TL: Before I ask you about this wonderful structure and how it’s made – let’s talk about the tomatoes…
J: I plant my tomatoes in the hottest spot on the plot. Here it’s in this predominantly south facing position with the added bonus of radial heat from shed. To prepare the soil I chopped down nettles, of which there were plenty and dug them into soil with well rotted compost. I also prepare the ground with Q vitax and Growmore which is easy to rake in. I also use a product called Growaid . A natural slug defence, it’s sheep’s wool in pellet form. Plus it releases nitrogen back into the soil when it decomposes.  For me, really taking the time to prepare the soil well, makes the summer easier. I then plant the tomatoes close together so that they create their own canopy to prevent weed growth.

TL: And how do you look after your tomatoes once there in?
J: I make up my own plant mixes, I mix comfrey and nettle. I also make up a feed with Marestail, it’s a silica rich plant and my hope is to help build up the plant’s defences against blight. I also feed weekly with the water soluble version of Tomorite when flowering starts. I water in the morning and only at soil level so no water splashes.
As the tomatoes are undercover it’s important to ensure that there is still ventilation. At very warm temperature, leaves will roast and burn. To help with air circulation I mostly take off lower leaves and any yellowing leaves.
But I haven’t done this for all the plants, for some I’ve created a support system by using plastic netting cut to size and wired together from which I’ve created a circular ‘cage’.  These I just leave alone.

TL: Tell me about the steps you have taken to protect your tomatoes against blight?
J:I spray with Bordeaux Mixture but have also created this protected environment. The idea is to keep blight spores off the plants. It’s made from corrugated plastic but the main feature is horticultural 25g fleece. This fabric allows light and air through but should provide a barrier to the spores. I can easily lift up the sides to water the ground and the structure is built on adjustable poles so the height can be increased as the plants grow upwards. It’s the first time I’ve used fleece as blight protection but I’m really hoping it works as lightweight and flexible and so straightforward to use as a covering.

TL: Many thanks to Jade for sharing her tomato know-how, her thoughts on planting for productivity and her unique tomato protection structures.

And don’t forget you can follow Jade and her allotment  on Twitter at  Toots2

(These pictures were taken at the very end of June – so I’ll also post updated ones with ripening  tomatoes.)

TL: When do you sow your tomato seeds ?
J: I sow in February or March. I choose 3 varieties and am always interested to see which one does best with my soil and environment. This year I’m growing Il Pomodoro, Gardeners Delight and Black Russian.
 I’ve now moved to sowing tomato seeds in root trainers. These allow for good root development resulting in a stronger plant. I’m happy using multipurpose compost for sowing and it’s cheaper than seed compost.

TL: When do you move the plant on from the root trainer?
J: I use the development of the plant as my guide, the diameter of the true leaves determining when the plant should move on and to what size of pot. When the leaves reach the edge of the pot, I pot on again. Before planting out I house the tomato plants in the greenhouse, standing them on capillary matting to provide moisture. I plant them out after the last frost which is often the late May Bank Holiday.

Next year I’m planning on experimenting with using Long Tom pots, placing crocks at the bottom and then using multipurpose or John Innes 1. I aim to sow, get good root growth and then plant out straight from these pots. It’s something the Victorians were into and it cuts down on the potting on.

TL: And you plant some at home in the garden and some on the allotment?
J: At home I grow determinate (bush) varieties in pots. My objective both at home and the allotment is to maximise productivity from my space and plants as well as protecting them from pests and disease. How this works in the garden is by under planting the tomatoes in pots with strawberry plants. The strawberries are a crop in their own right, spilling out over the sides of the pot but they also act as a mulch to keep the compost cool for the tomatoes.

TL: What sort of pot do you use?
J: Large terracotta pots, raised on little feet to ensure effective drainage. I put broken crocs at the bottom of the pot and then fill it with a mix of top soil and compost. The strawberries are in the pot through the winter (and get moved every 3 years) and then, when the time comes to plant them out ,I add the tomatoes, supported with a spiral stake. If the pot is bone dry at this point then I put the whole pot in a bucket of water so that the terracotta gets soaked through, otherwise when planted up I water at the base of the plant. I also grow tomatoes in pots with mint. Mint is hardy and can take aphid attack. When I walk past the pot I always crush a few mint leaves to attract the aphids to the mint and away from the tomatoes.

