Now that all danger of frost has passed, it is time to plant out your tomatoes and other tender veg. I planted mine out last week, and they are now happily flowering, which means it is time to start feeding with a fertiliser rich in potash.

This year, I’m growing all my tomatoes, peppers and aubergines on our balcony, as this area gets the most sun, and warms up very nicely throughout the day. I’m growing San Marzano, Estonian Yellow Mini Cherry, Cerise, Sungold and Tumbling Tom. All of these  – with the exception of Tumbling Tom – are cordon, or indeterminate tomatoes, which means they keep on growing upwards without stopping themselves naturally.

To get the best crop from indeterminate tomatoes, you need to pinch out your sideshoots. In case you’re wondering what on earth a sideshoot is, there’s an image below to help you.

You’ll find sideshoots nestling in the crook between a leaf and the main stem. Gently pinching them out between your thumb and forefinger means the plant puts all its energies into fruiting off the main stem, rather than becoming a big leafy bush. And you’ll get better tomatoes, which is the most important thing.

One or two people have contacted me asking about a large, aster-like flower appearing on their beefsteak tomatoes. Before you go pinching these off, they are cristate flowers, and produce an absolute whopper of a ‘king’ tomato. These fruits, though oddly shapped, are prized among tomato growers as they taste amazing. So keep them, even if they’re not the best lookers in the plot.