Did you know that it is National Tomato Week?

To celebrate the occasion, thebestof Rugby has a host of useful information and top tips for you to get the very best out of your tomato plants this year!

Tomatoes are sub-tropical plants so they need loads of sunlight to perform to their best. Greenhouses, window sills, or a sunny spot in the garden are ideal.

Tomato plants thrive in containers, grow bags or hanging baskets but they can also be grown straight in the soil. Ensure you protect them from any late frost and give them plenty of regular water and feed and you will be rewarded with a healthy, plentiful crop.

What Variety Should I Choose?

When making your choice of tomato variety, you may want to consier these:

Varieties that thrive in pots and containers include; Patio Italian Plum, Patio Orange, Patio Yellow, Pixie, Red Robin, Tomato Tumbler, Totem and Tumbling Yellow.

Varieties to consider for growing in grow bags, in a greenhouse or outside include; Alicante, Beefsteak Big Boy, Ferline Beefsteak, Gardener's Delight, Garden Pearl, Italian Plum, Moneymaker, Shirley and Tomato Ailsa Craig.

How Do I Plant Them?

Tomatoes need warm soil, so ensure the last frost has passed before planting outside. Dig a hole a little bigger than the pot, ease the plant out carefully, remove the bottom leavers and gently firm the soil up to the new lower leaves.

Water generously.

Once the stems reach 20-30cm, tie the stems loosely to a cane and continue to do so at 15cm intervals as your plant grows.

As your plant develops, pinch out side shoots between the stem and main branches to prevent the plant from producing more foliage than fruit.

Regularly remove the bottom leaves to prevent fungus problems developing.

When you have 6 or 7 clusters of flowers (trusses) on your plant, break off the growing tip as any more trusses will lead to poor quality fruit.

Once the fruits reach the size of a pea, you should give them a weekly feed and regularly remove any yellowing leaves.

Pick your tomatoes as soon as they ripen to encourage more fruit to develop.

And remember, the golden rule of tomato growing is regular watering!

Now all that is left to do is enjoy the fruits of your labour!