The tasty tomato, simple to grow if you protect them from frost

Lee Senior says getting an early start to growing this rewarding crop is easier than you think

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If there is one greenhouse crop that everyone will have heard of, it is bound to be tomatoes. And while not everyone likes the plants and their pungent foliage, they are surely the nation's most commonly grown greenhouse crop. Perhaps one reason is that tomatoes are not particularly difficult to grow.

As a horticultural college student, I quickly learnt that the seeds can be sown early in the year, if you can provide the correct conditions. Tomatoes are always one of the first seeds I sow in the New Year, as I don't mind giving them the extra care they need.

Tomatoes originate from South America and therefore they need warm frost-free conditions to grow successfully. In the UK that invariably means growing them in a heated glasshouse or polytunnel until the end of May when the risk of frost passes in the UK.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR GERMINATION

The optimum temperature range for seed germination is 18-22C (65-71F). Germination takes place typically between 7-14 days within this temperature range.

Usually the warmth required can be achieved on a south-facing windowsill, or more reliably by utilising a radiator at home or by using an electric propagator. We are only limited by our imagination and I've even heard of centrally heated kitchen and bathroom floors being used too. This is fine for the sure-footed!