Growing your own tomatoes

Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin A, B and C and have been said to help prevent heart disease and prostrate cancer.

With this in mind, many Brits may look to grow their own in order to save money and enjoy the benefits of a healthy diet.

Tomatoes are notoriously difficult to grow outside of a glass house in the UK as they require consistent temperatures and conditions to flourish fully.

Choose a vine type cultivar that is suited to grow bags or a tumbler type that grows best in containers and grow them under glass until the first signs of a flower truss appear meaning they are ready to be planted out.

Sow the seeds in late March and keep the temperature at around 20 degrees until seedlings have developed and been pricked into individual four inch pots.

Young plants should be kept at about 16 degrees before being planted out when a flower truss appears.

When growing under glass, feed the plants with a high nitrogen feed once a week and follow up with a weekly high potash feed once they are moved outside.

Vine types should be side shooted regularly and bottom leaves can be removed to allow light and air to circulate.