There is nothing sweeter than vine-ripened truss tomatoes that you have grown yourself; the extra special taste makes this a satisfying fruit to grow. Truss tomatoes are sweet like a tomato should be, juicy, easy to roast and full of vitamin C and B, zinc and potassium. Truss cherry tomatoes have the highest natural sugars making them the sweetest tomatoes on the market.

Tomatoes are grown across the globe, by rich countries and poor, by those who sprinkle it with salt and others with sugar.  They are the biggest selling vegetable in Australia, and the most widely grown with many varieties to choose from.

Growing instructions

Spring is the time to plant truss tomatoes in a pot or in the garden. Soil must be well-drained and improved, aspect must be sunny and protected from strong winds. Plant out your seedling with a bamboo teepee to tie it up to. As the plant grows remove a few of the lower leaves so none touch the ground, mulch around the base and pick off the first flower buds. Water regularly and evenly to increase the number and size of your tomatoes. Sprinkle an organic tomoato dust to protect the plants against insects and disease. Pruning will reduce your crop.

In the kitchen

Truss tomatoes need to be handled with care so they remain on the stalk and can be baked that way to look beautiful on the plate. Serve as a side dish, roasted and sprinkled with balsamic, sea salt and pepper or roughly chopped for bruschetta.

Tomato tips

• Seeds and seedlings are available from your local garden retailer.
• Stagger planting over the next 12 weeks from the beginning of Spring and you will be assured of tomatoes from Christmas to May.
• Tomatoes need full sun but five hours of sunshine is plenty.
• Plant basil on the sunny side of the tomato bush and you will have instant ingredients for bruscetta as well as being an excellent companion plant that helps to protect the tomatoes from insects.
• If space is limited, plant tomatoes in recycled polystyrene boxes from a green grocer filled with a premium potting mix.
• Tie up your tomatoes but leave the large leaves to protect the fruit from the sun.
• Scare away birds by rigging up a tin cutout of a black cat to move in the breeze.
• Consider covering maturing fruit with pantyhose to protect them from fruit fly.

This information kindly provided by the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia.