Growing Tomato

Lycopersicon esculentum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

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

(Best months for growing Tomato in Australia - sub-tropical 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 11, Carolyn (Australia - temperate climate)
It's true that tomatos are an annual but there IS a way to get"follow on" or late crops from a particular plant. . . take cuttings ("tip" or even better "heal" cuttings"take" eazily) The new plants will be genetically identical to the parent plant & will crop in 1/3 the time a seedling would. Best of all you can save a favorite (or a dozen if you wish) by overwintering in pots
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13 Nov 10, Sri (Australia - temperate climate)
Tomatoes are an annual so they grow then flower then they start to produce fruit and as long as you keep the water up to them and feed them regularly they should continue to flower and fruit for 4 to 6 months but when they are finished they dont usually bounce back the plant is spent. However small salad tomatoes (tiny tims,cherry tomatoes) have been known to flower and fruit again.
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18 Sep 10, (Australia - arid climate)
Hi collegues, Do you know any USA quarantine insect pests of tomato? Looking forward to getting your ideas Theo
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11 Jul 10, Michele (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi, We planted small roma tomatoes about 4 weeks ago. The plants are thriving and heaps of flowers, but the flowers do not seem to be turning into tomatoes? Could it be over fertilisation? Really interested to hear your ideas. Thanks
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28 Aug 10, Andrew (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It most likely will be short day-length - plants need enough energy to convert into flower and fruit production, and in winter there is simply not enough daylight in a day to do this. You should find that by October they will be forming fruit...
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08 Jul 10, Margaret (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi, everyone. We've got a beautiful crop of tomatoes this year, with varieties including Rouge De Marmand, Tropic and a black variety I can't remember the name of. My problem is fruit fly (specifically, QLD fruit fly). Is there any way of eradicating this horribe pest? I've done some searching online which suggested fly traps may be beneficial but not much else. Help!
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10 Sep 10, Neil (Australia - temperate climate)
Try a physical barrier, like exclusion bags, to keep the fruit fly off your tomatoes. I got some from Greeen Harvest last year, and they made a huge difference to the amount of fruit that survived.
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15 May 10, bill (Australia - tropical climate)
My tomato plants are just starting to bare fruit, but now the leaves are turning black on the ends and dying off. What should do.
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23 May 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
It could be a fungal problem. I would take a couple of leaves into your local nursery/garden shop to show them.
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26 Apr 10, Robert (Australia - tropical climate)
I have one long garden bed (6m x 1.5m) this year just set aside to grow tomatos. I have planted a variety of types, common to all nurseries. This year half of my plants have taken (part shaded end of the bed) and started to grow while the other half (full sun) last about 1 week before all the leaves wilt and the plant dies (Surprisingly quickly). I have just tested and adjusted the PH as I found that it was a little low, but not drastically, in the sunny end of the bed. I don’t know why my plants keep dying but I can’t keep replacing them. Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing my plants to die? The only think that is growing in the same bed, surprisingly well, are the basil and marigold plants. I grew tomato’s quite successfully last year but in a different position in the garden.
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Further to my posts below. I have found this which I believe is the problem with my bunchy curly leaves on cherry tomatoes. It is called -Tomato yellow leaf curl virus. TYLCV. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Qld In March 2006, tomato leaf curl disease was found in cherry tomato crops in the south and west periphery of Brisbane. The disease has been found in many crops, with infection levels ranging from 5 to 100 per cent of plants. Losses in severely affected crops have been very high and the disease is a major threat to tomato production. In April 2006, infected plants were also found around Bundaberg. By June 2007, the virus was present in the Lockyer Valley, Fassifern Valley, Esk, Caboolture and Redlands areas. Since 2009 it has become a serious production constraint around Bundaberg. In February 2011, it was found in backyard tomato plants in Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands. Tomato leaf curl disease is caused by viruses in the Geminivirus family of plant viruses, and is spread by whiteflies. The virus causing this disease is tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). This virus is distinct from tomato leaf curl Australia virus (TLCV), which occurs in the Northern Territory and at several locations on Cape York Peninsula. Silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Biotype B) was first recorded in Australia in 1994, it is now a widespread pest in Queensland and Western Australia and could become a major pest in most irrigated agricultural areas of Australia. Silverleaf whitefly (SLW) is also known as poinsettia or sweetpotato whitefly and in USA literature it is now referred to as Bemisia argentifolii. SLW has a wide host range (over 500 species) of crops and weeds, and is difficult to control as it has developed resistance to conventional insecticides. Biotype Q was discovered recently in Queensland. There is also an Australian native species. These three biotypes are indistinquishable in the field.

- Mike

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