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

01 Jan 10, Matthew (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Planted tomatoes they have fruited but no colour coming. Also the plant seems to have a blackish/brownish tinge to the trunk, is this bad.
30 Dec 09, Annalisa (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Anxiously awaiting answers about wilting. I had success last year with tommies, and this year, all five plants had to be ripped out with green tommies all over due to disease. Is it in the soil? I use seaweed fertiliser... Pretty tired of fighting this thing, but willing to fight on. I want some healthy tommies!
28 Dec 09, Alison (Australia - temperate climate)
Just south of Wollongong NSW, my beef steak's are about 6ft tall and were very slow to show flowers. Now I think I have a wilt fungus as the bottom leaves are turning yellow and dying. What do "they" mean when they say you shouldn't grow tomatoes in soil that previously had tomatoes in it? Perhaps the boiling water idea in November. Apparently eggplants are also affected by the same wilt - Vermillician or something like that. Any help or ideas guys? Cheers
11 Dec 09, lisa (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have grown my tomatoes from seed from big tomatoes yet all five bushes are growing small cherry tomatoe size fruit lots and lots of them, what have i done wrong?
11 Dec 09, Helena (Australia - temperate climate)
John - by any chance is it possible that you live somewhere close to Melbourne? Would like to see your savagelly clipped tomatoes. Grandmother (63) (interested ONLY in gardening)
26 Nov 09, Freyja (Australia - temperate climate)
We are growing veggies for the first time and have started with tomatoes, pumpkins and zucchini. Of our eight cherry tomato seedlings - five are growing ok but slowly, two are hardly growing but look otherwise healthy and one has grown a little but looks a bit sick and slightly yellow. Two Black Krim seedlings seem ok, just slower than I had hoped. I'm feeding them seasol and am about introduce seasol powerfeed. They were planted into a well prepared bed with mushroom compost, cow manure, lucerne hay and premium garden soil. Does the sick one have a disease? Should I remove it? Also I think one of the pumpkin seedlings might have powdery mildew, do I need to remove it? Thanks, Freyja
22 Nov 09, Marina (Australia - temperate climate)
My tomatoestook off and areproducing fruit but the wilt has set in worse than ever before. The leaves are yellowing and dying from the ground up. It happened last year too. I imagine the fungus is lying dormant in the soil and then attacks new seedlings. Help! Is there a drench or something I can apply to the soil in winter to kill off the spores? Is there a variety of tomato that does not fall victim? My egg plants aren't happy either. Would love a solution that does not involve leaving my garden fallow for years. Can you advise me? Marina
19 Nov 09, Elle (Australia - temperate climate)
I am a first time tomatoe grower. My plants are fruiting well except that the green fruit and the few red ones we've got so far have a black/dark spot or patch on the side of the fruit furtherest from vine. Does anyone know what this is and how what I can do about it?
16 Nov 09, Wayne (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Jared, I am doing it at the moment. The tomatoes in my garden are looking better. I find if you over water the upside down tomatoe the folige gets wet which is a bit of a no no. Overwise the experiment continues.
14 Nov 09, jared (Australia - temperate climate)
Q:Has anyone heard or tried growing there tomatoes hanging in an upside down container i have heard of this method but havent tried it,has anyone had any experience with this method - pro's & con's?
Showing 721 - 730 of 811 comments

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..

- Derbyiter

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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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