I bought just two tiny tomato plants for my balcony about 3 weeks ago, potted them on into pots about 7" and since then they've gone mad. However they're still less than a foot tall but are starting to flower. I should pinch these flowers out shouldn't I, the plants still have a lot more growing to do yet.

I know there are people out there who know a whole lot more than I do about any type of plants so I want to give them a chance to answer you! I have never pinched off flowers on my tomatoes. The plants I had in the states had tomatoes by the ton but here I've hardly gotten a handful! Good luck. Sz

Do you know the variety, Valli? A 7" pot might not be big enough. That aside, nip off the flowers. As you said, they've got a lot of growing to do yet. At this stage, the plants should be allowed to concentrate on growing rather than producing fruit. There will be plenty more flowers.

Oooh how exciting. I'm really willing my tomato plants to grow. I planted them from seeds, then split them into their own pots. Now they're about 10 - 15 cm high. Wish these would go mad and flower.

So the flowers have to be pinched until they're a certain height?

It's a matter of the plant's overall maturity. And the variety is a factor, too. Smaller, determinate varieties - more like bushes than the indeterminate types that will grow to 6' or more - can flower earlier than the indeterminates.

Sometimes you'll see mature seedlings for sale with some flowers starting. You'd nip off those flowers before transplanting because transplanting is enough of a shock for the plant's system without it needing to worry about flowers.

I've grown some seedlings from seed for a friend. He lives in the hills above Cortona where, till now, it has been too cold overnight to transplant. The plants are now very well developed in containers, a couple with flowers starting. I'll take them up to him this coming week, nip off the flowers, and put them in the ground.

When you're transplanting, don't forget to nip off all the branches and leaves beneath the very top branches and leaves. Plant them deeply, with only the top leaves visible above ground. The bare stem that's buried will form root structure.

Graeme,I bought the plants from a little shop that seemed to have a variety of bits and bobs for sale including a small selection of salad stuff and tomato/pepperoni plants. I had such a nice little conversation with him and I was feeling so pleased with myself........well I completely forgot to ask the variety! Doh! Clever eh? All I know is they're not the "plum" shaped variety. Yes 7" pots will prob be too small for the whole season...given that I haven't a clue to the type what final pot size would you say would suffice? As for the pepper plants, any tips gratefully received, i've only ever been a flower grower you see

It's hard to know what pot size you would ultimately need without knowing what type of plant you have. Determinate varieties can cope in smaller pots, say about 18" across. Indeterminate varieties need much larger pots, preferably 30-36". The simplest way of telling the difference is to note where the flowers are growing. With determinate varieties, the branch is usually pretty short, and doesn't grow any further (longer) after the flower appears. In other words, the flower will always mark the end of the branch. With indeterminates, the branch will continue to extend, with more flower clusters appearing along its length. Indeterminate varieties also need staking and tying up, unless you have the space to let them sprawl.

Luckily, peppers are grown exactly the same way tomatoes are.

Toms - and peppers, for that matter - in pots need more water and fertiliser than toms in the ground. In a hot summer, unless they get shade from the worst of the heat, you could be watering twice a day. In fact, if shade is a possibility, it's a good idea to protect them for a couple of hours from the hottest part of the day. As long as they get at least six hours a day of sun. With that sort of watering, you would also need to fertilise more often, at least once every couple of weeks. If you can't find a commercial tomato fertiliser, use a rose fertiliser. They're basically the same formula.

OK. Think what I'll do then is to leave just one or two of these early flowers and check what the branches are doing then, pot accordingly. Thank-you for the info.

I have a tomato plant more than a foot tall in a big pot on my patio. Not only does it have flowers already...but tiny tomatoes too! I think it's a cherry variety. Should I pinch the other flowers off, do you think?

How long has it been in the pot?

I've got a terrible feeling that my baby plants have got white fly. Is there anything I can do to protect against this? I remember hearing about a weak detergent solution ... I know I'll be eating them at some point, but hey Brits don't even rinse plates after washing them

If you brush a leaf, do little white things fly into the air? Then, eventually, settle again? If so, that's white fly. In small numbers, they don't do a lot of harm. In large numbers, they do.

You can use a soap spray, garlic spray, chilli spray, or any of those organic home-made sprays. If you want to save the trouble of preparing the spray yourself, you can buy a spray pesticide with pyrethrum in it. Pyrethrum is an organic compound derived from the chrysanthemum. I've forgotten the Italian word for pyrethrum but it's very similar to the English. Have a look at your local nursery or garden centre. All these sprays are contact sprays, meaning you have to spray the insects - and hit them - when you see them. The sprays don't have any residual value on the plant.