Tomatoes are a great beginners’ crop. They are easy to grow and don’t take up a lot of space, and although they are best grown in a greenhouse there is nothing to stop you giving them a go outdoors. In the UK they will grow more slowly outside because they won’t be so warm as they are in the greenhouse, but if you have patience and a nice sunny spot in your garden, you may still get good results.

Just about the only place where you won’t have much success growing them is indoors, inside the home.

I always grow mine in pots rather than the plot as they don’t particularly seem to benefit from having any extra space in which to spread their roots, but one thing from which they most certainly do benefit is a bit of careful, regular pruning.

Tomatoes have a habit of growing extra unwanted arms that divert its attention (and energies) from growing what they should: juicy fruits. These extra arms always come out in the joint between the plant’s main stem and one of its existing branches, and they have a tendency to go slightly wild, growing much faster than any of the rest of the plant.

They need to be – quite literally – nipped off at the bud, either between the nails of your thumb and forefinger, of using a pair of scissors.

When you do, you are rewarded by the wonderful, unmistakable smell of fresh tomato plant.

If you don’t know what you’re looking for, this photo shows a good example of an extra arm that has shot out to the left about a quarter of the way up from the bottom of the picture. As you can see, it’s jutting out between the main stem and a much smaller horizontal branch.

It has to go. And indeed it’s gone.

Related posts:

1. How to grow cucumbers
2. Helping the tomatoes to ripen
3. The cheat’s way to grow your own