Spring is the perfect time to start sowing your tomato seeds so they’re ready for summer. Loved for their versatility, there’s a whole range of tomatoes you can easily plant at home, from the classic red Rosellas to the Brandy Boy beefsteak variety. The main distinction you’ll need to make before deciding which seeds to sow is how much space you have in your garden to grow tomatoes.
Tomato plants grow in two ways: cordon and bush. Cordon tomatoes are fast-growing plants that can quickly grow up to two meters tall, requiring space and often extra support from a wooden cane to keep it propped up. Bush tomatoes are more suitable for smaller spaces and require less maintenance than the Cordon variety, besides regular watering and feeding. Thanks to their compact size, they can even be grown in hanging baskets.
But when planting your tomatoes outside, one horticulturist has shared what you can do to easily improve their flavour. In a video posted to Instagram, Jamie Walton (@nettlesandpettles) explained how planting tomatoes with a companion plant can help them grow better.
Companion planting simply means placing plants in the same bed to create a more resilient and productive ecosystem. When it comes to tomatoes, Jamie encourages gardeners to plant one herb in particular to protect their plants.
Often paired together in plates, basil is also an ideal companion plant for tomatoes. In the video, Jamie said: “Basil’s strong scent can also help deter some common pests and it’s said that if you plant basil near tomatoes it can actually improve their flavour.”
Basil attracts bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects to the garden that can improve growing conditions, while naturally repelling whiteflies and tomato hornworms, two types of pests that can destroy tomato plants.
Like tomatoes, basil requires milder conditions to grow. The Royal Horticultural Society advises sowing the herb in spring so it’s ready to harvest by the summer months, recommending to keep it a sheltered and warm sunny spot in the ground, or in containers.
Used by many to add a peppery kick to dishes, it’s perfectly paired with tomatoes all the way from the ground to the plate.