Vegetable

Growing tomatoes

Solanum lycopersicum · Solanaceae
By Hannah Price · Updated 12 November 2026

Tomatoes calendar

Tomatoes sowing, planting and harvest calendar (UK)
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sow indoors		Sow indoors in February	Sow indoors in March	Sow indoors in April
Plant					Plant in May	Plant in June
Harvest							Harvest in July	Harvest in August	Harvest in September	Harvest in October

Timings suit lowland southern and central Britain and most of Ireland. In northern England and Scotland, or in a cold spot, start two to three weeks later in spring and finish earlier in autumn.

Overview

Tomatoes come in two main growth habits. Cordon or indeterminate types grow as a single tall stem that needs a cane and regular pinching, while bush or determinate types stay compact and sprawl without much attention. In a typical British summer a greenhouse gives the most reliable crop, but plenty of varieties ripen outdoors against a sunny wall.

Varieties to try

'Sungold' is an orange cherry tomato with outstanding sweetness and is happy outside or under glass. 'Gardener's Delight' is a dependable red cherry cordon. 'Shirley' copes well with cooler greenhouses and gives medium fruit. For outdoor growing where blight is common, try 'Crimson Crush' or 'Mountain Magic'. 'Tumbling Tom' trails over the edge of hanging baskets and window boxes.

Soil and site

Best soil: Fertile, well-drained soil or good peat-free compost in a warm, sheltered spot.

Tomatoes need warmth, shelter and at least six hours of direct sun. Outside, a south-facing wall or fence is ideal. If you grow in the same greenhouse border every year, swap to pots or growing bags after a few seasons, or replace the top layer of soil to avoid a build-up of root problems.

Sowing and planting

Sow thinly in small pots of seed compost from late February in a heated greenhouse, or March onwards on a warm windowsill at around 18–21°C. Pot seedlings on individually once they have their first true leaves, burying the stem a little deeper each time. Move plants into an unheated greenhouse from late April, but wait until early June to plant outdoors, after hardening them off for a week.

Spacing: Cordons 45 cm apart; bush types up to 60 cm. One plant per 10-litre pot or growing bag third.

Care

Tie cordons to a cane or string as they grow and pinch out side shoots that appear where leaves meet the main stem. Stop them by removing the top once four or five trusses have set outdoors, or six to seven under glass. Feed weekly with a high-potash liquid feed once the first fruits swell, and water regularly rather than in floods.

Harvesting and storing

Pick fruit when it is fully coloured and gives slightly to gentle pressure, ideally with the calyx attached. Warm, freshly picked tomatoes taste best, so keep them out of the fridge. At the end of the season, bring green fruit indoors before the first frost; it will ripen slowly in a drawer alongside a banana.

Common problems

Blight spreads quickly outdoors in wet August weather, so remove spotted leaves at once and choose resistant varieties. Sunken black patches at the base of fruit, known as blossom-end rot, come from irregular watering. Under glass, whitefly can build up; open vents for airflow and hang yellow sticky traps. Grey mould is less of a nuisance in well-ventilated greenhouses.

Read more on the problems that most often hit tomatoes:

Not sure what you're looking at? Try diagnosing it by symptom.

Month-by-month reminders

Jobs for tomatoes come round in February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October. Each month page lists the rest of the garden's jobs for the same weeks.

Grow alongside

Sources

Names follow Kew's Plants of the World Online; timings and spacings reflect UK growing practice and were checked against the references below. Text is our own. See our editorial policy.