The secret to growing superior tomatoes

SIR – I agree wholeheartedly with Betty Potts (Letters, March 4) on the merits of homegrown tomatoes.

The real secret is getting some seeds from tomatoes grown in a Greek garden. They will reach the size of a grapefruit and taste wonderful. Why buy the rubbish sold in supermarkets?

Rod Beardsell

Nantwich, Cheshire

SIR – I quite agree with Judith Woods’s assertion (Features,

February 28) that potatoes should not be kept in the fridge.

I never put vegetables – or, in most cases, fruit – there. It is much better to store them on a vegetable rack in a cool, dark cupboard. Tomatoes, in particular, lose so much of their flavour if kept too cold.

It is necessary to put soft fruit in the fridge, but it will taste much better if brought up to room temperature before consumption.

Ripeness is all: Still Life with Tomatoes (1883) by the French artist Paul Gauguin