You probably think that to grow your own tomatoes you will need an allotment or garden. Well, that is not necessarily true. If you live in the city or a flat with no garden access, you will still either have a window sill or a balcony.

Growing your own tomatoes is a very rewarding pastime, and there is nothing better than selecting from your own crop. Tomatoes are just so delicious compared to what you can buy from the local supermarket. In fact my husband hovers around me like a child when I am preparing them for a salad or a sauce, and steals them when he thinks I am not looking.

If you are going to grow tomatoes indoors, Bush or Cherry tomatoes are a good choice as they are more compact. Bush tomatoes will grow to about three or four feet in height. This is perfect for the balcony, and with just the right amount of time and attention, you too could be enjoying the fresh taste of sweet tomatoes.

Children love growing tomatoes. They develop quickly and in no time at all you can see the results. You may be fortunate enough that they will be encouraged to try them. They never believed me when I said that is where Tomato Ketchup comes from!

The easiest way to achieve your own window sill or balcony garden is to buy a couple of plug plants from a garden centre. Your local DIY store will probably sell plants too, or if you're very keen, you can buy a packet of seeds. You can buy seedling compost as well, which takes all the mystery out of creating your own soil mix. If you have bought plug plants which have been cultivated, all you will need are plant pots and good general compost for them to grow in. If you have a balcony, you could also use a grow bag. These are brilliant as you get the compost and container all in one. The bonus with grow bags is all the nutrients you need for a healthy plant is already there for the first six weeks.

Growing tomatoes from seed isn't rocket science but it is always a delicate part of growing anything. I suggest you start either with a regular nursery tray or small yoghurt pots full of your seedling compost. Tomato seeds should be planted about about 8 seeds to the inch and about a quarter of an inch deep. Don't worry about being precise because the fun part of growing any plant is the experimentation and discovering what does and what doesn't work. I think too many people get hung up about the technology of creating perfect produce and forget about how enjoyable it is to grow your own plants.

Cover your seedlings to keep them from drying out. This can be with a clear plastic bag with an elastic band around the pot to secure it, or you can use a propagator tray. You will discover that tomato seeds germinate at around 80 degrees in warm conditions and once they have germinated they will grow best at about 70 to 75 degrees.

Unless you are very diligent, it is a good idea not to germinate plants on the window sill, as the extremes of temperature can be damaging. A constant temperature and a well lit area are perfect; otherwise you may get "leggy" seedlings. You could get the children to experiment and let them discover where they germinate best and if you have excess seedling, you can always give them to friends and family to grow and maybe even have a competition.

After about 5 to 12 days you will discover that your seedlings will appear and as they do, you can remove the cover from the tray. Fresh sprouts should be kept under good lighting conditions, to encourage strong growth.

When the seedlings are about one and a half inches tall, you can transplant them into their own 6 inch containers. Once flowers have appeared they will need regular watering and you will need to feed them weekly with a specialist tomato fertiliser. As the plants grow you will need to transplant them into larger pots or if you are using a grow bag you don't need to do anything.

Small Cherry tomatoes are extremely compact plants and can do very well in relatively small pots on a window sill as long as they are kept well watered and fed.

After about 6 to 8 weeks, your tomato plants should be about ready to pick and you will discover how enjoyable it is to eat something that you have grown.

I hope this short article has helped you see how easy it is to grow tomatoes indoors. Be warned though; Tomatoes from the supermarket will never taste the same again and you may have to continue growing your own.