What do I do with a tomato plant??

[MrsArchieTheInventor]

At the end of term DS brought home a tomato plant lovingly cultivated at school that has been placed on the kitchen windowsil and watered. I don't know what to do with it now as I'm not the best of gardeners. I staked it at 6 inches tall and I've just staked it again at about 1 1/2 feet tall, and it's giving off a lovely unripe tomato aroma that makes me really want to persevere and grow tomatoes. It might be worth mentioning at this point that I have no idea as to the variety of tomatoes growing. The trunk has several stems growing from it, though the bottom few stems have now turned brown and wilted. What do I do with it now? Do I repot the whole thing or do I cut off the individual sprouted stems, and, if so, what do I do with them? Are they placed in water or soil? I remember years ago my grandma using 'rooting powder' for her geraniums - should I be using that? HELP!!

It may be too late for it....it should have produced flowers...these are what turn into tomatoes.

Have a look here www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/5579726/How-to-grow-tomatoes.html

DS's plant looks nothing like that one! I think I'm going to have to quietly give it a humane burial and start afresh with a guide on how to grow the damn things properly! But thank you for your replyNC!

They do best either in a greenhouse or grow tunnel or some varieties do well outside....but they're a pain in the butt to be honest. They need lots of attention.

If you're looking to garden with DS or grow some plants, try strawberries next year...get some plants and put them in a growbag....and sunflowers are very easy too....you start them indoors and when they're a bit bigger, you put them in the garden.

If you want to try to resurrect it, I'd get it into a large pot of soil or compost a.s.a.p., and water copiously. It needs sunshine and the roots needs growing room. I did this to a poor little specimen last that I found under the garden table and I reckon it may yet flower next month.

Do what linerunner said, then nip out any side shoots so the main stem grows nice and tall and straight. Keep it staked if you need to. You will need flowers for tomatoes to come though. It's a bit late, but you might just be lucky. Have you got somewhere sheltered and sunny you can put it outside?
Feed it with tomato food, occasionally and water it well and frequently.

If you haven't got tomato feed or don't want to use it, someone on the other thread suggests Guinness on the roots, and a bit of sugar if you get tomatoes! I'm going to try that. It's easier to use up left over Guinness than left over tomato feed.

It was bureni on this