Tomatoes

The tomato is native to South America and was introduced to Europe in the 1500s. In South America they are very vigorous and fruit copiously, but over here they need a little bit more love and attention. I was always put off growing tomatoes because I'd heard they were tricky and not worth the effort, but they're really not that hard (and I'm no Carol Klein by any stretch of the imagination) and the taste of a home-grown tomato is completely different to anything you'll find in the supermarket. There are three main types you could grow - cordon, bush and dwarf. Cordon types need supporting with canes, bushes form a sprawling bush and dwarf types form a ...  Read the complete review

Tomatoes are not realy a fruit you can grow in the open due to our cold british weather we need to grow our tomatoes in a greenhouse. I dont usually plant mine untill early may as the frost will definatley kill them. I use grow bags to grow the tomatoes in as they dont require a lot of soil as there roots are not too large but the plant itself does get to around 6 foot tall. I space 3 plants along my grow bag, one at each end and one in the middle. I have never attempted to grow a tomato plant from seed as i always buy mine from a garden center as a baby plant. As tomatoes are very heavy they tend to pull the plant over so i tie ...  Read the complete review

Technically a fruit, rather than a vegetable, the tomato must be one of the most versatile products grown in a vegetable garden. Most people, when they think of tomatoes, think mainly of the round, red, golf ball sized fruit which can be used in salads, or fried with the early morning bacon. In truth, this is only one variety. Tomatoes come in all manner of sizes, ranging from the tiny, marble sized, pop-it-straight-in-your mouth kind, right up to the huge, beefsteak varieties, the largest of which will barely fit in the hand. They also come in a variety of colours, including red, orange, yellow, pink, white purple and striped! Latin name, Lycopersicum ...  Read the complete review

The postman thinks that I don't know what he's doing, but I do, I do. He conceals himself behind the hedge at the end of the drive and peeps round to see if the coast is clear. When he's satisfied that it is, he races down the path, positively shoves the post through the door and then races back down the drive, pausing only to catch his breath once he's out of sight of the house. "She's been making advances" you're thinking, or "it's those dogs of hers". No you're wrong, it's tomatoes. I have, you see, what gardeners call a glut. Actually, it's rather gone beyond a glut, it's a landslide. ...  Read the complete review

I love tomatoes but my obsession is really only a recent thing as my tastebuds have developed as I became older and the memories of the cartoon featuring killer tomatoes have subsided. My favourite way to eat them is hot. There is honestly nothing better than some oven roasted on the vine tomatoes packed full of flavour which seems to transform into sweet gooeyness as soon as they are cooked. I serve them with poached eggs for a delicious, nutritious weekend breakfast. Not only do they taste good but they have some seriously good things going for them. Packed with vitamin A, C and E not to mention the nutrient of the moment Lycopene (more on ...  Read the complete review