5 tips for growing great tomatoes in a greenhouse

One of my strongest childhood memories is the smell of tomatoes in my Grandpa’s greenhouse. Homegrown tomatoes not only smell amazing but have a completely different taste to shop bought. A freshness which cannot be beaten. If you have a greenhouse at home and you want to have a go at growing tomatoes then have a look at these 5 tips to help you on your way.

Choosing the best seed to grow or your own greenhouse is a key contributor to you growing great tomatoes. Consider what tomatoes you enjoy eating. Do you want to have beef, salad or plum tomatoes? Or maybe all three.

You can also choose between cordon (indeterminate) and bush (determinate) tomatoes. Bush tomatoes are unpruned and only need to be loosely tied so take up a lot of space. Cordon tomatoes are pruned and trained onto a single stem. They take up less horizontal space and can produce great crops indoors. These are the best choice for a greenhouse.

Even though you will be growing the tomatoes indoors, I would still advise that you choose strains which are blight resistant. There is nothing more depressing than putting all you time and effort into growing some wonderful looking plants only to see them perish in a matter of days. Check the seed packets and they will give you this information.

Seed packets will also tell you if the tomatoes have been developed other factors such as taste, quantity produced and size. All useful information when you make your choice.

Having the right temperature

When you start your tomatoes seedlings you may not want to begin them in your greenhouse if it is unheated. This will depend where you live and what the climate is like in your area. Most gardeners will advise against putting any tomato seedlings in an unheated greenhouse until the night time temperature is consistently above 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).

In my area (West Yorkshire, England) this can be quite late into the growing season. Consequently, I always start my tomato seedlings off on a bedroom windowsill. That way I can guarantee they have a consistent temperature which will promote healthy growth and extend the growing season.

Creating space for your growing tomatoes

In order to keep your plants healthy, when growing indoors, it’s good practice to remove the bottom leaves as the plants grow. This gives the plants room to breathe and will stop them becoming too crowded. Having good air flow around your plants is important to prevent mold or fungus from taking hold.

Pruning your growing tomatoes

Removing the suckers as the plant grows prevents it from concentrating on producing leafy growth. This then encourages the production of flowers. When pruned properly, a tomato plant grown in a greenhouse can produce up to 6 trusses of fruit for each cordon trained plant.