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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24 Nov 21, Dan (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Good morning sorry to bother you I just want to know about planting tomato in Capetown what is best time? thanks a lot (Gardenate says: Make sure that you select your zone at the top of the tomato page, then you can see which months are suitable)
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06 Nov 21, Clara (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have good success with oxhearts and rouge de marmande. They fruit all through winter too and I'm more southerly than you. You can get these varieties in DT Brown seeds from Reject Shop for $2 a packet. Mine self seed after the first season and I'm about to harvest a pair of oxhearts weighing 300gms each. They don't seem to revert to wild tomato types when self seeding which a lot of other varieties do. Cherry toms are prolific fruiters and easy but a PITA to harvest and not useful for sandwiches. But perfect to toss into a salad. I prefer the larger types. I harvest the toms as soon as I get a small blush of pink/yellow on the skin and then they ripen perfectly inside without inviting pests. But you need to let them get the colouring enzymes going on the vine first in a small amount for this to work.
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06 Nov 21, Clara (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I never use anything and get large crops. Maybe I am just exceptionally lucky? Who knows.Try tomato fruit bags. These are fine mesh bags you tie over the green fruit trusses that prevents insects from getting at them. If you can sew you can probably make a heap out of an old fine net curtain to save $$$ as they tend to be rather pricey to buy. Just a rectangular bag with a drawstring large enough to house the truss.
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01 Nov 21, John Ellis (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Tomatoes grew well last season until whitefly arrived. I found that Pyrethrum spray only reduced the numbers for a week or two and then it was basically ineffective. Suggestions as to effective control?
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04 Nov 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I basically only grow cherry tomatoes, they are fairly disease resistant. Bigger tomatoes the fly and grubs just feed on them especially when the warmer wet weather comes.
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03 Sep 21, Pete (Australia - temperate climate)
I have just planted some bush beans, can someone tell me approx how high they grow? Cheers and thnks in advance
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07 Sep 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
A question about beans in the tomato section. Beans (dwarf) about 300-400mm. Bush tomatoes 1m.
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27 Aug 21, Anthony Jennings (USA - Zone 13b climate)
Last year I planted cherry tomatoes from seedlings in January. I saved some seeds. When and how should I plant the seeds to develop seedlings for the coming year and how do I plant the seeds?
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01 Sep 21, (USA - Zone 6b climate)
Plant in a fine potting mix or similar soil (light and free draining) or a mixture of soil and potting mix about 1/4
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09 Aug 21, Lonnie quick (USA - Zone 9a climate)
Plants are growing great but not too many tomatoes are setting. Any ideas? it has been a 100 degrees (37C) almost every day. I water every day with drip about 1 1/2 gallons per plant thank you
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Showing 71 - 80 of 799 comments
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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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