There are several advantages to growing tomatoes in raised beds, many of which are similar to growing tomatoes in containers. If you think about it a raised bed is a form of container, it is just a container on a slightly grander scale, a little like a growbag or a large pot.

The main advantages of growing tomatoes in raised beds

• You can more easily control the mix of the soil and utilise compost specifically suited to growing tomatoes
• The plants are generally easier to access for staking, weeding, watering, pruning and pest control
• The soil tends to warm up more quickly than non-raised beds
• Its easier to apply a mulch to aid contamination prevention, supplement feeding and keep weeds down
• You can avoid standing on the soil causing it to compact
• raised beds tend to be free draining and do not get over saturated
• the soil can easily be dug out and replaced should any contamination occur. This should be done on an annual or bi-annual basis in any case
• Feeding the tomato plants is much more targeted and effective, follow the instructions on the feed of choice or as a rule of thumb you can apply a high nitrogen liquid tomato feed around once a fortnight
• Pests are less likely to infiltrate a raised bed but when they do they are easier to deal with

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One of  the most important aspects of tomato growing is selecting a location for your plants that will allow them to flourish.

Tomatoes need plenty of sunshine and a good rule of thumb for ensuring they get enough, is to find a spot in your garden that sees a minimum of 6 hours of sunshine a day. Some will argue that tomatoes need as much as 10 hours of sunshine a day and if you have a spot that can deliver that amount of sunshine then it certainly wouldn’t do any harm; assuming of course you don’t allow the plants to dry out.

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