Growing Tomato

Lycopersicon esculentum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                  S S  
T                     T

(Best months for growing Tomato in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 61°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 16 - 24 inches apart
  • Harvest in 8-17 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Asparagus, Chervil,Carrot, Celery, Chives, Parsley, Marigold, Basil
  • Avoid growing close to: Rosemary, Potatoes, Fennel, Cucumber

Your comments and tips

21 Mar 15, Richard (Australia - temperate climate)
Tomatoes will not set on their own in hot weather. Try buzzing the flowers with an old electric toothbrush in the morning to get the pollen onto the stamens
19 Mar 15, terry (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi not sure why you haven't got fruit but i read somewhere tomatoes do not need bees to pollinate
28 Feb 15, Francis (Australia - temperate climate)
Are tomatoes perennial or annual? I have seen seeds for perennial tomatoes for sale and want to know if it is a scam?
27 Jan 15, Alan Patterson (Australia - temperate climate)
Can you any tomatoes at this time of the year
09 Jan 15, Blake (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Got catapillers try Beat a bug natural pesticide and prior to planting tomatoe i mix in a solid amout of cow manure and this seems to work where i am keeping the plant healthy and producing tomatoes
07 Jan 15, Khing (Australia - tropical climate)
tomato leaves with purplish veins. What could be the causes?
27 Mar 15, tomato expert qld (Australia - tropical climate)
try adding trace elements.you can buy trace elements from places like bunnings etc.sounds like iron-boron- deficiency to me.
10 Jan 15, Yuri Dreason (Australia - temperate climate)
I dare say it is either psyllids feeding on your plants or a deficiency in phosphorus.
16 Dec 14, Kevin Spencer (Australia - temperate climate)
Try Dipel, it is an environmentally friendly product which is dynamite with caterpillars.
13 Dec 14, kevin spencer (Australia - temperate climate)
My tomatoes (mortgage lifter) are growing and flowering but not setting fruit. Are they dependent on bees? If so can I manually pollinate?
Showing 461 - 470 of 811 comments

I am also from the Central Highlands, though this will be my first year trying tomatoes here. A lady with many years of gardening experience recently told me that tomatoes shouldn't be planted out here until Melbourne Cup day (5th November). It's simply too cold before then, especially overnight, and late frosts are still possible in October. For best results you should raise seedlings beside a sunny window or in a greenhouse in late September - early October, to plant out in early November. Or simply buy seedlings from a nursery - this is a much easier option but the number of varieties they sell is limited. I have researched on cold-tolerant varieties for this season and here are three that I am trying this year: Siberian, Stupice, and Swift. You may want to try to look for these varieties as they will probably be better adapted for this climate. Generally, any variety from Northern Europe is probably better to plant than typical Australian varieties, which are bred for hotter climates. Finally, make sure you are feeding them correctly. A high Nitrogen fertiliser is necessary early on, but once it puts on flowers you want to only feed it with one high in Phosphorus and Potassium. There are very few of these fertilisers that seem to be available at the big box stores (many have way too much N) but something like liquid potash or a 'flowers / bloom' labelled fertiliser should work. Make sure to include some organic fertiliser or organic compost when planting out your seeds / seedlings as well, so that your soil is not deficient in trace elements. I hope at least some of this advice helps and that you end up with a bumper crop this year. Tomatoes are probably harder to grow here than elsewhere but I have also been told there are less pest problems than up towards the tropics. Best of luck!

- Prometheus

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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