The bigger, the better

When growing in pots, think big.

Unless you plump for the so-called patio toms, which are bred to stay small, go for a 10-litre planter at the bare minimum – or a 15-litre planter if you are lazy about watering! Unless your pot is at least as big as a half-wine barrel go for one plant per pot (it looks ridiculous to begin with, but trust me on this). And finally; get the variety right. Not all sorts of tom will thrive in a pot.

Lay amendments on the soil now.

If you are growing in the ground, then pile on compost, aged manure and leaf mould in the spot you’ve carefully selected. Even if the soil there is already good, it’s never a bad idea to increase the organic matter content of a vege bed. Tomatoes like a rich soil and will not fruit well in poor or parched dirt. On the other hand, don’t over-fertilise your plants once they are in the ground. In my own experience, too much artificial fertiliser and you end up with large, lush plants but not much fruit – possibly the toms are so comfortable, they see no need to rush to reproduce! I work tomato-specific fertiliser into the soil when I plant and then give them a second feed when they start to flower. That’s not a hard and fast rule though – you should fertilise more often in sandy soil, where water (and the fertiliser), drains away quickly, and big beefsteaks might need a third feed in January if you want them to keep fruiting until March.