Lesson 1: Sowing the Seeds

Plant Types
Outdoor tomatoes fall into two categories, cordon and bush. Cordon varieties produce fruit on laterally growing branches (cordons). They grow to around 2m in height and have to be supported. Bush tomato plants are much shorter – around 60cm – and don't need supporting. Getting to the fruit can sometimes be tricky. Unless you place straw beneath the plant, the tomatoes often end up in the dirt.

Starting Off
Cordon plants will produce fruit all summer, in contrast to bush varieties, which tend to crop over a shorter period. This characteristic sometimes leaves you with more ripe tomatoes than you can eat, so we're recommending cordon plants for our project. Start your tomato plants by sowing two seeds each in 7.5cm pots filled with moist – but not waterlogged – potting compost. Cover lightly with the potting compost and place on a windowsill. In a few weeks' time, you'll be transferring the small plants into growing bags. There's more on this topic in a later lesson.

Try These
"Gardener's Delight" has earned its reputation as one of our most popular outdoor tomatoes. This cordon plant produces a heavy crop of small, tangy fruit. "Sweet 100" is another popular cordon variety. If you're attracted to bush varieties, try "Red Alert". It's a relative newcomer to the scene but has swiftly become a favourite.