Growing your own vegetables or fruit is an amazing experience, the process is almost magical. In the course of a few months, or sometimes even a few short weeks, seeds from a packet or young plants from a garden centre, are transformed into food for your plate.

After sowing the seeds indoors in seed and cutting compost and pricking them out when they are big enough to handle, they can be planted into their permanent home. This can be either be a large pot, a grow bag or planted into the soil in the greenhouse.

The tomato is strictly a warm weather plant, so, if you are planting it outside, remember to watch for late frosts as this may cause the flower buds to drop. As the tomato begins to grow, it is important to stake it with a five foot bamboo and tie in regularly every 15-20 cms (6-8ins). It is important to pinch out the side shoots that develop at the angle between the main stem and the leaf stalk (Do not pinch out the side shoots of bush tomatoes). Once the plants have reached around 60cms, you can begin to fertiliser them with liquid tomato feed, water regularly and wait for the fruits to appear.

The most important rule with tomatoes is to water regularly. If you water them erratically, the fruits may split at the bottom or start to rot. When the first fruit trusses have set, cut off the top of the main stem above a leaf to leave four or five trusses in various stages of development.

Keep the soil weed-free and spray regularly with water when the trusses are in flower, followed by a tap on the cane or plant stem, which will assist pollination.

The most common disease affecting outdoor tomatoes is blight, which causes the leaves to develop brownish grey edges and the fruits to develop a brownish marbling. If blight is visible, ventilate as much as possible and remove and destroy affected parts. If blight becomes a major problem it may be advisable to spray with a fungicide suitable of edible food.

Aphids can become a problem, so keep alert, paying particular attention to the new growth. If you do notice them on time, they may be removed by hand and sprayed with a weak solution of soapy water but if they get out of control, which they can do very easily, spraying with an insecticide for edible crops is the only answer. Do not spray during the day when the sun is shining on the plants, as the water can scorch the leaves. Early morning or late evenings are the best times.

Harvest the tomatoes when ripe. Late in the season, ripening may be hastened by removing the trusses and storing the tomatoes indoors in a warm place out of direct sunlight.

Recommended varieties that require staking are Alicante, Moneymaker and Alsia Craig. A good bush variety is Gardeners Delight and an excellent variety for planting in a hanging basket is Tumbler.

JOBS OF THE WEEK

* Plant out herds in containers or in the open ground and feed and mulch those already in the garden.

* Check pots and containers of pansies for signs of whitefly and spray if necessary.

* Begin to tie in new shoots of climbers and feed with either a liquid or granular feed.

* Feed daffodils, tulips and other spring flowering bulbs with Sulphate of Potash to encourage flowers for next year.