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

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05 Jan 10, alison (Australia - temperate climate)
Thanks Barb ... novices are always keen but boy I lack knowledge. I'm trying to companion plant and not use pesticides (except my garlic mix). Also heard that "solar sterilisation" will kill organisms - black plastic over bed before planting - weighed down and let the sun kill off the bugs. Oh well, there's always next year! Barb is there anything we can do now to save our tomatoes? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
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02 Jan 10, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Tomatoes and others in the solanacae family (eggplant, capsicum, potato, etc) should be rotated to help avoid wilt diseases and also root knot nematodes - these build up in the soil. Sadly boiling would kill a lot of the good microbes - crop rotation seems the best approach of all. It could even be tomato russet mite that's causing the yellow dying leaves - they're microscopic (invisible to naked eye). Keeping the tomato plants growing well with healthy compost, regular feeding with organic fertiliser and plenty of water does seem to help.
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02 Jan 10, Annalisa (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I agree. I have put the tommies in new garden beds - maybe I should start checking Ph levels - never have before but always had success. But I guess more effort (and money for ph testing kit) just may pay off. Boiling water - sounds interesting! Thanks.
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01 Jan 10, Alison (Australia - temperate climate)
Annalisa, I'm doing some research on the wilt thing. One site said never plant tomatoes in soil that had previously had tommies grown. No-one down my way has had success this season with tomatoes. Perhaps there's credit in the boiling water prior to planting theory. Too bad this site isn't frequented more - I really like it but don't get too many answers.
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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.
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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!
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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
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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?
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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)
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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
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I think you might have blossom end rot, and root rot mixed up. Blossom end rot occurs on the base of the tomato, and is caused by a lack of calcium (usually -- it could be other things that cause the calcium to be unavailable - PH, lack of water etc.). Blossom end rot causes the tomato to look deformed. Calcium added to the soil at the time of planting is usually adequate to ensure this does not happen. The calcium really needs to be added EARLY in the growing stages. You could also use egg shells -- I would grind/smash up the shells pretty good then work them into the soil of the planting hole; better yet, enrich with egg shells over the winter and early spring in anticipation of future planting. Root rot usually occurs when water sits around the roots of a plant for long periods of time -- bad drainage, excess watering, soil that holds too much water (which is really drainage). If you have proper aeration this usually doesn't happen since the air flow will whisk away excess moisture (provided it isn't a swamp at the roots). Try to create updrafts in your pots -- you want water drainage holes that do double duty -- let the water run off and allow air in. I find that holes at the SIDE BOTTOM of the pot, rather than directly under the pot, work well. It may seem like a hole at the side of the pot will let the soil out -- but pretty much after the first watering this stops happening -- and once the roots take hold it certainly does not happen. No need for drainage material (stones etc.) -- just use soil/compost top to bottom -- expect soil to come out at first when filling the pot -- after that you should be fine. I make my holes rather large -- on a BIG pot these holes are about 3inches (circular). Roots of plants really like air (maybe not direct exposure) but they certainly like the occasional breeze through the soil. Face the hole on the shady side of the pot for a cooling updraft in hot weather.

- Celeste Archer

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