How to Grow Tomatoes at home: A Green Fingered Guide

Rich and juicy home-grown tomatoes are a joy to eat fresh off the vine in a salad or the viral
TikTok Feta cheese and tomato pasta (we’ve all seen the video). They are an Italian cuisine
staple and are relatively easy to sow, grow and harvest. So, let’s explore:

• Tomato varieties to grow
• How to sow tomato seeds
• When to feed tomato plants and other care
• Delicious tomato recipes

Written by Jack Teare Head of Content at Affinity Agency

Read on to find top tips and tasty ideas for your rich, red, and home-ripened fruit…
Tomato varieties to grow.

Varieties of Tomatoes

Big ones, little ones, green ones, and yellow ones – there are thousands of varieties of
tomatoes on offer and growing them at home is easy.

Some of the most well-known varieties include:

•  Cherry tomato – small and juicy, these small, sweet tomatoes go well in salads or
  eaten alone as a summer snack.
•  Plum tomato – well-known for use in pasta sauces and often bought in tins from the
  supermarket, they have red flesh and fewer seeds.
• Beefsteak tomato – these are just like they sound: big and juicy. These are used in
  burgers or sandwiches due to the wide slices you can carve out.
•  Standard or Salad tomato – the most common type, sometimes sold on the vine for
  freshness. These are classic red with shiny skin and a nice ratio of juice seeds and
  flesh inside.

But these aren’t necessarily the best kind to grow at home. 

There are 10,000 kinds to choose from – some on vines, some as bushes – and it all depends on what kind of tomatoes you’d like.

Bush plants will grow to their maximum height of up to 90cm tall, then stop and focus on
ripening the fruit. Most bush varieties produce smaller fruits like the Tomato ‘Gardeners’ Delight’, so if you’re looking for snacking or baby tomatoes that require less support, these
are the ones to go for.

Vine or cordon tomato plants produce larger fruit like beefsteak tomatoes and will likely keep
growing and need structural support to maintain their height! All the fruit is produced off a
single stem and will keep growing and fruiting until the frosts. They require some pinching
out and training, but they’re good fruit producers if handled correctly. Tomato 'Ferline' is a
heavy-cropping variety.

How to sow tomato seeds

Supermarkets and garden centers often sell small and young plants to start you off, these can often go straight into their permanent positions, but growing your own from seed is easy too.

Top Tip: Sow your seeds and keep them inside your home or greenhouse until the frosts
pass.

To sow your tomato seeds, you’ll need:

•  Your chosen seeds
• 7.5cm pot
• Seed compost
•  Water

Sow several seeds into one pot by following the instructions on the packet of seeds. Pot on
into individual containers when each seedling reaches 3cm tall. Continue to pot on as needed. The key is to maintain a temperature below 81 degrees Fahrenheit / 27 degrees Celsius, which is why growing tomatoes indoors or in a greenhouse is recommended as you can ventilate or keep
things warm. Invest in a good thermometer to keep track.

If you’re wondering how far apart to plant tomatoes, then here's some advice: When they’re
small, they can be fairly close to each other. However, when they start to produce flowering
stems, you’ll need to space them out into individual pots. Alternatively, put one plant into
each section of a grow bag, or plant 45-60cm apart in the ground.

When to feed tomato plants and other care

The seed sowing and taking root is the easy part. Afterward, when it’s leafing out and flowering is when more work is needed.

They’re hungry little plants, so when repotting or planting in the ground, add in plenty of
compost or fertilizer. Once they’re settled and you can see the first flowering offshoot, you’ll
need to regularly feed them with appropriate liquid food every week throughout the ripening
and harvesting period.

Tomato pruning is a good idea for a bumper crop:

• With bush plants, the leaves may need thinning at the bottom to prevent disease, and
  you should remove any yellowing or dead ones asap.
• With cordon plants, you’ll want to reduce disease and maximize the crop by snipping
  off new stems or suckers – there should only be one main stem and then
  flowering/leaf offshoots at roughly 90-degree angles.
• Pinching out any flowering stems on both varieties is a good way to get new plants to
  focus on root growth – do this until the plant is at least 30cm tall.
  With harvesting, it’s all about the color. It doesn’t matter if it’s not as large as you expected,
  if it’s the right rich color, then it’s time to pluck it. If you find it’s not dropping off the stem
  with little-to-no force, then it might not be ready yet, so give it a few days before you try to
  pick it again.

Top Tip: Avoid the fridge and store them in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight to maintain the fresh taste.

Delicious tomato recipes 

If it’s your first time growing tomatoes, then you’re going to need some delicious recipes to make use of your harvest.

Some classic recipes include tomato salsa and pasta sauce, but these versatile fruits have
thousands of applications. You could make tomato soup, throw a fresh salad together, enjoy
a tomato bruschetta brunch or even make delicious homemade cheese and tomato pizza.

Here are a few favorites:

Pico de Gallo

Fresh and tasty Pico de Gallo salsa is the supreme summer recipe.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh tomatoes (any kind)
½ red onion
1 red chili pepper (seeds removed)
2 tbsp lime juice
Handful of cilantro (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oregano and cumin to taste

Method:

Roughly chop everything up and place in a food processor saving the seasoning for later.
Pulse a few times to lightly blend it all together, but keep it chunky. Season to taste. Let it sit
for an hour or two to marinate, then serve with nachos, fajitas, tacos and more.

The Best Tomato Pasta Sauce

Full of flavor with only a few basic ingredients – pasta perfection.

Ingredients:
1 2/3lb fresh tomatoes (halved)
6 cloves of fresh garlic (skin on)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Method:
Put everything in a deep-sided tray and roast in a 180˚C oven (160˚C fan) for up to one
hour and 15minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and squishy. Remove from the
oven and take off the garlic skin, then blend it all together. Serve over cooked
spaghetti or your favorite pasta with basil to garnish.

What About You?

Seasoned gardeners, what are your tips for growing tomatoes?  What are your favorite varieties to grow?  What are your favorite recipes to use garden-fresh tomatoes in?  Share your thoughts, tips, and recipes below in the comments so that we can all be better prepared.

Together, Let’s Love, Learn, Practice, and Overcome!