Growing Tomato

Lycopersicon esculentum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

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

(Best months for growing Tomato in Australia - cool/mountain 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 Jul 08, wayne (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Last year my tomatoes started really good. Then the foliage seemed to turn black. We didn't have a frost. I didn't get any fruit at all.
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27 Jul 08, Bobby (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi, I want to make homemade chutney using good tomatoes. When are they in season in Melbourne/Victoria please?
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15 Jul 08, Dianne (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Damian I think you will find that brown patch is blossom end rot which is caused by uneven watering.
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05 Jul 08, Glenda Bannan (Australia - tropical climate)
Any one tried growing tomatoes all year round in a tropical climate using a raised garden that does get shade during our hottest part of day???
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29 Jun 08, fay from omeo victoria (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
hello i had great tomatoes last season, were too juicy, when i cut them into quarters a lot of juice runs out regards fay
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16 Jun 08, Damian (Unknown climate)
My tomatoes grow really well and are producing lots of fruit but the fruit is getting a brown/grey leathery patch on the bottom of it. Does anyone know what this is and how to stop it?
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09 May 08, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Audrey, you could try piling up tons of mulch around the plants, or covering them with agri-fleece or other frost protection sheeting that nurseries supply. Ordinary clear plastic sheeting can work too, but I've found it needs support, while agri-fleece is light and can be placed directly onto the plants and anchored round the edges.
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08 May 08, Audrey (Unknown climate)
I have some cherry tomato vines growing in my garden (left over by previous tenants). I have no idea how to keep them from frostbites since they are growing on the ground instead of pots. But i would love to maintain the vines since it is winter is round the corner. How do i keep them from frostbites? Is there anything that i can buy to cover over them? Would appreciate some advice.
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16 Dec 07, Liz Hutchinson (Unknown climate)
Spray tomatoes with copper at least once a fortnight. If the weather is humid and/wet spray weekly to prevent blight. Organic gardeners can use copper. Also mulch well and keep up the deep watering during dry spells.
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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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List of tomato diseases. ( Wikipedia ). Tomato cultivars vary widely in their resistance to disease. Modern hybrids focus on improving disease resistance over the heirloom plants. Various forms of mildew and blight are also common tomato afflictions, which is why tomato cultivars are often marked with a combination of letters which refer to specific disease resistance. The most common letters are: V - verticillium wilt, F - fusarium wilt strain I, FF - fusarium wilt strain I & II, N - nematodes, T - tobacco mosaic virus, and A - alternaria. Another particularly dreaded disease is curly top, carried by the beet leafhopper, which interrupts the lifecycle, ruining a nightshade plant as a crop. As the name implies, it has the symptom of making the top leaves of the plant wrinkle up and grow abnormally. Some common tomato pests are cutworms, tomato hornworms and tobacco hornworms, aphids, cabbage loopers, whiteflies, tomato fruitworms, flea beetles, red spider mite, slugs,[6] and Colorado potato beetles.

- Perry

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