Author: Amy Riley

When you pick up a pack of tomatoes at the supermarket, it’s easy to forget just how much has happened before they reach the shelf.

Every tomato begins its journey as a small yellow flower.

But how does that flower eventually become the ripe tomato on your plate?

It All Starts With a Flower

Tomato plants produce clusters of small yellow flowers.

Pollination is an important part of the process, helping those flowers begin their transformation into fruit.

Once successful fruit set takes place, the petals eventually fall away and a tiny green tomato begins developing behind the flower.

Growing Green

During the early stages, tomatoes are green and gradually increase in size.

This is an important period of development, with the plant directing resources towards the growing fruit.

Behind the scenes, growers carefully manage the crop and growing environment to support consistent development.

The Colour Begins to Change

Eventually, something exciting happens.

The tomato begins to change colour.

Depending on the variety, the fruit progresses through different stages as it ripens, gradually developing the colour, texture and flavour associated with a ripe tomato.

For red varieties, this means moving from green through lighter shades before eventually reaching their characteristic red colour.

Knowing When to Harvest

Different tomato varieties may be harvested in slightly different ways.

For example, when harvesting tomatoes as a complete truss, growers need to consider the ripeness of the fruit across that truss.

We’ve previously shared how our Piccolo tomatoes are carefully monitored so they’re harvested at the right stage.

Timing matters because allowing tomatoes to develop appropriately helps achieve the flavour and quality customers expect.

More Than Just Planting and Picking

Growing tomatoes involves continuous attention throughout the life of the crop.

From pollination and plant care to monitoring ripening and finally harvesting, there are many stages between the first yellow flower and the finished tomato.

So next time you enjoy a British tomato, take a closer look.

What you’re holding started life as one tiny yellow flower. 🌼🍅

Before a tomato ever reaches your plate, there’s an important stage that needs to happen in the glasshouse: pollination.

Tomato plants produce beautiful yellow flowers, but for those flowers to successfully develop into tomatoes, pollen needs to move within the flower.

It’s a fascinating part of the growing process and one that ultimately contributes to the crop we harvest.

From Flower to Tomato

Every tomato starts life as a flower.

Tomato flowers contain both male and female reproductive structures. For fruit to begin developing, pollen needs to reach the receptive part of the flower.

In the natural world, movement from wind and insects can help this process.

In commercial glasshouse growing, however, growers need reliable pollination across large numbers of plants.

The Buzz Behind Tomato Growing

One fascinating solution used widely in glasshouse tomato production is bumblebee pollination.

Bumblebees are particularly well suited to tomato flowers because of something known as buzz pollination.

They grip onto a flower and vibrate their flight muscles, helping release pollen from the flower.

As they move between flowers, they help support effective pollination throughout the crop.

Why Good Pollination Is Important

Successful pollination is an important step towards good fruit development.

Without adequate pollination, flowers may fail to set fruit properly, affecting the development and consistency of the crop.

It’s another reminder that producing a tomato involves far more than simply providing a plant with water and waiting for it to grow.

Working With Natural Processes

Modern glasshouse growing combines technology, experience and natural processes.

We’ve previously shared some of the ways beneficial insects can play a role in managing pests. Pollination provides another fascinating example of how insects can contribute to tomato production.

From the moment the first flowers appear to the day ripe tomatoes are harvested, every stage requires careful management.

So the next time you enjoy a tomato, remember – its journey started with one little yellow flower and a very important process happening behind the scenes.

You’ve brought home a pack of beautiful fresh tomatoes – but where do you put them?

For many of us, the automatic answer is the fridge. However, how you store tomatoes can make a difference to their texture, flavour and how quickly they ripen.

Here are a few things to consider when storing your tomatoes at home.

Think About Ripeness First

Before deciding where to store your tomatoes, take a look at how ripe they are.

If your tomatoes still need some time to ripen, keeping them at room temperature can allow that process to continue.

Place them somewhere away from intense direct sunlight and allow them time to develop.

What About the Fridge?

Once tomatoes are fully ripe, refrigeration can be useful if you need to slow down further ripening and keep them for longer.

However, very cold temperatures can temporarily dull some of the aroma and flavour we associate with a ripe tomato.

If you’ve refrigerated ripe tomatoes, try taking them out before you plan to eat them and allowing them to come back towards room temperature.

Handle Them With Care

Tomatoes may look sturdy, but ripe fruit can bruise relatively easily.

Avoid piling heavy items on top of them and check your tomatoes regularly so you can use the ripest ones first.

Buy What You’ll Use

One of the simplest ways to enjoy tomatoes at their best is to buy an amount you’re likely to use.

If you do find yourself with tomatoes that have become very ripe, don’t automatically throw them away. Provided they’re still safe to eat, softer ripe tomatoes can be fantastic for cooking.

Roast them, turn them into a sauce or add them to a cooked dish rather than letting them go to waste.

Enjoy Them at Their Best

A huge amount of care goes into growing and harvesting a tomato, so it makes sense to look after it once it reaches your kitchen too.

Understanding how ripeness and temperature affect your tomatoes can help you get more flavour from every pack while reducing unnecessary food waste.

A tomato is a tomato… right?

Not quite!

Walk through a supermarket and you’ll probably find everything from tiny cherry tomatoes to large beef tomatoes, tomatoes on the vine and beautifully sweet speciality varieties.

Although they all belong to the tomato family, different varieties can offer very different flavours, textures and uses.

Understanding those differences can help you choose the right tomato for your next meal.

Cherry Tomatoes

Small, sweet and incredibly versatile, cherry tomatoes are ideal when you want plenty of flavour without much preparation.

They’re fantastic eaten raw in salads, added to lunchboxes or roasted whole. Their small size also means they work particularly well on skewers or as part of sharing dishes.

Plum Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes tend to have an oval shape and a firm, fleshy texture.

Because they generally contain plenty of flesh, they’re particularly useful for cooking. Try them in sauces, casseroles and slow-cooked dishes where you want a rich tomato flavour.

Beef Tomatoes

As their name suggests, beef tomatoes are the larger members of the tomato family.

Their generous size makes them perfect for slicing. Add them to burgers and sandwiches or serve thick slices as part of a salad.

They’re also ideal when the tomato itself needs to be the centrepiece of a dish.

Vine Tomatoes

Vine tomatoes are sold while still attached to their vine and are popular for their aroma, colour and versatility.

They’re a great all-rounder and can be enjoyed raw, roasted or cooked into your favourite recipes.

Speciality Tomatoes

There’s also a whole world of speciality tomatoes to discover.

Varieties such as Piccolo tomatoes are prized for their sweetness and flavour. Their smaller size makes them ideal for snacking, salads and dishes where you really want the natural tomato flavour to shine.

Which Tomato Should You Choose?

Ultimately, there’s no wrong answer.

Some tomatoes are better suited to cooking, while others are fantastic eaten exactly as they are. Experimenting with different varieties can completely change the flavour and texture of familiar recipes.

At R & L Holt, understanding individual varieties is an important part of growing tomatoes. Different plants can have different requirements throughout the growing process, which is why knowledge, experience and careful crop management are so important.

Next time you’re shopping for tomatoes, why not pick up a variety you haven’t tried before?

You might just discover a new favourite.

Growing tomatoes is about far more than simply planting them and waiting for the fruit to appear.

Behind the scenes in our glasshouses, there are countless jobs taking place throughout the growing cycle to help our plants stay healthy and produce the high-quality tomatoes our customers expect.

Some of these jobs might seem small, but together they can make a big difference.

Carefully Removing Leaves

As our tomato plants grow, selected older leaves are removed.

This helps manage the plant and allows more light around developing fruit. Although removing a few leaves may look like a simple job, knowing which leaves to remove and when requires care and experience.

Even the removed leaves can sometimes continue playing a role in the glasshouse. We may leave them temporarily on the ground to provide shelter for beneficial insects before they’re removed.

Supporting Our Trusses

As tomatoes develop, the weight of the fruit can put pressure on the plant.

Certain varieties can be prone to their trusses bending or kinking, so small truss clips can be used to provide additional support.

They’re tiny tools, but they help keep the truss in the right position as the tomatoes continue to develop.

Pruning Our Plants

Pruning is another important part of managing our tomato plants.

Different varieties can have different requirements, so our team carefully manages the amount of fruit on individual plants.

The aim is to create the right balance, allowing each plant to put its energy into producing a healthy, consistent crop.

Nature’s Pest Control

Some of the smallest workers in our glasshouses aren’t people at all!

Beneficial insects can help us manage pests that might otherwise cause problems for our tomato plants. By introducing and supporting these helpful insects, we’re able to work with natural processes within our growing environment.

It’s All in the Detail

There isn’t one single secret behind growing a great tomato.

Instead, it’s the combination of knowledge, experience and hundreds of small decisions made throughout the growing process.

From supporting a truss to removing a leaf at just the right time, our team pays attention to the details every day.

It’s this care that helps us continue producing the quality British tomatoes we’re proud to grow at R & L Holt.