Tomato Lover Interview with Pete. Learn from his experience of 20 years of growing his own.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I’m really pleased to be able to introduce the very first TomatoLover interview. Today I’m talking to Pete who lives in Suffolk and who has been successfully growing his own tomatoes for 20 years.

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.

Tagged as: advice on growing tomatoes, interview