My wife has gone all weird on me and has started talking about growing our own food in the garden. Now, if I’m honest, I wasn’t too keen on the idea and saw it as a bit of a pain in the arse and also a total waste of money. But having thought long and hard about it it’s actually as great idea.
So, here we go I’ll record the progress of my tomato plants growth here for all to see!
Tomato Seeds I’m using
I’m using are Unwins Beefsteak Tomato Marmande.
The tomato seeds were planted 25th January 2026. They were placed on a heat mat to help them grow faster I’ not sure if that was really needed but they grew quickly. The image above was taken 9th February they are looking very healthy but a bit leggy.
10th February
I repotted the tomato seedlings using multi purpose compost making sure to cover the stems and leaving about an inch to the top leaves. 5 litre water bottles to create little greenhouses that will stop moisture escaping and retain heat. I used a plastic tray to place all the tomato plants on and placed them next to the patio window so they get lots of natural sunlight.
10th March
the seedlings are growing very! they are now big and strong. I had to remove the lid of the plastic bottles as the plants are now to big.
18th March
“7 Weeks 3 day since starting” the tomato plants are growing like mad, looking very strong and healthy. I water them every other days allowing them to dry out a little.
The weather is nice today “18th March” so the tomato plants are going outside for the very first time! lets hope nothing tries to eat them! I’ve watered them a little more as the wind might dry them out faster! Let’s hope they are ok.
3 hours later and the tomato plants have started to lean over. They are all moving in the direction of the sun plus it’s a little wind too. I’ve watered them a bit more as they are drying out quickly.
To stop them leaning over I’ve used barbecue sticks and twine to keep them upright. The twine knot is very lose so it doesn’t damage the stems.
25th March
The tomato plants are now even bigger, I can’t believe how fat and how fast they have grown compared to a few days ago which is amazing. They have many more leaves and the stems have started to get so much thicker. I’m still watering them every other day.
When I look at the containers I can now see the tomato plants have lots and strong looking roots. They are well established I’m wondering if it is maybe time to repot them? The problem is it’s still too cold outside and the polytunnel might not be warm enough!
The plants are grouped together on a plastic tray and living next to the patio window in my living room. When I water them I give them a really good soaking and the tray stops water spilling out everywhere. The problem now is each plant is now fighting for space!
28th March
The plants are growing really well I think they are starting to get ready to produce flower buds! “I could be wrong”. The stems of the biggest plant are now about 8mm thick and very hairy.
There are little sucker shoots appearing from the elbow joints too. I have read that I can pinch these off to encourage growth of the actual tomatoes but will hold off for a while and watch what happens.