TL: I really like the idea of strawberries and tomatoes together. It’s space saving and produces an earlier crop from the same compost and pot.

Tomorrow I join Jade on the allotment to talk through her approach to growing tomatoes in the open soil.

In the meantime for more know-how from Jade on allotment growing in general, follow her on Twitter where she tweets as Toots2 .

Yesterday Linda shared her outdoor tomato know-how. Today is indoor tips. The plants grown inside would, but for the spectre of blight, also be outdoors. A talented home cook Linda doesn’t want to miss out on Sungella, a good flavoured variety which freezes well especially as a base for tomato sauce which works its magic at bringing the taste of summer back from the frozen depths in winter.

So now Sungella (sown from seed) is confined to the safety of the conservatory along with a plant purchased variety, First in Field whilst Ferline and Legend do their blight resisting best outdoors.

TL: When do you sow your indoor seeds?
Linda: A couple of weeks early than the outdoor ones, so around the beginning of March. I only sow 2-3 for indoor planting.

TL: Do you look after your indoor plants differently?
Linda: Sowing is the same but when the plants reach about 4” in height I supplement the light available to them by using horticultural grow lights at night.  I have one solo light under which I can fit one plant and a larger light which will illuminate 3 plants. To start with I put the lamps on for 2 hours and then gradually decrease as day length increases, down to an hour. I stop altogether around the 2nd week of May.
I also bottom heat one plant by placing it on a heated mat which is actually an old wine pad, the kind used to place homemade wine demi-johns on.

TL: What do you grow the tomatoes in?
Linda: I pot them on to 5” pots when roots are showing through the bottom of the 3” ones. The final pot size will be 10”- 12” filled with John Innes 3. I prefer it to multi-purpose compost as when they are cropping the plants become quite heavy and I think the John Innes offers better support.
I do take the plants outside in their pots but bring in at night when it’s cooler and windy etc.

TL: And what do you regarding feed and watering?
Linda: I water every day. The pots are sat in saucers and I let the water run through to saucer. After 10 minutes I pour away any water that’s left in the saucer. It’s important the pots don’t sit in water as plant roots need oxygen. I start feeding when the first tomatoes begin to form and I feed once a week. For feed I use ½ strength urine.

At this point Linda and I digress to discussing the principles behind feeding with urine. Last year a long car journey had been enlivened by listening to a Radio 2 debate, sparked by the news National Trust gardeners were reviving this organic method. One point which was much debated but no conclusion reached was the preferred choice of plants for the urine of the male gardener over that of the female gardener!  Linda’s view: plants show no preference but did add that as a result of her vegetarian diet there’d be less nitrogen and higher potassium content - better for fruit and flower production.

TL: What other aspects of your routine are different for the indoor tomatoes?
Linda: I stop the indoor plants at 3 trusses. In fact I’ve already stopped these plants for this year. I’ll continue to pinch out the side shoots and you have to watch the top for regrowth. Last year I picked my first indoor tomatoes on the 19th June.

Talking to Linda about the tomato growing process really made me think about the amount of light her plants receive. And the earlier, indoor ones receiving extra light. Her plants are not tall but they’re chunky. You’ll feel you’d need to yell ‘Timber’ if they toppled over. Whereas some of mine maybe reaching for the stars but a huff and a puff and they’d be gone.
So my ‘light bulb’ moment has been about the amount of light my plants receive early on in the growing process.

Thank you again to Linda for taking the time to share her knowledge with Tomato Lover.  Really useful and Illuminating stuff !

So before getting trug happy; time to focus on tomatoes. Linda grows both inside and out. The indoor tomatoes thrive in large terracotta pots placed in a light filled, glass conservatory whilst outdoors the tomatoes are planted directly into the soil, in 1 of 5 rotating vegetable beds. This year it’s their turn to root down at the end of the (permanent) asparagus bed.

Today I’m asking Linda about outdoor growing. Tomorrow’s post will feature her approach to indoor growing.

TL: When and how do you sow your tomato seeds?
Linda: I sow mid March and use seed trays; John Innes seed compost and a heated propagator. A week after the seed leaves have developed I prick them out and move them on into 3” pots. I want to move them on before their roots have developed too much in order to avoid disturbing them.

TL: How do you look after the seedlings?
Linda: For compost I would ideally use John Innes 1 or if I’m short of that, John Innes 2 mixed with a little seed compost. During the day they sit on the conservatory windowsill and receive lots of light. At night because the temperature drops I put them back into a heated propagator to keep warm. Lid on when small; as they grow just as base heat.

