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

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18 Nov 11, ian (Australia - arid climate)
i always fertiilze every 10 to 12 days as you will always good growth and a healthy plant will always bear goood fruit or veg's
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26 Sep 11, Lisa (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
When it says potatoes and tomatoes shouldn't be planted together does that just mean same bed? or same time? completely new to gardening thanks
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18 Nov 11, ian Mckay (Australia - temperate climate)
no don't plant after one after the other always leave a years between as you may end up with namato's, i always leave a year or somethimes two between planting either between planting of either of them.
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26 Sep 11, Liz (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Lisa, it means that they should not be planted in the same bed.
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01 Sep 11, Nik in Melbourne (Australia - temperate climate)
Is is time to plant tomato seedlings out in the patch yet? Also, a patch I have does not get full sun till the middle of the summer. Should I delay planting tomatoes there?
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08 Oct 11, Tracey in Melbourne (Australia - temperate climate)
Basically from the start of October to early November is considered tomato planting time in Melbourne but exactly when to plant out your seedlings depends on the microclimate of your garden. If your veg plot is sheltered from cold wind and gets lots of sun, or you have raised beds (which warm up quicker than an in-ground garden), or you are growing your toms in large pots (again, warmer than in-ground beds), then you can get away with planting them now. I have a heavyish clay-based soil which tends to take a little longer to warm up, so will not be planting mine out until around the end of this month. As far as planting in less than full sun, the minimum recommendation for plants like tomatoes is usually given as 6 hours of sun a day, so your patch doesn't necessarily need to get sun from dawn to dusk. If it's currently getting 6 hours you can proceed as per usual. I have a spot in my garden that is shaded by a shed in winter/early spring, which I'll be using for a tomato plant this year. I'll pot up the tomato seedling destined for that spot (an early fruiting variety) into a bigger pot as necessary, and plant it out mid-November, by which time the space gets about 6 hours and the seedling will be a good size.
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27 Aug 11, Bill (Australia - temperate climate)
My dogs like to eat manure and blood and bone drives them nuts, so last year I used mushroom compost together with liquid fish fertiliser on the tomatoes. Had a staggeringly large crop.
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24 Aug 11, Moshe Ioh (Australia - temperate climate)
Is it possible to use mushroom compost (alkaline) with tomatoes (liking acidic soil)? Has anybody used this technique and what were the results?
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23 Aug 11, MICK (Australia - temperate climate)
DO YOU PRUNE GRAFTED TOMATOS THE SAME AS A NORMAL TOMATO
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24 Aug 11, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I don't prune tomatoes at all. Diggers Club did a comparison of pruned vs unpruned and found no difference in fruit production.
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Of course there are lots of factors (soil watering etc.), I\ll point out a few you may have issues with. I'm a little concerned about your night time temperatures harming the growth or steady growth of your tomatoes -- in addition Blossom drop will occur in if daytime temperatures are warm but night temps drop below 55 F. (13 C.) -- a condition that can easily occur in a greenhouse in winter. When you look at days to harvest for tomatoes -- they are assuming spring/summer growing -- which means the NUMBER of daylight hours is HIGHER. Your area may drop from 12 hours of daylight in summer to 9 in winter.... that's a big difference. Additionally the INTENSITY of the sun is not as great in winter as it is in summer. This means the plant is not collecting as much light. I would GUESTIMATE you need to at double the DAYS to harvest to account for your growing conditions. If you decide to go forward I would opt for varieties that tend to grow well in colder climates that NATURALLY have less intense sun and shorter days (or install lighting if you don't have it and perhaps some heat). REMEMBER your soil temp needs to stay at about 16c -- so if your pots are on the ground or if you are planting directly into the soil, the cold may creep into the soil from below. There are specific tomato varietals bred for cold hardiness which will tolerate conditions at or below 55 degrees F. (13 C.). The best choices for colder climates are short to mid-season tomatoes. These tomatoes set fruit not only in cooler temps, but also reach maturity in the shortest number of days; around 52-70 days. I would look to some indeterminate cherry or plum size tomatoes (so small tomatoes) with very low days to harvest. I have never grow this tomato -- but -- Originally developed for cool rainy nights, Quedlinburger Frühe Liebe (or as I like to say, QFL) is a German heirloom tomato variety that’s ready for harvest in just 40 days after transplanting (!!!) and keeps producing until killed by a freeze. This makes it quite an amazing all-season plant and a real keeper in the garden if you’re prone to cold snaps. QFL is sweet and flavorful with small, juicy red fruits ==> tomatofest (internet site in the USA) says : Old German potato-leaf variety means "Early love of Qued Linburg". Small spindly vines produce 1 1/2-inch, round, 4-lobed fruit in clusters of 4. These tomatoes have great flavor with good acidity. Developed for cool rainy nights. Prolific even during colder summers. **** you really need to review the conditions in your green house -- day and night time temps, hours of sunlight --and you need to choose your variety wisely -- and even then, this might be difficult -- a lot depends on your greenhouse.

- faith Celeste Archer

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