We’ve scoured the net looking for the best tomato growing tips. If you follow this guide (taken from the Mitre 10 website) you and your tomatoes will be laughing. 

One of the biggest things to stress is the timing – your tomato seeds need to be planted early in Summer – at the latest!

When to Plant

The weather rather than the calendar date, is the determining factor. They generally need three months of warm, frost free weather to produce well. With protection, plants can be grown from August onwards. Labour weekend is the traditional time for planting tomatoes but they can be planted outdoors as soon as conditions allow, usually any time from September onwards.

Soil and Position

Tomatoes need plenty of sunshine. Any free draining soil which is rich in organic matter is ideal. Tall varieties need protection from strong winds. Against a wall, fence or trellis is ideal. Prepare the soil by adding liberal amounts of compost and digging through deeply.

Planting

Tomatoes are happy in containers or planter bags. Stake and train as you would plants grown in the garden. Use a specific container planting mix. Take extra care with watering and do not let the soil dry out. Liquid feed fortnightly. Smaller growing, less vigorous varieties are easiest to manage in pots eg: Dwarf, Sweet 100, Russian Red.

Plant seedling tomatoes at least 40cm apart. Prepare the soil as per above. Water the plant in its container and allow to drain. Plant without disturbing the rootball. Firm the soil gently. Seedling plants can be planted with the soil about 2cm further up the stem than it was in the pot. If planting seedlings from a punnet, first remove from the punnet then gently separate the seedlings.

Staking

It is a good idea to position stakes for all varieties at planting time to avoid damaging the roots later on. Overhead wires with strings to climb up can also be used.

Training

This depends on the type and variety of tomato. Tall varieties need pruning to aid air circulation (which prevents disease), to let in maximum light and to concentrate the plant`s energy on the main leaf structure and the fruit. As the plant grows, remove all lateral growths as soon as they appear.  These appear between each leaf and the main stem. When the plant has six or seven good trusses of fruit, pinch out the growing tip. This is called “Stopping” and encourages the plant to put its energy into developing fruit. Dwarf varieties do not need pruning or staking.

Feeding and Watering

Tomatoes with their rapid growth rate are both thirsty and hungry. It is very important to water regularly in dry weather. The plants must not be allowed to dry out. Mulching is an excellent way of conserving moisture in summer. Compost is ideal for this purpose. As plants grow and become loaded with fruit their requirement for water will increase. Once the small fruit appear, supplement your initial ground preparation with a fortnightly feed of a balanced fertiliser such as Phostrogen Tomato Fertiliser. This fertiliser is high in potassium to encourage fruit set. Water thoroughly after feeding.

 Harvesting

It is a good idea to pick fruit before it is fully coloured and still quite firm. This helps fruit keep longer and relieves the plant of its load allowing it to keep on the job of producing more crops.