Tomatoes are a fantastic, easy to manage and productive fruit that you can grow at home. They're great for both beginners and more experienced gardeners as they have a long growing season and produce plenty of delicious fruit for your kitchen table. There are few other plants that will grow so well on their own, but with a little bit of effort you can have outstanding Tomato plants producing an abundance of fruit for quite some time! Here's a simple 3 step guide to getting the very best out of your Tomatoes..

Firstly you'll need to decide on the variety of Tomato you want to grow this year. Generally Tomatoes are grouped in to 'Bush' and 'Indeterminate' (sometimes called 'Stem' Tomatoes) varieties. There's no reason why you can't grow several different types at once! Bush type Tomatoes tend to trail around and tumble about towards the ground. They require less work to care for than Stem varieties, which are more like plants, with a main stem and shoots growing off to the sides. These side shoots become thick trusses and it's here that the Tomato fruits will begin to grow. If you choose the bush varieties, you can simply let the plant grow however it likes, but I'd recommend that you tie it to something waist height, such as a piece of netting or garden fence, to keep the fruit off the floor where slugs can get to it. If you choose the Stem variety, you will need to place a piece of cane in the ground next to the main stem and then tie the stem to it for support as the Tomato plant grows larger.

Now you have chosen your Tomato plants and tied them to their respective supports, it's time to help encourage the best quality fruits to grow. You will see that in the corners where the trusses grow from the main stem, small green shoots will begin to appear, normally at 45 degree angles. As soon as you see these, break them off with your fingers. This is called 'pinching out' and it encourages the plant to grow larger, stronger fruits. If you leave them in place they will eventually grow into smaller trusses begin to flower and fruit. While this will give you more fruit, the fruit you do get will be smaller in size and be of a lower quality than plants which have been 'pinched out'.

The final key to growing fantastic Tomatoes at home is simply to water them correctly! Tomato plants drink a lot of water, especially when the weather is hot and they are beginning to fruit. If they are not watered regularly by the weather or by you, the fruit will begin to dry and split. If this happens you will see cracks appear in the skin of the Tomatoes. Tomato feed can be added to your water to help encourage healthy growth and a deep red coloring too. As soon as your Tomatoes are red, pick them and enjoy them as soon as possible to really taste the freshness!