TL: When do you move them outside?
Linda: I spend several weeks hardening them off by moving them, still in pots, outside during the day and back into the conservatory at night. From mid May, if the weather is looking as if the likelihood of frosts have passed, I’ll plant them out.

TL: Could you tell us your approach to planting outdoors?
Linda: When the plants are about 15” high I plant them out at 20” intervals, arranged in 2 rows which are 2ft apart.  I’ve 5 different beds which I rotate every 5 years. For support I am moving over from bamboo canes to strong, plastic coated steel canes.

TL: Do you have a specific approach to feeding?
Linda: I put down a base dressing of chicken manure about 2 weeks before planting but apart from that with the outside plants I don’t really feed. My soil is rich, the result of adding compost and building up the soil level over 30 years. When I first started growing, the soil here was clay to less than a spade’s depth, including blue clay! Year by year I just kept digging, removing the clay and adding in compost. As a result I’ve now a good depth of soil; 2 plus spades depth and it’s more loamy than clay. But if I were to feed I’d use Chempak.

TL: And what about watering?
Linda: When I first plant out the tomatoes I water them in but again after that, I rarely water outside. The soil is good water retentive soil. I’d water in a really dry summer, always in the morning, that way the plant gets the water when it’s going to need it – in the morning and in the day. If it’s really hot, an extra drink in the afternoon is fine but with cooler nights you don’t want water lying about when the temperature drops.

TL: Which varieties are you growing and when you do expect to picking your first outdoor tomato?
Linda: I’m growing Ferline and Legend. I’ve chosen them for their resistance to blight. Last year my first outdoor tomatoes cropped on 8th July. My approach is to take the plants to 4 trusses and in late July pinch out the tops. I stop them when they are high enough to manage and when I look at the plants and weigh up if the flower buds coming through are going to have time to develop.

As you can see from the photos Linda’s plants are robust, stout characters. Their stalks have girth to write home about. Her method most definitely results in strong, healthy plants. Thank you to Linda for sharing her know-how and hard dug experience !

TL: How long have you been growing tomatoes ?

Lulu: This is my 2nd year.

TL: Where do you grow your tomatoes?

Lulu: Last year I grew them at the allotment and at home in grow bags and this year I am growing them on my allotment where they have their own tomato bed!

TL: Which are your favourite varieties to grow ?

Lulu: I don’t have a favourite yet. Last year I experienced the legendary generosity of other gardeners and was lucky enough to be given my plants by other growers on the allotment and they were delicious.  The three I have planted so far this year have also been given to me so I am hoping for more of the same.  They were all planted from seed.  But not by me!

TL: Do you buy tomatoes plants ?

Lulu: I haven’t done to date but I think I will this year to try some different varieties.

TL: How tomato plants do you grow each year ?

Lulu: Last year I grew 3 which gave me more than enough tomatoes.  It felt like masses!

TL: What’s your favourite way to enjoy your tomatoes once you have picked them ?

Lulu: Definitely straight off the plant but I also like them roasted in the oven with olive oil.

TL: Are there any mistakes you made as a beginner last year that you won’t make again this year ?

Lulu: I didn’t take the lower shoots off early enough last year and didn’t start feeding them early enough.

TL: Based on what you have learnt what would be your tips to pass on to a beginner ?

Lulu: Remember to pinch out the side shoots
Have your fertiliser bought and ready for when you need it.  I used Tomorite every couple of weeks and that seemed to work well.
If you are using a grow bag remember to keep watering and if you are going away remember to ask someone to stand in on watering duties for you!

Also think ahead to what you are going to do with your tomatoes when they start ripening.  When you get a glut it’s great to already have a list of people in your mind who would be happy to receive some tomatoes.
And along the same lines have some recipes ready that you want to make and everything to hand that you will need for making them.  Last year I decided to make chutney.  I had all my tomatoes ready but then had to go out and track down enough vinegar, pickling spices etc .
Plus I also had forgotten about jars and so ended up having to go out and buy them as I hadn’t been thinking ahead and saving them. 

TL: We’re in May – what tomato growing activities are on your to do list for May ?

Lulu: To buy some more plants and to spend as much time on the allotment as I can. There’s so much joy in planting something and seeing it grow.

Many thanks to Lulu for sharing her experience and time.

