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 16°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 40 - 60 cm 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

06 Feb 24, (USA - Zone 3a climate)
What ever variety you like to eat.
20 Jan 24, Kim (USA - Zone 7a climate)
What are the Best tomatoes for zone 7A to grow and fertilizer?
13 Oct 23, Tim (USA - Zone 10a climate)
Great advice
18 Sep 23, Tania from Hyde (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
I sow mine in late Sept in trays which i then put in the bottom of a large Sistema container with lid...I pop this out in the sun during day...moving lid around for heat and close it at night...if really cold pop in shed with a blanket....or do the same in the tunnel house....it double walls/protects...you can always throw a rug over the sistema for extra....in the morning undo the sistena and before long you have healthy plants. When planting out, i use cardboard boxes to cover at night, as less condensation and if really cold night.....pop that big Sistema over the cardboard box...really helps with protection. Had great sucess over the last few years. Also put sheep dags over the soil in the winter and dig them in before planting out...great microbiome and nitrogen for soil.
28 Jul 23, SilverShine (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Does anyone know where I can source some seeds for the Alboran variety. It is a winter variety for very low temps.
04 Jul 23, Mary Terrill (USA - Zone 9b climate)
What do I need to make a home made good potting soil for grow bags, to grow vegetables?
11 Sep 23, Sid (USA - Zone 10b climate)
A simple potting soil can be made with peat or Coco coir, perlite and any compost in a 1:1:1 ratio. You can use steer manure from lowes or home depot since it is pretty cheap or if your city has a composting program use that for free compost. It's a good idea to add 1-2 cups of fertilizer per cubic foot of soil you prepare with the above recipe. If you want to keep it simple, but a 10-10-10 balanced fertilized and add 2 cups per cubic foot. If you want a more detailed and balanced soil recipe I recommend checking out Buildasoil for info https://buildasoil.com/blogs/news/17627464-build-a-soil-from-scratch-in-2-simple-steps%20
29 Jun 23, (Australia - temperate climate)
I live on the NSW Central Coast. I have been given some Siberian Tomato seeds from a fellow gardener. I have been told that they are pretty cold resistant. I planted seed in about April. All 5 seeds germinated. I gave 2 to a friend, planted one in a pot outside in half sun, and 2 in my garden. I killed the two in my garden with kindness. Too much fertiliser and water. The one in the bot has bloomed, is about 18 inches high and flowering. To complicate things there is a self sown Mini Roma which is about 3 ft high and booming, full of flowers and some fruit. Very keen to see how the Siberians will go through the winter. It is 1 July here cold nights frost free. Has anyone grown Siberians? Cheers Pete
02 Jul 23, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Go to australian seed website and read about them - they just set fruit at lower temperatures, otherwise grow much the same as other toms. Better to grow just one bush in a 2-3' pot.
19 Feb 23, Belinda (Australia - temperate climate)
Right now my tomatoes are very big and look almost successful however they arn't turning red?! A few of them have but the rest are just happy sitting in greenville for quite some time. I would love some help! I planted around october from memory. Its they are beefsteaks. Thank you so much for your help. I would love to show my 7 year old that we can do this!
Showing 21 - 30 of 799 comments

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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