK you might want to consider getting a greenhouse if you haven't already, just gives your tomatoes more of a fighting chance when the weather isn't so good. Website below has a video on pruning tomatoes.

Answer 5

You are better off going to your local Garden Center (not one of the chain ones) and asking when to grow in your zone.
I'm in Texas and here we can pretty much grow them year round (hot here). If you are an amateur gardener, start with a plant from your Nursery. You can grow tomatoes in a large bucket or decorative pot on the patio. That's were we grow ours.
And I have to say, the ones in the store are tasteless. Even the Organic ones. That's why we started growing them. There is nothing like a ripe, juicy tomato off the vine.