It was very reassuring for me to meet someone who had grown tomatoes for the first time last year, and despite getting a few things not quite right, had success in producing more than enough tomatoes to go round!  Also valuable were Lulu’s tips on thinking ahead.  I don’t get through many jars but those that I do normally go straight into the recycling bin.  Not now!  Now they’ll get washed out and stored ready for chutney making. I’ve also had fun researching and picking out recipes. If it’s not the tomato equivalent of counting your chickens before they’ve hatched then I’m planning on trying my hand at ‘Red tomato and apple’ and ‘Green tomato’ chutney.  Good tip !

In our last interview we met Scarlet on her small holding in Normandy.  Today we are with an urban gardener.  Kim Panter Hoare who gardens from her courtyard garden and London allotment.

TL : Where do you do your tomato growing ?

KPH : On the northern fringes of Inner London.

TL : How long have you been growing tomatoes?

KPH : 4 years

TL : Where do you grow your tomatoes?

KPH : At home in our very small courtyard garden and also on the allotment which gets more sun.

TL : What do you grow your tomatoes in?

KPH : Pots at home and in the ground at the allotments

TL : Which are your favourite varieties to grow?

KPH : Last year my tomatoes were affected by blight so this year I’ve decided to only grow early varieties so I’ve chosen Suncherry, Sungold and Red Alert. My neighbours on the allotment grow early varieties in order to beat blight and have been successful, so recommended I do the same.

TL : Are there any types that you have grown that were disappointing?

KPH : Brandywine. My total harvest – 1 big tomato!

TL : Do you grow your tomatoes from seed?

KPH : Yes

TL : Is this your own seed or do you buy seeds?

KPH : I buy my seeds. But I plan to experiment with saving and growing my own over the next couple of years.

TL : Do you buy tomatoes plants?

KPH : No. I would only buy them if my own tomato plants weren’t sufficiently advanced. But I’m please that so far this year, that’s not the case. For example the Suncherry plants are now about 4 inches high with lots of leaves.

TL : How tomato plants do you grow each year?

KPH : A minimum of 15 but actually usually nearer to 30! This year I’ve planted all of the 3 packets of seeds and most have come up. However I can sell the plants I don’t need at the allotment plant sale which is held each year in mid May. It’s also my chance to buy rhubarb crowns and globe artichokes.

TL : How many tomatoes do you get from your plants?

KPH : Last year I got about 8 or 9 lbs. But they were mostly green, picked early to avoid them succumbing to blight and so I missed out on the lovely taste and smell that comes with ripening.

TL : What’s your favourite way to enjoy your tomatoes once you have picked them?

KPH : This year I’m growing cherry tomatoes so will be eating them as they are. One recipe I really enjoyed making last year with home grown beetroot and bought in beefsteak tomatoes was ‘Roast Beetroot and Roast Tomato Relish’.  I still have some left and it’s absolutely delicious. I will definitely make some more this year.

TL : What are the mistakes a beginner is most likely to make?

KPH : The mistakes I made that I wouldn’t make now would be to choose late varieties and I wouldn’t start as late in growing my tomatoes either.
However equally, which I have also done, I wouldn’t start seeds off too early either. By this I mean sowing the seeds in late January and then when they come up it’s still too cold and too dark and then not having anywhere to grow them on in those conditions.

TL : What tips would you pass on to a beginner who wants to enjoy the experience of growing their own?

KPH :

• Get early varieties.
• Optimum planting and by this I mean the optimum planting time for your growing situation.
• Making the most of good weather when we get it. It’s been a sunny spring and so I move my seedlings outside (at least in the day) into my sheltered courtyard to get as much sun as possible.
• Experiment with varieties and experiment in general. Some of what you do will work and some won’t but the doing of it will result in valuable experience. Everything that hasn’t worked for me has been useful to learn from. So gaining experience and asking other gardeners.
• Give the tomato plants enough room; they need to be far enough apart.
• Don’t let them get too wet.
• Keep an eye on them. Look out for things like bent or damaged leaves. Just make sure they are kept clean, neat and tidy!

TL : We’re nearing the end of April. What’s been on your April tomato to-do-list?

KPH : For the past few weeks I’ve been putting the Suncherry and Red Alert plants outside in day and bringing them in overnight. The Sungold are now in a cold frame and so unless it’s a very cold night they can stay out.
The Suncherry are in pots and well protected by clear plastic bags. As it’s been a warm and sunny month and they are well protected by the sheltered courtyard I have opened up the bags.

