Growing Tomato

Lycopersicon esculentum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

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

(Best months for growing Tomato in Australia - temperate regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed

August: Frost tender. Start undercover

  • 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

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02 Oct 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
google it
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26 Sep 18, Darren (Australia - arid climate)
Obviously weather will be a factor, but I've been told by other Melbourne growers after Melbourne Cup for tomatoes.
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22 Sep 18, Andrew (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I am looking for a hybrid tree tomato Variety that can be planted outside in A Tasmanian spring/summer.
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03 Oct 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Look on the internet.
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13 Sep 18, robyn mee (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
please advise growing tomatoes in a garden bed with sun in afternoon and not much sun in morning when best time to water when to put stakes in to hold and what pressure to i put on the ties we also have a lot of different wild life birds from our back yard as we live on the back of a reserve protected how to keep insects away and some of the birds how far apart should i plant them and what can i plant with them eg. carrots ect any help would be helpful. i live on the gold coast currumbin on Simpson road
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14 Sep 18, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
I suggest you find a place with sun all day. You are really just wasting your time if you don't. Then google how to grow tomatoes. Water in the morning or at the base of the plants. Put stake in when you plant. Put the tie around the plant and cross it over and then around the stake and tie it off - have it a bit loose - a few inches. Plant them about 60cm apart and in rows 90cm apart. Don't plant anything near them (that is close to them). the shade from the tomatoes will stop the other plants from growing strong. Plant tall things near each other and small things near each other. Read up as much as you can about growing them. When they are about .5m high give them a good side dressing of fertiliser and put some mulch all around the plants .3m diameter.
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19 Aug 18, Jane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hello. On Saturday I had a nice round red tomato. I thought, 'I'll pick that tomorrow,' and promptly forgot about it. Last night (Sunday) I was out late after dark checking my vege gardens. I remembered the tomato and lo and behold, you guessed it - Gone! Who or what could have relieve me of my tomato? The garden in question is fully fenced. About 4' high or so. Thank you in advance, Jane :(
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25 Aug 19, Jason (Australia - temperate climate)
Could be birds. Do you get bower birds in your area? They are very clever and will even eat chillies. We had an area fenced all around with stiff plastic mesh and fine bird netting on top, but something was still getting in and eating our chillies. I caught a bower bird in the act, it had managed to get through a small hole half way up the bird netting, and I watched it fly up and easily scramble out the hole again. I couldn't believe it. Apparently birds don't feel the chillie heat like humans do. It could also be possums, ring tails are expecially naughty and almost silent. They eat the rinds entirely off our lemons and for years we couldn't figure out what was leaving "nude" lemons hanging in our tree, until we caught a pair of them eating fruit in our grapefruit tree, and the tiny bite marks were the same. For the lemons and grapefruit we can't do much except pick them all as soon as they seem ready enough. For veggies we usually have to build fort knox around them with fine veggie netting, which seems to keep *most* birds, possums, moths/grubs and snails out.
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20 Aug 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Sounds like someone took it. Should have picked it Sat - they will ripen up inside once they start showing some colour.
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31 Aug 18, Jane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Mike, yes. That's what I thought... I took yr advice and pick them as soon as I see them start to ripen now. (Can they be picked green to ripen indoors?)
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Showing 101 - 110 of 595 comments
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More information is needed: for example amount of water... soil conditions. The MOST GENERIC, and probably most correct answer is LACK OF NUTRIENTS. Most people plant their plants (tomato) adding lots of compost and/or manure at the time of planting. The plant grows using the nutrients (some are washed away... maybe trees manage to confiscate some nutrients); but as the soil nutrition drops, the plant, still wanting to grow, starts to take nutrition from its lower leaves so it can grow leaves higher up. That is, it is deciding how to best used it's own self to maximize it chances of success; since it can't source the needed nutrition from the soil What you need to do is: ADD manure or compost or anything else you may have to put nutrition back into the soil. I rinse my coffee pot in the garden, I also try to drain things (like the water from soaking dried beans) into the garden. Manure/compost/nutrition (in any form) needs to be added at planting, middle of the season, and close to the end of the season to give that LAST burst of energy to bring the fruit/vegetables into full form. Don't feel like you need to spend a lot of money; get creative; in Canada we can stop by our local coffee shops and pick up the days used grinds for use in our gardens (free); you can add micro nutrients to your garden by filling a pail with water and adding a layer of rocks (rocks are minerals) stir and use this to water your plants. Left over tea bags, left over coffee grinds, stuff that you might rinse down the sink (food juices), blood from meat when you wash it before cooking it ..... anything like that all puts nutrition back in the soil.

- Celeste Archer

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