Tomato Planting Time

Warmer weather always means it’s time to change over crops in your vegie patch…and the one most people await eagerly is tomatoes.  Father’s Day in warm, coastal areas is traditionally the time to plant them, whilst cooler mountainous and inland areas normally hold off till the October Long Weekend as they are cold sensitive.

It's important to prepare you soil well for tomatoes, and that normally means growing them in a different place to where you did the season before to minimize the spread of disease; this is one plant that really benefits from crop rotation.  Also, because they flower and fruit so prolifically, adding extra nutrient like blood and bone or sulphate of potash is also a sensible step in getting ready for your crops.

If you are growing your tomatoes with seedlings, it can be a useful trick to put your stakes in first, then bury the seedling slightly deeper than you would for ordinary seedlings, covering the main stem by a few centimetres.  This normally causes collar rot on seedlings and it to be avoided, but with tomatoes they actually put out extra side roots, and these can help anchor the plants.

For more tips on growing and harvesting tomatoes, check out our Tomato Growing Tips.

By: Meredith Kirton