Growing Sun-Ripened Tomatoes with Perrywoods Garden Centre

The lovely team at Perrywood Garden Centre kindly gifted me all the essentials for growing a healthy tomato plant. Read on to find out how the new addition to my garden is doing, top tips from the plant experts and more…

Picture this:
It’s a balmy summer evening.
You’ve spent the day pottering in the garden, planting up some pots with bulbs and watering the flower beds.
The coals are lit and you’re all set for a chilled barbecue, watching the sun set with an iced vino in hand.
Glints of red and green are nestled amongst the leaves of the tomato plants, ready to be plucked and popped atop a loaded burger, straight from the grill…

Sounds perfect, right? Well, the growing experts at Perrywood Garden Centre recently invited me over to their almighty HQ where I collected a tomato-growing haul, kindly gifted to me. I was all set to recreate a Mediterranean dream in my garden.
Amongst the gardening gifts was the crucial ‘Gardeners Delight’ plant, ready to come home with me. After a few weeks patiently pruning and looking out for any signs of extra care needed, the tomato plant is flourishing!

Based in Essex, Perrywood Garden Centre is the go-to authority for all plant knowledge. A stone’s throw from Tiptree Jam Factory and Layer Marney tower, the gardener’s haven boasts a plethora of indoor and outdoor plants, decorative accessories and an epic cafe too! If you’ve ever visited a garden centre, you’ll know the importance of a brilliant pit stop when trawling through the conservatories for new plants.

Under the expert guidance of the gardeners and growing gurus, the plant is already bejewelled with precious green treasures – A reward for feeding the plant regularly, tending to the trusses and being especially cautious when the weather has been so scorchio… Fried leaves and bone-dry soil are a no go for a healthy plant!

I’ve got to say… It’s such a satisfying feeling to ‘harvest’ your first, freshly grown and sun-ripened tomatoes! We’ve always grown tomatoes since I was younger and the ‘Gardeners Delight’ plant has been such an easy one to grow. Perrywood‘s gardening experts tell me it’s a very tolerant and bountiful variety which is just perfect for everyone’s fast-paced lives these days! Infact, I imagine it’d be a great variety to grow with young children thanks to the super laidback nature of the plant with just some ‘pinching out’ required!

There’s something very special about that distinctive tomato plant aroma. For me and my sisters, it creates all sorts of nostalgic feelings of days spent exploring a special relative’s greenhouse bursting with tomato plants and enjoying every moment of summer together. If you love that oh-so recognisable scent too, you can even get your hands on a Vine Tomato scented candle here from the lovely home fragrance fanatics, True Grace.

So with a hefty crop of bright and beautiful tomatoes on the way, what do I plan to do with my harvest?! A punchy puttanesca? How about some shakshuka? Head over to THIS almighty post to find out what I have in mind!

If you’re British, I can only assume garden centres are one of your weekend highlights! I totally recommend a visit over to Perrywood Garden Centre if you’re rejuvenating your garden or even if you’re just looking for some inspiration. The team are all superb and you really won’t find a more passionate bunch of plant-lovers anywhere else in Essex.

Whether you say to-MAY-to or to-MAH-to, I hope you enjoyed reading this planty post. Take a read of my time at Cressing Temple’s Apple Day too!

Do you have any ideas of how I can use the precious tomatoes?! Perhaps you’ve got a family recipe you’re itching to share? Leave me a comment below…

This post is in collaboration with Perrywood Garden Centre.
The plant, compost and pot in this post were all very kindly gifted to me.
As always, my views are sincere and I’ll only accept products that I genuinely have an interest in, suit my ethics and would consider purchasing myself. Plus, who doesn’t love tomatoes?! I love them from my head to ma toes.

You can check out the other brands and partners who I have collaborated with here.