It’s also been the month for Pricking Out and Potting on.

TL : Many thanks to Kim for sharing her knowledge and experience. Her advice that taking action and gaining from experience is the best way to learn was very reassuring.

And learning from others. Following my interview with Kim and her advice on making the most of sunny weather I transferred my tomato plants outside in the day to soak up the rays.  And as well  as being good for the plants it was good for me too! It was unexpectedly satisfying to see the plants I grew from seed fluttering in the warm breeze.

Photos by GNIKRJ and Steve.Wilson

Scarlet and her family have escaped to Le Perche, a regional natural park tucked into the south-eastern tip of lower Normandy in France where they have a 2 hectare small holding.

To find out more about Scarlet’s life (beyond tomatoes !) take a look at her blog  The chickens have escaped!  and website smellysmallholding .

TL: Where do you do your tomato growing?
SM: Les Rayers, Reveillon, situated in Le Perche.

TL: How long have you been growing tomatoes?
SM: About 14 years, I started on a tiny balcony in Hammersmith, London.

TL: Where do you grow your tomatoes?
SM: In my veg patch, I’m still waiting for my husband to buy me a polytunnel.

TL: What do you grow your tomatoes in?
SM: Straight in the ground.

TL: Which are your favourite varieties to grow?
SM: Urbikany, a medium sized, red heritage tomato and Roma, a delicious, juicy plum tomato which makes great pasta sauce.

TL: Are there any types that you have grown that were disappointing?
SM: Baby Yellow Pear is a heritage tomato I’ve tried growing a few times and get a really poor crop from, so I’ve given up!

(More details on Scarlet’s 2008 tomato harvest here)

TL: Do you grow your tomatoes from seed?
SM: Absolutely!

TL: Is this your own seed or do you buy seeds?
SM: As I grow mainly heritage plants I can save my own seed – and tomatoes are really easy to do. When I want to try a new variety I buy them from Real Seeds, a family-run heritage seed collection.

TL: Do you buy tomatoes plants?
SM: As I never have enough I usually buy a dozen or so extra plants.

TL: How tomato plants do you grow each year?
SM: About 100, although I’m trying to grow more this year in conjunction with the purchase of a chest freezer!

TL: How many tomatoes do you get from those?
SM: Tons!

TL: What’s your favourite way to enjoy your tomatoes once you have picked them?
SM: Warm from the sun with a drizzle of olive oil and a good pinch of salt.
My husband also makes an incredible pasta sauce by caramelising tomatoes, onions and garlic in the oven and then blending in the food processor. It’s like eating concentrated summertime!

(Chutney recipes from Scarlet here. Scroll down through the more ‘earthy’ how to’s for the tomato how-tos! )

TL: What are the mistakes a beginner is most likely to make?
SM: Not pinching-out sideshoots on vine varieties. If you don’t do that you just end up with a triffid that can’t be held up or even got near and very few fruits.

TL: What would be your top 3 tips for a beginner who wants to enjoy the experience of growing their own?
SM: Just grow a few plants until you get the hang of it.
Fertilise if nothing else, they’re hungry plants.
Don’t let your kids eat them until you’ve had your fill.

TL: We’re in April – what tomato growing activities are on your to do list for April?
SM: I’m just watching my babies grow on the window-sill!

Many thanks to Scarlet for sharing her knowledge and experience.

100 plus tomato plants! If you want to see for yourself what that looks like (and even better, tastes like !) Scarlet and her husband Ian, also run a B&B from their restored 19th century bakery. Tomato Lover’s Heaven !

Jim,thank you for making time for tomatolover.com.  We love talking to people who know their tomatoes!  Your inspiration and expertise are ‘rich compost’ for us seedlings.

TL: Where do you grow your tomatoes?
Jim: In the Greenhouse.

TL: What do you grow your tomatoes in?
Jim: In pots, of the largest terracotta size (big!).  I think bags are rubbish, having insufficient compost to achieve the size of plants that give a worthwhile crop.

TL: Which are your favourite varieties to grow?
Jim: Sun baby, which is one of the best golden tomatoes (high yields of thin-skinned yellow cherry size fruits).
Tumbling Tom Red (cascading highly productive type that will grow well in hanging baskets; sweet flavoured cherry size).
Gardeners Delight (small sweet fruit produced all season).
Roma (heavy cropping, tasty and sweet; great for cooking and sauces).
I prefer cherry tomatoes because the greenhouse is quite small and I can train the plants up and along the length of the roof. 

