Tomato plant job Monty Don says you must do in May to ensure bumper crop in summer

In summer, tomatoes are an easy-to-grow plant that will often provide a bumper crop of fruit - but only if the conditions are right.

Problems can occur - from temperature, to watering and insects - so it's important to listen to expert advice when it comes to growing an abundance of tomatoes. Luckily, Monty Don has issued some fresh tips for growing the delicious fruits - but you'll need to act fast.

The presenter of Gardeners' World posts monthly tips on his website, and his latest advice goes into detail about the jobs you should do in May, explaining now is the time to start planting out tomatoes.

The gardening expert says tomatoes should be planted in a greenhouse, but that gardeners should wait until the end of May to plant them outdoors.

"This is because tomatoes hate too much temperature fluctuation and May nights can be chilly - especially if the days are warm. Plant them deeply, burying them right up to the bottom leaf as the buried section of stem will develop extra roots," he said in the blog post.

Monty then suggests removing any side-shoots from the plants are they begin to grow, as they can sap energy from the plant and and can reduce the harvest.

He explained: "As the young plants grow they form shoots between the leaves and the stem and these are known as side-shoots. They grow with extra vigour and although they do bear trusses of fruit, they take energy from the plant and reduce the overall harvest as well as making a cordon plant straggly. So they should be removed as they appear.

"The best way to do this is in the morning when the plant is turgid, simply breaking them off with finger and thumb. However in the evening they will be limper and may tear the plant so should be cut off with a knife."

Monty Don also revealed a simple, five-minute trick that could see these tulips return stronger and more vigorous in their next blooming cycle.

Gardeners should deadhead tulips as the flowers start to die off. Monty advised in his blog: "If you have tulips growing in borders, deadhead them once they are past their best."

Deadheading involves the elimination of seed pods which halts their development, leaving all remaining energy is focused towards the formation of new bulbs for the following year's flowering. Better yet, this straightforward task does not require the use of gardening tools such as shears - rather it merely necessitates the removal of decaying and deceased flower petals by hand.

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