Growing Tomato

Lycopersicon esculentum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

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

(Best months for growing Tomato in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • 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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28 Nov 07, Judy Ramsey (Unknown climate)
I had some success last year with planting the lateral shoots taken off the main plant (put in water for a few days until roots develop). Great site - very useful
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31 Aug 07, Chris Hutchinson (Unknown climate)
Clive Blazey in his Diggers Club book "The Australian Vegetable Garden" (http://www.diggers.com.au/books.shtm#vegbook) describes how they ran pruning trials and found that pruned plants produced much lower yields (25% in Tigeralla and 33% in Grosse Lisse compared to unpruned). They also found that pruning had no effect on the size of the fruit.
They did find that late pruning tended to produce larger fruit, but with greatly reduced yields.
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22 Dec 13, pat (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I pruned the leaves that turned yellow but the plant in now nearly leavelessr, although theres still tomatoes on it, should I pull it out and start again
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30 Aug 07, Norman Genuis (Unknown climate)
Tomatoes - to prune or not to prune. Is the difference between the two just whether you want less quantity of fruit but in bigger size or more quantity with smaller size? Thanks.
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20 Aug 07, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Local advice is to wait until Melbourne Cup day before planting out tomatoes or anything frost sensitive.
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Latest advice I got was this: Don't over water or feed your tomato seedlings!!! Your aim should be to deprive the seedlings of much water and fertiliser until they begin to bear fruit. That's right, when growing, feed them NO fertiliser and very little water! Just give them a pinch of Potash (Sulfate of ---) to strengthen the stem and the occasional watering when young. The trick is to make the plant think it is going to die (sort of like lowering its metabolism), so that it flowers and bears fruit earlier. You should note that the tomato plant WILL need extra fertiliser/water once it begins to fruit. You can also ripen your tomatoes inside the kitchen once they begin to change colour - there's no need to wait for them to ripen on the vine. It is said to dilute the flavour and increases the chances of letting the pesky birds get them first.

- Jaci

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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. Gardenate 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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