TL: Are there any types that you have grown that were disappointing?
Jim: Not really, though as I have said, the larger varieties tend to be unsuited to my circumstances.

TL: Do you grow your tomatoes from seed?
Jim: I’m going to try this for the first time this year, having just bought a heated propagator for the window sill.  I usually buy from a great little local nursery which offers a huge range of types.  I can buy in very small numbers, as I have only about five tomato plants in the greenhouse to leave room for chilli plants.

TL: Is this your own seed or do you buy seeds?
Jim: I got some seeds this year as freebies with the ‘Gardeners’ World mag!

TL: How many tomatoes do you usually get from those five plants?
Jim: Loads all summer long.

TL: What’s your favourite way to enjoy your tomatoes once you have picked them?

Jim: Easily the best way is to stand in the greenhouse and eat them from the plant!!!
Love making a rich sauce from them to go with king prawns cooked in cast iron skillets.

TL: What are the mistakes a beginner is most likely to make?
Jim: I really came to grief with the grow bags, because I could never get the watering and feeding right in them.
I also learned to strip the leaves from the base of the plant.   At  first, I used to have lots of jungle and not many fruits – it was too dark!!!
I didn’t use to pollinate them either, which led to poor yields; now Ibrush with a small artist’s brush as soon as the flowers open.

TL: What would be your top 3 tips for a beginner who wants to enjoy the experience of growing their own?
Jim: Grow just two or three plants of different types
Use big terracotta pots
Buy plants from a nursery, not B&Q or similar!
Bonus tip:  get a water butt, fill it and hang an old pillowcase filled with sheep shit (sorry, manure – easy to get where we live!) in the water.  Top up as you use it.  Apply to plants regularly: ten fresh water measures to one sheep soup mix.  That is ace feed, but make sure that the butt has a lid! 

TL: What tomato activities have you been doing in the past few weeks?
Jim: Clearing out the greenhouse for fumigation; I buy a candle tin type and this sort out the disease spores from the previous year.  This year, I am sowing seeds in my propagator – big experiment!!

Many thanks to Jim for sharing his knowledge and experience and his recipes!  Lunch of rich tomato sauce and king prawns sounds delicious. Perhaps I’ll pass on the sheep soup though!

Photos from found_drama and Sp3ccylad

Pete, thank you for making time for tomatolover.com. We love talking to people who know their tomatoes!  Your inspiration and expertise are rich ‘compost’ for us seedlings.

• TL: Where do you grow your tomatoes
• Pete: I grow mine in the Greenhouse in Bags. 
• TL: Which are your favourite varieties?
• Pete:  Moneymaker and small cherry varieties.
• TL: Do you grow your tomatoes from seed?
• Pete: No.
• TL: Do you buy tomatoes plants?
• Pete:  Yes from my friend Jim who grows them from seed.
• TL: How tomato plants do you grow each year?
• Pete: 9 in total. 3 bags of 3 plants each.
• TL: How many tomatoes do you get from those?
• Pete:  Difficult to say but the yield is quite heavy.
• TL: Once they are ripe what’s your favourite way to enjoy your tomatoes?
• Pete: Eat them straight from the plant or in salads. I’ve also made chutney a few times.
• TL: What are the mistakes a beginner is most likely to make ?
• Pete: Over watering and not feeding at the right time.
• TL: What would be your top 3 tips for a beginner who wants to enjoy the experience of growing their own tomatoes?
• Pete: Buy good varieties . Buy healthy plants . Read a good gardening book.
• TL: What tomato growing activities do you do in March?       
• Pete: In March I clean out the Greenhouse.  And then in April I get my plants and set them in Grow Bags. Then set up a frame to tie them into. 
• TL: Any last thoughts on Growing tomatoes to share with us?   
• Pete : Growing tomatoes is a time consuming hobby.  They need a lot of attention i.e.  Watering daily. Nipping out any side shoots so you get a nice straight plant. Feeding when you get the first truss sets (sets of baby tomatoes starting to grow), to encourage this you spray the flowers with water which sets them and will then mean the flowers will turn into tomatoes.

Many thanks to Pete for sharing his knowledge and experience.  We wish him and all Tomato Lovers a bumper crop this year.