Your comments and tips

24 Mar 14, Ronald mayanda (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)

How do i protect my tomato plants from getting burnt in winter with coldness

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01 Mar 14, Stephen Matthews (Australia - temperate climate)

I have been told that some varieties of tomatoes can be grown successfully in winter. Has anyone done so? What varieties can be used and what special provisions...e.g. frost protection?

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27 Sep 14, Elizabeth (Australia - temperate climate)

Cherry tomatoes are possible to grow in low frost areas during the colder months providing they have a nicely sunny position. Water in the mornings to prevent drenched soil at night. Start them off in seed trays under glass or in warm area .Ensuring the soil is rich in organic matter will heat the soil slightly as it continues to compost. I find that cherry tomatoes can tolerate the early spring including very late winter and late Autumn as they are small and do not need as much sun to ripen. Although I have not grown tomatoes in the middle of winter the local community always has them growing. Did you end up growing them and how did you go? Happy gardening - Elizabeth

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02 Mar 14, Paul (Australia - arid climate)

I grow tomatoes year round in wire cages with shade cloth around them to protect from too much sun in summer and frost in autumn and winter. Not found one type to be useless but the best are San Marzarno, Apollo, Roma and any of the cherries. Be careful of overwatering and fungal disease in areas other than arid zones. I make sure the cage is large enough for the plant to have good air circulation and room for the flowers to form fruit, no less than 1.5m long ring lock joined to form a circle. Chooks scratch around the outside and keep earwigs etc away.

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25 Jan 16, Kate (Australia - arid climate)

Paul do you grow from seed and what months do you plant? My family suggested I should always have the summer bearing crop in before the end of August and now I'm trying to establish when is best times for other season crops so I can try and produce for as much of the year as possible.

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25 Feb 14, Issam (Australia - temperate climate)

Can i plant cucumber and tomato next to each other

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15 Feb 14, sad tomatoes (Australia - temperate climate)

I know its the end of tomato season but even during the peek of summer, the tomato plants produced minimal crops. My garden is above ground and packed with manure, vegie mix soil, compost and pea straw. I feed them fish emulsion regularly but still not a lot of tomatoes. They are positioned in full sun near zucchini and basil plants except one plants which is located near cucumber and capsicum plants. What did I do wrong?

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06 Mar 15, (Australia - temperate climate)

Fish emulsion is good for root development but not good for leaf and flower/fruit. I use compost, dynamic lifter and powerfeed liquid fertiliser. I use seasol when transplanting seedlings to help prevent root shock. Occasionally use Seasol after that but not much

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01 Dec 14, Bill (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Tomatoes don't like to be planted near cucumber and capsicum plants. It is also recommended not to plant tomatoes in the same patch as cucumber and capsicum plants for a few years afterward. I am hazarding a guess to say that this maybe a cause to your problem.

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04 Apr 14, Derbyiter (Australia - temperate climate)

What I have found is the plants are getting to much nitrogen in the soil mix... Therefore :- look at burning some green material( once it drys out with paper etc) or buy a bottle of POTASH, and mix into water, and give regular feeds of it. This counters the non- flowering stage, and kick starts ya fruiting cycle on your plants ! I had the same problems years ago, and a old bloke passed this trick onto me. I now use potash to self induce my passion fruit vines, with the best results ever seen and recorded for the fruiting vines around us here.... # my own dad swore by the use of potato e manure on his! but I never found it doing much for my plants! until meeting another old hand from the market days of yesteryear. Hope it helps ya..

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