Here are your 10 top tips on how to plant tomatoes.

1. It's entirely in the preparation as they say, a good tip is to turn your soil over throughout January and February. You will be amazed how many pest eggs have been hidden in your soil over the wintry weather and if you expose them to the frosts with any luck you will have fewer pests throughout the year.

2. Groundwork of your soil is essential. You can go the whole nine yards and analyze your soil for PH and add chemicals or supplements appropriately or you can add some well rotten compost which usually is just as successful at balancing the soil out

3. Mulching your soil is the best way of reducing the weeds surrounding your plants in addition to adding nutrients, keeping the soil warm and retaining moisture

4. If you are growing tomatoes from seed it is a great plan to choose a selection so you have late and an early yield. You can also have cherry and plum ones These are perfect for creating sauces which will give you a magnificent harvest which will see you through the season

5. Seedlings require sunlight and warmth to mature into healthy plants. Leggy seedlings can be planted deeply when planted up as this will allow them to grow stronger stems

6. When growing tomato plants do not fertilise your plants either too early or too much as you can set off a build up of chemicals in the plants leading to problems with leaves and fruit creation. Only begin to add fertiliser after the plant starts to blossom and then only one a week

7. Diseases can easily affect your vegetation if they are kept too moist or become diseased. "Know the enemy and be prepared". Companion planting will stop some pests and is environmentally friendly

8. Supporting your tomatoes as they develop is important as tomatoes which aren't tend to become damaged leaving fruits trailing on the earth. Using either cages or stakes and strong but gentle ties will prevent damage and ensure a well supported and productive plant

9. Watering accurately is always a problem, too much can lead to fruiting problems too little can lead to fruiting problems. Try not to allow the plants to dry out if they are in either pots or grow bags as when you do water them it will simply run off

10. When thinking of the best tomato growing tips the most practical is probably the storing of your wonderful stock of tomatoes. This is worthwhile as well as cost effective. You can simply make sun dried tomatoes and thick rich sauces which you can freeze and utilize throughout the winter months reminding you of summer and tasting so much better than those bought at your local shop